OHS NSW
Occupational Health and Safety in NSW is a shared concern and responsibility of both workers and project managers. Industrial Health Matters was founded on the desire to aid and advise both parties in creating and maintaining safe work environments.
Since health threats can come from a wide variety of sources keeping up with the laws, regulations, and guidelines concerning workers’ safety can easily become an overwhelming task.
IHM employs advisors from a diverse group of construction and maintenance fields. All of IHM’s consultants are members in good standing of their respective field’s organizations.
With this pool of specialists, IHM is able to match the proper expertise to any given construction or maintenance project. Since each advisor has expertise in their particular field, they are able to create OHS plans suited to your specific project, keeping you up to speed with all of the necessary regulations and guidelines.
Responsibilities
Worker health and safety responsibilities can be broken down into two broad categories – management (including supervisors) responsibilities and worker responsibilities.
Management is responsible for:
- Attaining a risk assessment from a trained professional or organization.
- Providing workers with information about the risks they face as recognized by the professional assessment.
- Providing safety equipment deemed necessary by the assessment, and making sure workers know how to use it.
- Reporting all accidents and any illnesses caused by workplace exposure.
- If certification is required for certain work practices, making sure workers have their training and certification before engaging in those practices.
- Making sure workers have access to first aid.
- Creating and maintaining an overall worker health and safety practice.
- Creating and maintaining a safe work environment.
- Enforcing workplace safety procedures.
Workers are responsible for:
- Engaging in OHS NSW safety committees.
- Detailing and disclosing unsafe work environments or practices.
- Detailing injuries or workplace-related illnesses.
- Following the safe work plans and procedures.
- Keeping informed and understanding all safety regulations and guidelines.
- Utilizing all safety gear provided by their employers.
Hazard Sites
Construction and demolition sites are the most visible worksites of concern. Depending on the type of work being done, workers are exposed to a range of illness and injury risks including:
- Heat
- Falling
- Machinery misuse or malfunction
- Toxic fumes and particulates
- Dusts (e.g. asbestos)
- Ground or groundwater contamination
- If the ground or structure was previously a medical facility there is the potential hazard of bio-waste and syringes
- Noise
- Mold and bacteria exposure
- Metals (e.g. lead in paint)
- Radiation
- Ergonomic injuries or stresses (e.g. excessive use of jackhammers)
- Chemical contact, inhalation, or reactions (e.g. explosions, corrosion)
While construction and demolition sites are the more obvious areas of hazards, established worksites like office buildings and homes are also sources of risk exposure. Such risks include:
- Asbestos
- Build-up of viral or bacterial hotspots in vent systems
- Lead in paint
Adhering to Regulations
To help you adhere to proper OHS regulations and guidelines in NSW, Industrial Health Matters is able to advise you in the two major steps of creating a safe work environment.
The first step is to recognize hazards. Samples are taken from the environment, and audits can be made of work practices.
The second step is to reduce or eliminate the illness and injury threats through creating a proper risk management plan, and subsequently making sure all members of management and workers are aware of the outlines’ procedures.
Industrial Health Matters consultants are available to ensure that your worksite is legally compliant and safe for all workers on site.