If you’re a small business retailer and find the world of work health and safety law complex and mind boggling, you’re not alone. Many small businesses feel overwhelmed about their obligations under work health and safety law and often don’t know where to start, so end up doing nothing.
SafeWork NSW reports that a 2017 independent survey found more than 40% of business advisors considered work health and safety laws to be some of the most burdensome regulations for businesses. Small businesses don’t always feel they have the time, resources or expertise to adequately manage workplace health and safety.
SafeWork NSW, has developed and launched a new self-assessment toolkit to improve health and safety in the workplace. The Easy to Do Work Health and Safety toolkit assists small business to understand and comply with work health and safety obligations.
The toolkit is available to all businesses and offers a free self-assessment that is easy to complete, and provides information to further improve health and safety in the workplace. If you’re a small business retailer who isn’t sure where to start, this is a good place. The toolkit addresses seven key components of work health and safety to help create a safer, healthier and more successful business. The key components of the toolkit are:
- Your commitment –how to lead by example and cultivate a sustainable safety culture
- Consultation – the importance of and process of engaging with your people to ensure their health and safety at work
- Managing risk – a risk management approach to eliminate/mitigate health and safety risks in the workplace
- Reporting – a process that provides people in the workplace to notify of hazards, incidents and health and safety issues
- Worker capability – the provision of induction, training and supervision to enable workers to perform their work safely and without risk to health
- Safe working environment – providing and maintaining a workplace that is healthy and safe and does not present a risk to people’s health and safety
- Workers compensation and recovery at work – understanding workers compensation obligations to ensure workers who have a work-related illness or injury are supported and there is a process for them to recover at work.
The Easy to do WHS toolkit can be accessed via the SafeWorkNSW website.
