Moves the focus from 'do - PDF document

Lejgislative Changes in Health Key aspects of Working Safer blueprint Primary Regulator - W o r k S a f e N Z • En f o r c i n g • Ed u c a t i n g • G u i d i n g a n d c o o r d i n a t i n g i m p l e m e n t a t i o n New Legislation - H e a l t h a n d Sa f e t y a t W o r k A c t - B a se d o n A u s t r a l i a n M o d e l H e a l t h a n d Sa f e t y A c t - A d a p t e d f o r N 2 c o n d i t i o n s - H e a l t h a n d Sa f e t y R e f o r m Bi l l t o P a r l i a m e n t i n A p r i l 2 0 1 4 - D u e o u t o f Se l e c t C o m m i t t e e 2 4 Ju l y2 0 1 5 - Ta k es 2 - 3 m o n t h s t o g e t t h r o u g h P a r l i a m e n t - Th e n a t l ea st 4 m o n t h s l e a d t i m e b e f o r e e n a c t m e n t - Ph a se 1 Re g u l a t i o n s g o l i ve t h e d a y a f t e r t h e A c t - e xp o s u r e d r a f t s o u t n o w

Duty Holders Those who by their acts or omissions arising from work being unclertal(en, affect health and safety • PCBUs i • Officers • Worl<ers • Otiier persons at the worl<place * - . - . Key principles relating to duties The person with the duty is required to: • Etiminate risks as far as is reasonably practicable • Otherwise minimise those risks as far as is reasonably practicable Act stresses "risk" rather than " hazard" • Cannot transfer your duty to another person • May have more than one duty if you belong to more than one class of duty holder Reasonably Practicable test t h a t w h i c h i s, o r w a s a t a p a rt i cu l a r t i m e , r e a s o n a b l y a b l e t o b e d o n e t o e n s u r e h e a l t h a n d sa f et y, t a k i n g i n t o a c c o u n t a n d w e i g h i n g u p a l l r e l e va n t m a t t e r s i n c l u d i n g : t h e l i k e l i h o o d o f t h e h a za r d o r t h e ri sk c o n c e r n e d o c c u r r i n g t h e d e g re e of h a r m t h a t m i g h t r e s u l t f r o m t h e h a za r d o r t h e ri sk w h a t t h e p e rso n c o n c e r n e d k n o w s , or o u gh t r e a s o n a b l y t o k n o w , a b o u t t h e h a za r d o r ri sk , a n d w a ys o f e l i m i n a t i n g o r m i n i m i s i n g t h e ri sk t h e a va i l a b i l i t y a n d sui t a b i l i t y of w a ys t o e l i m i n a t e or m i n i m i s e t h e risk, a n d a f t e r a sse ssi n g t h e e x t e n t o f t h e ri sk a n d t h e a va i l a b l e w a ys o f e l i m i n a t i n g o r m i n i m i s i n g t h e ri sk , t h e co st a s s o c i a t e d w i t h a va i l a b l e w a ys o f e l i m i n a t i n g o r m i n i m i s i n g t h e ri sk , i n c l u d i n g w h e t h e r t h e c o s t is g r o s s l y d i s p r o p o r t i o n a t e t o t h e ri sk .

An objective test • A d u t y - h o l d e r m u s t m e e t t h e st a n d a rd of b e h a vi o u r e xp e c t e d of a r e a s o n a b l e p e rso n i n t h e d u t y- h o l d e r ' s p o s i t i o n a n d w h o is r e q u i r e d t o c o m p l y w i t h t h e s a m e d u t y. • Tw o e l e m e n t s - What can be done - that i s, w h a t is p o s s i b l e i n t h e c i r c u m s t a n c e s f o r e n s u r i n g h e a l t h a n d sa f e t y. - Is i t reasonable, in the circumstances t o d o a l l t h a t is p o s s i b l e . • W h a t c a n b e d o n e sh o u l d b e d o n e u n l e s s i t is r e a s o n a b l e i n t h e c i r c u m s t a n c e s f o r t h e d u t y - h o l d e r t o d o s o m e t h i n g l ess. • A i m is t o e n s u r e t h a t w o r k e r s a n d o t h e r s a r e p r o v i d e d w i t h t h e h i g h e s t l evel o f p r o t e c t i o n t h a t is r e a s o n a b l y p r a c t i c a b l e . PCBUs " Person conducting business or undertaking" Whether for profit or gain or not Person may be entity or individual Corporation, partnership, society, association, self-employed, sole- trader In best position to control risk Moves the focus from 'do zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA I have a duty', to 'if and how that duty has been discharged' More about the impact / influence of a PCBU upon - Workers - Others Responsible for workers and others affected by the work PCBU has primary duty of care May be multiple, overlapping PCBUs on site - Shopping malls, building sites Managing risks to those below them in chain {Extent of control or influence sets degree of duty) Expected to consult and cooperate with other PCBUs Collective responsibility Wider than employment relationship Encompasses modern working relationships

