Orbost Regional Health Occupational Health & Safety Induction Presentation February 2011

1. Orbost Regional Health Occupational Health & Safety Induction Presentation February 2011 Version Control: 1. Feb 2011

2. ORH Occupational Health & Safety Policy & Framework Orbost Regional Health (ORH) acknowledges its moral, financial and legal responsibility to effectively manage all its OH&S risks, and has implemented an OH&S Framework to guide the ongoing management of OH&S. Our aim is to enhance safe working environments for our staff, contractors, patients, other customers and visitors by reducing, if not eliminating so far as is reasonably practicable, all health and safety risk. ORH is committed to regular consultation with staff and others using the workplace, to make sure health and safety is effectively managed. All Employees and Contractors must follow defined occupational health and safety policies and procedures relating to the work being undertaken in order to ensure their own safety and that of others in the workplace.

3. Employer (ORH) Responsibility Workers have the right to a healthy and safe workplace. Orbost Regional Health must protect you while you are at work by making sure that your workplace is safe and without risks to your health, including your psychological health. This must be done ‘so far as is reasonably practicable’, which basically means doing what a reasonable person would do in the circumstances. Employee (Staff) responsibility When you are at work, you have the responsibility to take reasonable care of your own health and safety and the safety of others who might be affected by your actions. For example, you should not take short cuts when doing your job that might put yourself or someone else at risk and you should not play practical jokes that could hurt someone. You must cooperate with your employer when they are taking action to improve health and safety or to meet their obligations under the Act. You must follow safety policies and procedures, attend OH&S training, follow the advice you’ve been given, and use safety equipment supplied by your employer.

4. Mandatory Training • Orbost Regional Health requires all employees to complete mandatory training to ensure they have the skills to manage both their own safety and the safety of consumers. • Mandatory Training for ORH staff includes Safe Manual Handling Training and Emergency Response Training. All staff are required to complete both topics annually. They must sign off that they have completed the training and this is recorded in their personnel files. All employees will be paid for time spent in mandatory training sessions. • Annual mandatory training includes: • Emergency Response Training (including fire & evacuation) • Manual handling (non-nursing staff) • No Lift (nursing staff only)

5. OH&S COMMITTEE • Some specific responsibilities and functions of the Occupational Health and Safety committee include: • Helping to formulate and disseminate policies, practices and procedures that promote health and safety in the workplace, • Consulting with the employer and employees in any proposed or actual changes in Health and Safety policies, practices and procedures at the workplace, • Assisting Management in the planning of action on Occupational Health and Safety. This will include helping to set priorities on controlling hazards, • Acting as a problem-solving group to help with identification and control of workplace hazards. • Minutes of OH&S committee meetings are placed on the noticeboard in the staff dining room.

6. Staff Representatives on OH&S Committee

7. If you are injured at work Step 1: Seek medical treatment if required Step 2: Tell your employer. Under the Act you have 30 days to report a work place injury Step 3: Complete a WorkCover Worker’s Claim Form if you require time off work or medical treatment due to a work-related injury and you want to claim WorkCover. ORH policy states that incident reports should be completed for all workplace staff incidents within 24 hours. This will assist the organisation in managing risks and support the employee. All staff injuries and/or near miss incidents are to be reported in Riskman however verbal notification is better than absence of documentation. Following a workplace incident it may be necessary to see a medical practitioner. The doctor may bulk-bill if the appointment relates to a workplace injury and you can return to work. You may be able to claim WorkCover entitlements whether you are permanent, casual, full time or part time.

8. Return to Work In the event of a workplace injury, the best outcome for an injured worker, and their employer, is that the worker remains at work or returns to work as soon as possible. Please notify your Manager or Area Representative immediately if you cannot return to work due to a workplace injury. If you are unable to perform your normal duties you will need a WorkCover Certificate of Capacity from your doctor. The first certificate must come from a medical practitioner and can cover a maximum of 14 days. If after 14 days you still can’t do your normal job you will require further certificates. ORH have return to work obligations and have delegated coordinators to manage this process. ORH will liaise with the treating doctor, WorkCover authority and employee to provide a return to work plan that may include alternative duties to return the employee to work as soon as practical (this will require the doctor’s signature).