Work Health & Safety (WHS/OHS)
Work Health & Safety Management Systems - WHSMS (or OHSMS) – compliance with legal requirements
ISO 45001 Management Systems – compliance with supply chain pre-qualification requirements
Safety Audit & Workplace Risk Assessment – compliance with safety management system and risk mitigation requirements
WHSMS & ISO 45001
Work Health & Safety Management Systems
Why have a WHS (or OHS) Management System?
The implementation of a formalised and structured work (occupational) health, and safety management system assisted by EQAS will provide a framework for making your workplace a safe and healthy place.
The system will not only help you comply with all related legislative requirements but will develop continuous improvements to your operation by reducing the frequency of illness and injuries (both physical and psychosocial) and the costs associated with loss of productivity.
A systematic approach to safety is better than just letting it happen, and...........
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Introduces workplace safety systems and procedures that help achieve a safe and healthy workplace
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Enables compliance with the necessary legislative requirements
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Reduces costs associated with workplace injury and illness
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Ensure health and safety obligations are managed in an orderly fashion
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Enables certification to specific WHS (or OHS) accreditation requirements such as the international standard ISO 45001, Australian Government Building and Construction Work Health and Safety Accreditation Scheme, or one of the state’s workplace insurance “Exempt Employer" schemes
How does EQAS help?
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We will evaluate and report on your current safety system
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We will facilitate the establishment and development of an organisation's safety program steering committee, and train members in its operation
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We will provide safety system awareness training for all selected employees
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We will develop and document your safety management system in consultation with your people, including policies and procedures in accordance with the Work Health and Safety (WHS or OHS) legislative requirements
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We will provide a structured safety auditor training program to enable selected employees to identify, assess, and control hazards
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We make sure that safety procedures and work instructions are readily understood and accepted by staff
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We assist you to comply with necessary legislative requirements, or any safety certification you choose to subscribe to, or any customer pre-qualification safety requirement.
Our training and implementation program tells everyone in your organisation what their responsibilities are and ensures that your health and safety obligations are managed in an orderly fashion.
A Work Health and Safety (WHS/OHS) System is a basic and essential part of good management practice and is much more effective than just letting it happen!
If you already have a safety system of sorts, what can we do for you?
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Make sure your safety system is working properly and complying
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Undertake Workplace Safety Inspections and report to you the outcomes.
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Conduct hazard risk assessment and job safety analysis.
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Conduct WHS or OHS System and legal compliance audits.
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Assist and train your WHS or OHS Coordinator to be more effective.
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Improve your Safety Committee processes.
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Assist in transitioning your systems to the use of more efficient and productive software tool
ASSESSMENT
Safety Audit & Workplace Risk Assessment
EQAS are risk management specialists providing audit of Work Health and Safety Management Systems (WHSMS) risk assessment of your workplace.
Assistance is available for:
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Workplace safety inspections and reports (are your facilities and infrastructure safe?)
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Safety Management System audits (are your people complying with your procedures?)
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Legal Compliance audits (are you complying with legislation?)
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On-site Subcontractor Safety Management, Inspection and Audit (Are subcontractors always complying with safety requirements?)
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Job Safety Analysis including:
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hazard identification
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risk assessment
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determining control measures
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Plant and Equipment risk assessment
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Safety engineering support
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Manual Handling risk assessment
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Safe Operating Procedure Development
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Safety Committee meeting facilitation
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Safety performance improvement
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Risk Identification & Safety Training
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Safety management of suppliers and contractors
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Risk Management Software implementation
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Training, mentoring, and coaching
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Online safety learning management system
With poor Work Health and Safety (WHS or OHS) performance costing many businesses dearly in human suffering, dollars, reduced productivity, and inability to deliver to the market place at full potential, keeping your workplace hazard free is clearly an important investment.
OVERVIEW
WHS-OHS Audits Overview
EQAS is an Australian based risk-management consultancy which, for nearly 30 years has been assisting organisations to better assess, mitigate and manage their work-place risks.
The experience and knowledge gained over this time has EQAS very conversant with most-all industry sectors and highly competent in a comprehensive range of management systems and services.
