O.H.&S.
| http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx | ||
| http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/ohasa2000273/ | ||
| How to comply with OHS law | ||
| As an employer in NSW you have the absolute responsibility for the day-to-day health, safety and welfare of your employees and visitors to your workplace. This applies no matter how big or how small your business | ||
| Occupational Health & Safety | ||
| Business owners have responsibilities regarding health and safety in the workplace. This page links to information on: OH&S obligations; OH&S Acts, Regulations and Codes of Practice; getting started with OH&S; accidents and injuries and workers compensation requirements. | ||
| Occupational health & safety | ||
| Safety in the workplace is critical to the success of your business, no matter what size it is. As a small business owner you have responsibilities regarding health and safety in your workplace. Even if you don’t have any employees, you must ensure that your business doesn’t create health and safety problems for your customers and the general public. | ||
| Knowing and understanding the Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) laws will help you avoid the unnecessary costs and damage to your business caused by workplace injury and illness. | ||
| Read more about these topics: | ||
| Getting started with OH&S | ||
| Your OH&S obligations | ||
| OH&S Acts, Regulations and Codes of Practice | ||
| Accidents and injuries | ||
| Workers compensation requirements | ||
| Getting started with OH&S | ||
| It’s better to deal with health and safety issues before they become a problem - a planned approach to safety is essential for your business. Safety shouldn't be seen as an additional cost – it is a necessary and essential component of your business. | ||
| State and territory OH&S agencies can give you advice and kits on how to incorporate safety management into your business operations. | ||
| Your OH&S obligations | ||
| Under OH&S legislation you are obliged to provide: | ||
| safe premises | ||
| safe machinery and materials | ||
| safe systems of work | ||
| information, instruction, training and supervision | ||
| a suitable working environment and facilities. | ||
| If you don't comply with these legal requirements you can be prosecuted and fined. | ||
| Workplace health and safety authorities in each state and territory and Safe Work Australia have responsibilities for enforcing the OH&S legislation. They provide information and advice on safety and health at work and education and training. You can get information about your OH&S obligations and other valuable OH&S resources both in hard copy and online from their websites. | ||
| Please note that legal obligations of employers vary according to circumstances. You may wish to seek independent legal advice on what is applicable to your situation. | ||
| OH&S Acts, Regulations and Codes of Practice | ||
| OH&S Acts | ||
| In Australia, states and territories have responsibility for making laws about occupational health and safety (OH&S) and for enforcing those laws. Each state and territory has a principal OH&S Act, setting out requirements for ensuring that workplaces are safe and healthy. These requirements spell out the duties of different groups of people who play a role in workplace health and safety. | ||
| OH&S Regulations and Codes of Practice | ||
| Some workplace hazards have the potential to cause so much injury or disease that specific regulations or codes of practice are warranted. These regulations and codes, adopted under state and territory OH&S Acts, explain the duties of particular groups of people in controlling the risks associated with specific hazards. There is a difference between regulations and codes: | ||
| Regulations are legally enforceable. | ||
| Codes of Practice provide advice on how to meet regulatory requirements. Codes are not legally enforceable, but they can be used in courts as evidence that legal requirements have or have not been met. | ||
| Accidents and injuries | ||
| Workplace injuries can have a big impact on your business. An injured worker is entitled to make a workers compensation claim where the injury occurs during the course of their employment. | ||
| Under state and territory laws, an employer must notify certain events - such as death, serious injury or a dangerous incident that could have caused death or injury. Under these laws you must also take reasonable steps to provide an injured worker with rehabilitation or suitable duties while being paid compensation | ||
| Workers compensation requirements | ||
| Occupational health and safety laws require that injured workers have access to first aid, fair workers compensation and return to work rehabilitation. | ||
| It's your responsibility as an employer to: | ||
| maintain a safe workplace | ||
| maintain current workers compensation insurance | ||
| protect yourself and your workers from financial hardship in the event of a workplace injury. | ||
| Workers Compensation Insurance | ||
| http://www.allianz.com.au/allianz/biwcns+forms.html | ||
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| The Workers Compensation Commission resolves workers compensation disputes. We encourage workers and employers to discuss ways of resolving their dispute at all stages of the process. | ||
| Need help resolving a dispute? | ||
| Find out how we can help you resolve your dispute. | ||
| Important Information | ||
| Workers compensation and injury management fact sheets | ||
| http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/Documents/Publications/InjuryManagementRTW/General/what_to_do_if_injury_fact_sheet_03_1292.pdf | ||
| Workers compensation and injury management fact sheets | ||
| Information for Injured Workers | ||
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Your Recovery and Return to Work after a Workplace Injury
Workers Compensation
Act 1987
came into force on 30 June
1987 and apply to injuries from that date. Most injuries prior
to 30 June 1987 are covered by the provisions of the former
Workers Compensation Act 1926,
which has been repealed. The
Workers
Compensation Act 1987 has special
rules to ensure that benefits payable under the former
Workers Compensation Act 1926
continue to apply, with appropriate adjustments. Workers Compensation Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005, WorkCover is preparing to establish a system to make prospective determinations on the status of contractors/workers. The determination will be a binding decision for premium purposes as to whether a person is properly classified as a worker but will not impact on whether or not a person is entitled to claim workers compensation benefits and will be inadmissible in proceedings concerning entitlement to benefit. Workplace Injury Management and Workers Compensation Act 1998 and the Wages Definition Manual. |
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