On December 8 WorkSafe launched proceedings for the death of a 55 year old worker who sustained burns from an electrical arc flash and later died in hospital.
WorkSafe Victoria has alleged that Energy Australia breached subsections 21 (1) and (2) relating to failure to provide information, instructions and training in accordance with operating manuals or safe systems of work e.g., operating procedures or work instructions.
We conduct hundreds of workplace safety audits each year and it surprises us how many companies are unable to produce evidence of safety training. Workplace safety training is not just an essential part of any business, but it’s a legislated requirement that carries hefty penalties for senior management if not fulfilled.
There are some simple things you can do to fix this.
21 Duties of employers to employees
(e) Provide such information, instruction, training or supervision to employees of the employer as is necessary to enable those persons to perform their work in a way that is safe and without risks to health.
(Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 21 Duties of employers to employees.)
Tips for establishing good workplace safety training
- Test your system by checking training records. Can you find staff training records easily and quickly?
- Conduct a simple training gap analysis against job roles – click here for a useful template
- Ensure your training is competency based e.g., get workers to demonstrate tasks they need to perform – click here for a useful template
- Ensure you have identified hazards associated with tasks and they are reflected in the training
- Use a simple electronic learning management system to upload and track completions and run reports
Your Safety Partners are experts in producing both e-learning content and on the job competency-based assessments. See examples of e-learning courses here. We can produce simple and engaging inductions which will ensure your business is compliant and your employees engaged.
“We have been partnering with YSP for over two years now and they have been instrumental in helping us set up, implement and monitor practical safety solutions for our entire business, which has delivered real results. We highly recommend them for their knowledge, efficiency and client focused approach.”
Mathew McDonald – General Manager – MTAW Group