Included are system reviews and gap-=audits providing assistance to organisations in their quest to gain certification to Australian and International standards including (often concurrently):
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OH&S standard ISO 45001
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Quality standard ISO 9001
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Environmental standard ISO 14001
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Information Security standard ISO 27001
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International WHO Food standard HACCP or ISO 22001
What exactly is an WHS-OHS safety audit?
A safety audit is a comprehensive review of an organisation's WHS-OHS Management System. It determines an organisation's level of compliance with relevant legislation, codes of practice and standards with the purpose of identifying any gaps or breaches, and the consequential liability, that might exist against the given standard or legislation.
It is a critical management activity which identifies where an organisation faces increased risk of a work-place injury or illness and/or may be vulnerable to the often-substantial fines and penalties imposed the regulators.
It is a critical management activity which identifies where an organisation faces increased risk of a work-place injury or illness and/or may be vulnerable to the often-substantial fines and penalties imposed the regulators.
How does a WHS-OHS safety audit work?
Obviously, organisations commissioning a safety audit will require it to be as comprehensive and rigorous as is required to give them the confidence that their workplaces are compliant and expectations satisfied.
Organisations may commission varying safety audits depending on their immediate need, their own levels of competency and the status of their current management system.
To cater for these needs EQAS has developed a 4-type classification structure of WHS-OHS audits.
1. EQAS Safety Audit
There are those organisations which may be required to demonstrate compliance to a particular standard at the request of a client. In these instances, the need may be to have a full certification audit which involves all audit levels.
Others who are unsure of their compliance with their current state’s WHS-OHS regulations may choose one or two selected audits or require some or all of the three audit levels.
In the execution of a safety audit, EQAS may require access to any records which relate to the WHS-OHS system. In some instances, and where the client organisation is comfortable, relevant files may be taken off-site and a desk-top audit undertaken at an EQAS office. Other more comprehensive audits will require the EQAS auditor to be on-site with access to the client’s documented system, procedures and relevant personnel.
2. Desk-top Systems Audit
These are generally conducted off-site where the WHS-OHS systems and procedural documents are audited to ensure they address the regulations required by legislation and/or the relevant standard or code.
A desk-top audit generally takes two weeks. At its conclusion a report is presented which will identify those components of the WHS-OHS system which do not comply or adequately prescribe the requirements. It will provide guidance to remedy such gaps.
It is assumed the client organisation will undertake measures to correct the gaps, however EQAS can quote to provide such assistance as might be required to become compliant.
3. Implementation Audit
Having a compliant system is one thing. The implementation and ongoing management of those procedures and policies at ‘shopfloor’ level is quite another. shopfloorshopfloorshopfloorshopfloorshopfloorshopfloorshopfloorshopfloorshopfloorshopfloor
The EQAS Implementation Audit will address the effectiveness of the training, retention and execution of the WHS-OHS policies and procedures from the manuals to the workers and the workplace. It will look at relevant records that verifies compliance with the system prescribed requirements.
It will address matters including:
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Required management resources to effectively implement and manage the WHS-OHS system
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Accountability and responsibility for the implementation, management, review, and reporting
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Training and competency
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Induction processes
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Hazard identification and evaluation
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Documentation and records management
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Emergency preparedness and response
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Accident investigation
An Implementation Audit generally takes two to three weeks. At its conclusion a report is presented which will identify those components of the WHS-OHS system which do not comply and provide guidance to remedy such gaps.
4. Physical Environment Audit
It is easy for those familiar with a workplace to become complacent and fail to notice instances where corporate WHS-OHS policies and procedures are being neglected.
An EQAS Physical Environment Audit is a detailed evaluation of the workplace infrastructure including workshops, warehouses, offices, yards, and traffic areas to determine where hazards and regulation breaches might exist.
The audit will address matters including:
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Traffic management
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Hazard identification
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Access and egress
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Ergonomics
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Fire safety
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Signage
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Lighting
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Storage of materials
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Safety of machinery and equipment
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Workers compliance to regulations
A Physical Environment Audit generally takes two to three weeks. At its conclusion a report is presented which will identify those components of the WHS-OHS system which do not comply and provide guidance to remedy such gaps.