Management Commitment

An essential feature of any successful Occupational Health and Safety Management System is demonstrated commitment from management at all levels within an organisation.  It is up to management to develop and promote a safety culture within the organisation where accidents are the exception rather than the rule and hazards are reported readily and resolved consultatively quickly.

Officers of the PCBU have responsibilities under the Work Health and Safety Act to ensure due diligence.  Due Diligence means an officer must:

• have an understanding of the nature of the operations of the PCBU and the hazards and risks associated with those operations
• ensure appropriate resources and process to enable identification, elimination or control of specific WHS hazards, risks, compliance with specific obligations (consultation, incident notification)
• have up to date knowledge of WHS laws and compliance requirements
• verify that risk and hazards are being appropriately controlled
• ensure there is a process for receiving, considering and ensuring a timely response to information regarding incidents, identified hazards and risks
• ensure verification of the provision and use of the resources and processes that have been implemented for the purposes of auditing and review.

 The attached sample WHS Board report can assist with providing the information necessary to monitor the organisation's performance. 

Managers and supervisors need to demonstrate commitment to OHS in their daily work and should have their responsibilities clearly outlined in position descriptions as well as specific policies and procedures.

Management responsibilitiy can also be demonstrated through planned activities relating to OHS Management.  See the attached list for some sample activities.

Comcare has developed a document on positive performance measures which outlines some ways of demonstrating management commitment.

WorkCover NSW has developed a Safety Culture Survey which allows businesses to identify and measure the work health and safety culture within their own organisation.  The safety culture within a workplace impacts on all areas of a business, from producitivty to work health and safety performance, absenteeism and staff morale.  The survey is a 'health check' for employers that allows them to gain in insight into the safety behaviour within their workplaces and identify any gaps.