Not PCBUs Persons engaged solely as workers or officers Volunteer Associations that don' t employ workers Home occupier employing for residential work Exclusions as per Regs [ N o t r e l e a s e d - A u s t R e g s - 6 7 0 p a ges! ] - El e c t e d m e m b e r o f M u n i c i p a l Co u n c i l - A ' st ra t a t i t l e b o d y c o r p o r a t e ' t h a t d o e s n o t e m p l o y a n yo n e Duties of PCBU's P ri m a ry d u t y of c a re : En su r e so f a r as is r e a s o n a b l y p r a c t i c a b l e t h e H & S of w o r k e r s a n d o t h e r s a f f e c t e d b y t h e w o r k b y: • Pr o vi s i o n a n d m a i n t e n a n c e o f : - w o r k e n v i r o n m e n t w i t h o u t ri sk s t o H & S - Sa f e p l a n t a n d s t r u c t u r e s - Sa f e s ys t e m s o f w o r k - A d e q u a t e f a c i l i t i e s f o r t h e w e l f a r e a t w o r k o f w o r k e r s - I n f o r m a t i o n , t r a i n i n g , i n s t r u c t i o n a n d s u p e r vi s i o n

Duties of PCBU's - cent Monitoring the health of workers and the conditions of the workplace Ensuring the safe use, handling and storage of plant, substances and structures A PCBU has a duty if it arranges for work to be done, directs or influences it, or contributes something for the work to be done. Individual PCBUs are also workers if they carry out work Duty of PCBU who manages or controls workplace Ensure, so far as Is reasonably practicable, that the workplace, the means of entering and exiting, and anything arising from the workplace are wi t hout risks to the H&S of any person. Duty of self-employed person • Ensure his or her own health and safety while at work so far as is reasonably practicable. BUSINESS CENTRAL

Officers Director, Company Secretary, Partner, Officeholder - Persons* who make decisions that affect the whole, or a substantial part, of the business or undertaking - those with the capacity to significantly affect the organisation' s financial standing, - Those on whose instructions or wishes directors are accustomed to act * CEO, CFO, Executive Management etc - Receiver/ Manager, Administrator, Liquidator Duties of officers • M ust exercise zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA due diligence t o ensure PCBU compliance wit h H&S obligations Due diligence means taking reasonable steps t o: • Keep up t o date knowledge of work H&S matters • Understand the nature of operations and the associated hazards and risks • Ensure PCBU has resources and processes t o eliminate or minimise those risks (and uses t hem I) Due diligence - cont • Ensure PCBU has processes for receiving and considering information regarding incidents, hazards and risks - and for responding in a timely way • Ensure PCBU has and implements processes for complying wi t h any duty imposed Verify the provision and use of resources above

Worker Includes: • Employees • Contractors, subcontractors and their employees • Employee of labour hire company • Outworker • Apprentice or trainee • Person gaining work experience or undertaking work trial • Volunteer '• PCBU if it is an individual who carries out work in that business Duties of Workers • Take reasonable care: - for his/ her own health and safety - that acts or omissions don' t adversely affect H&S of others • Comply wi t h reasonable instruction given by PCBU to allow PCBU to comply wit h Act • Co-operate wit h reasonable H&S policy or procedure of PCBU that has been notified to workers Emphasis on effective worker participation • PCBU must provide reasonable opportunity to participate effectively in improving H&S • General duty to involve and consult • Appropriate to workplace size, risk • Guidance to be developed • SME processes can be informal

Reporting notifiable events • Death; or • Notifiable injury or illness; or • Notifiable incident. Responsibility of PCBU(s) to ensure reported - I m m e d i a t e n o t i f i c a t i o n - B y f a s t e s t m e a n s p o s s i b l e ( p h o n e , f a x, e m a i l , e t c ) - If p h o n e d , w r i t t e n n o t i c e w i t h i n 4 8 h r s i f r e q u i r e d b y r e g u l a t o r - On - l i n e o p t i o n s IVlaximum penalty - I n d i vi d u a l S10l< - C o r p $ 5 0 k Preservation of incident Sites Duty of person wit h mgt or control of site at which incident occurred t o ensure site not disturbed - U n t i l o t h e r w i s e d i r e c t e d b y i n s p e c t o r - Sp e c i f i c c i r c u m s t a n c e s M aximum penalty - I n d i vi d u a l S l Ok - Co r p S S Ok Record keeping of notifiable events • PCBU t o keep records for at least 5 years - Fr o m d a t e o f n o t i f i c a t i o n o f i n c i d e n t • M aximum penalty - I n d i vi d u a l S2 5 k - Co r p S S Ok