Occupational Health and Safety Code of Practice 2008

1. Occupational Health and Safety Code of Practice 2008 Compliance Assistance

2. Codes of Practice • How many of you have a complete set of the previous 27 codes in your workplace including the associated Australian Standards?

3. Codes of Practice • How many of you find it hard to have to source information from over 50 documents including more than 2800 pages?

4. Codes of Practice • How many of you would like to be able to access all the codes in one document?

5. Occupational Health and Safety Code of Practice 2008 • Here it is!

6. Occupational Health and Safety Code of Practice 2008 • How does this new code fit into the legislative framework? • What was changed and why? • What is in the new code? • What are the major changes?

7. Law The OHS Act Legislative instruments Regulations Approved codes of practice Guidance Comcare SRC guidance material Other guidance The Framework Mandatory – must follow Compliance -mandated unless the same or better safety outcomes are achieved No legal status

8. How our framework operates (legislation) Occupational Health and Safety Act 1991 • Provides the legislative basis for our OHS framework

9. How our framework operates (regulations) The Regulations • Safety Arrangements regulations • HSR Election process • investigators and statutory notices • details about incident notification • Safety Standards regulations • Covers general requirements for hazard identification, risk assessment and risk controls for high risk areas.

10. How our framework operates(codes of practice and guidance material) Approved codes of practice • Provides employers with practical guidance on how to meet their OHS obligations Guidance material • Guidance Material (issued by Comcare or SRCC) • Other guidance (issued by others)

11. The Review There were 27 codes which in some cases: • were too prescriptive • duplicated other regulations and legislation • did not support the amendments to the regulations • were out of date • were not written in plain English.

12. What happened to the old codes? There are 8 previous codes not proposed to be included in the 2008 Code. Guidance may be issued in regard to some of the issues. • Interior Lighting • Visual Display Units VDU • Chemical database for emergency services • Transport of Dangerous Goods • Non Ionizing Radiation • Ionizing Radiation • OHS Competency Standards for the Operation of load Shifting Equipment and other Types of Specified Equipment • Workplace Injury and Disease Recording

13. Which codes are current? • Noise • Storage and Handling of Dangerous Goods • Control of Work-related Exposure to Hepatitis and HIV viruses in the Australian Government Employment

14. The aim of the New Code The new code is: • Easier to read and follow • Contains guidance on areas previously excluded • Only refers to AS/NZ Standards where necessary for technical matters • Allows flexibility in achieving compliance.

15. The Occupational Health and Safety Code of Practice 2008 The new code consists of 25 parts • 18 parts of previous codes redrafted • 7 parts address new hazards Note: 4 of these 25 are still under development

16. What the Code will do for you. This new code will provide you as duty holders: • efficient support to the Act and the regulations • guidance which is relevant, practical, effective • reduce legislative burden without reducing safety standards • a holistic approach to safety • allows flexibility in achieving compliance.

17. The New Code

18. The New Code

19. Group Exercise Question 1. • Which parts of the code may apply to those at your table?

20. Part 1 – Risk Management The purpose of this Part is to provide practical guidance to: • identify hazards • assess the risk • implement risk control measures in the workplace • monitor and review.

21. Risk Management Process • Hazard identification • Risk assessment • Implement Risk control measures • The hierarchy of controls • Elimination • Substitution / Modification • Isolation • Engineering • Administrative • PPE • Review effectiveness

22. Risk Matrix From the Code From another organisation

23. Part 2 – First Aid • Practical guidance for employers and employees on how to meet their duty of care under the Act. • Specifically, it deals with the provision of appropriate first aid services to the employer’s employees as required under subsection 16(5) (c) of the Act.

24. Part 2 – First Aid - Changes Some of the major changes to this code are: • Minimum standards for workplaces • Risk Management approach to high risk hazards • The addition of First Aid Policies and procedures • The removal of the Risk Management approach and Deemed to Comply approach.

25. Questions

26. Group Exercise Question 2. • What may need be to considered when applying this code to your workplace? • eg. Procedures, resources, consultation…

27. How can Comcare help? • OHS General enquires • Internet: www.comcare.gov.au • Phone: 1300 366 979 • Email: ohs.help@comcare.gov.au

28. Summary The Occupational Health and Safety Code of Practice 2008: • allows flexibility in achieving compliance • is easier to read and follow • is less prescriptive • is written in plain English • is practical.