WHS Legislative Framework in Australia

Posted by SkillMaker in Nov, 2014

What is the WHS legislative framework in Australia?

The WHS Legislative Framework consists of 5 parts. The WHS Act( this is the Work Health & Safety Act that was passed; with the exception of Victoria and Western Australia; by the commonwealth, State and Territory governments creating regulations concerning workers, what their duties are in the workplace, the risk management, the means of reporting incidents that take place in the workplace, and the ways that company policies are enforced), the WHS regulations, the codes of practice used to implement the act, the standards applied to the act, and the guidance materials required to help you initiate the act.

What is the WHS legislative framework in Australian like?

The WHS legislative framework is like a set of guidelines for employers to use to help them provide safer workplaces for their employees. It is the written regulations that a company must follow in order to provide their employees with a safe place to work. The legislative framework covers all of the information that an employer must have in order to be compliant with the laws governing the Work Health & Safety ACT

What is the purpose of the WHS Legislative framework in Australia?

The purpose of the Work, Health & Safety Act is to make sure that every person employed has their rights upheld by their employer. An employee has the right to know what the duties of their job are according to the employer’s job description when they are hired. The employee has the right to not perform duties that are not within their job description, or jobs that could be hazardous for them to do. The employer is supposed to make certain that their employees have the skills to do a job, the right equipment to do a job safely, and that each employee knows how to report incidences of unsafe, or unfair treatment in the workplace.
What is the principle structure of the WHS legislative framework in Australia?
The WHS legislative framework contains everything that an employer needs to:
I. Comply with the laws that make up the WHS Act
II. Create a safe and healthy workplace for your employees
III. Avoid costly prosecutions and fines in the event that your company is found to be not complying with the WHS Act

What are the different types of WHS legislative framework in Australia?

There are different types of WHS legislative frameworks in place according to the type of company you run, the safety hazards that the workers may face, and other general information about the workplace. Some of the many types of companies that are covered under the WHS act are:
• Asbestos
• Agriculture
• Mining
• Construction
• Road freight
• Stevedoring
• Small business
• Nanotechnology
• Diving
• Licensing
• Major hazard facilities

What terms are used when describing the WHS legislative framework in Australia?

• Regulations are used to describe the rules that are set in place by the WHS Act. These regulations are guidelines and not all of them apply to every company.
• Compliance is used to describe the willingness of a company to follow the regulations set out in the WHS ACT. To be compliant with the regulations means that a company is following the guidelines to the best of their understanding of them
• Workers compensation is money paid to workers who are injured on the job because of unsafe work practices, or unsafe equipment. Having a worker perform duties they are not trained to perform can cause them to be injured, and to qualify for workers compensation during the time they are off of work recovering from their injuries.
• Enforcement is the measures that can be taken to make a company become compliant with the WHS regulations for their type of company
• Public Impact is the effect the WHS act has had on the public. The way that the people now view employers, and their rights if they are hired by a company are completely different than they were before the WHS act was implemented.

Where can I find more information about the WHS legislative framework in Australia?

If you are an employer, or if you are simply curious to know more about the Work health & Safety ACT and the legislative framework that applies to the act you can go to the following web pages for more in-depth information.
http://www.business.gov.au/business-topics/employing-people/workplace-health-and-safety/Pages/whs-acts-regulations-and-codes-of-practice.aspx
http://www.safework.sa.gov.au/show_page.jsp?id=112104#.VCr1J0ko7wo
http://www.employmentlawhandbook.com.au/tag/whs-act-in-western-australia/

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