Extensive Obligations Are Created by Australian Work Health And Safety Laws for Workplaces - Coursework Example

Running header: WHS WHS Author’s Name Institutional Affiliation Introduction The human resource is the largest and most important asset in any organization. It plays an integral role in advancing the goals, the mission an visions of any given organization. It also acts as an intermidiary between the other resouces such as capital, entreprenuership, land e.t.c . reason being, it is the only living resource from the given options.Organizations are oftenly rated based on how they care for their workers. Organizations that have created a good relationship with the workforce more often than not hold a higher score card than those where the the relationship is sour.Extensive obligations have been created by the Australian work health and safety laws for workplaces , these laws are very clear on the obligations of each stakeholder in this sector.They establish the relationship between employers and their employees.It is through the set by-laws that the government and civil society groups get involved with this activities in this sector. With reference to the work health and safety laws of australia, employees have the following obligations. Employees should work safely to protect themselves as well as theior coleagues from injury, they should wear protective gear that has been provided by the employer.With reference to this obligation, an employees should ensure that they conduct themselves in a way that would not jeophrdize their safety or health. The best example would be that an employee should always have protective gear while working, social ils such as smoking should be done at work places.Employees that do take alcohol should ensure that they do not work while under infuence of the drug (Business.gov.au, 2016). These are some of the practices that may jeophardize both the employee and his coleagues while at work.Employees have a duty to follow safe work procedures , these procedures should be repeated simultaneously, therefore helping workers to have them in mind at all times. Safey measures are always in place, they incude sign boards to give directions, fire exists, extinguishers e.t.c .An employee should ensure that these facilities are in place, in accordnce to this rule employees should not be involved in vandalizing the safety facilities established by the organization.Machine guards should always be in place during work sessions. Employees should not behave or act in a way that could jeophardise their safety or other people’s safety while working.Workers have a duty to respond to calls for assistance from fellow workmen , they should offer firstaid to the injured party.Under the work health and safety rules in australia, employees have a duty to report to their employers of any injuries or diseases that they have gotten while working. The given obligations are aimed at protecting the human resource at all times. It is through this by-laws that justice to an employee can be effectively admninstered since the law has created a benchmark. The work health and safety rules also have clear duties for the employers, under the WHS rules employers have the following obligations. They have a duty to train, oriantate their staff on safe work practices, with reference to this duty , organizations are now carriying periodic training as well as offering reshuffle courses to their employees on health and safety matters. Periodic training of matters of health and safety at work places help organizations to avoid losses that would occur. Knowledge on health and safety at work places equips empoyees with the ability to cope with safety concerns at work. Organizations have tried to syncronize this rules within their working systems, for example new employees in most organization always have a seniour employee who has the responsibility of briefly teaching the new employee how systems in the organization work (worksafe.vic.gov.au,2016). Organizations are also adopting risk management in form of departments. This synchronization helps organizations to plan, estimate and forcast health and safety risks in thus are able to plan better. Another obligation by this stakeholder is to involve employees on matters of health and safety matters. It is therefore paramount for the employer to consult the workforce on matters concerning their health and safety before implimenting activities that could bring health compications in the organization. The law demands that the policies adopted by an organization are done with the employee in mind. Employees’ sentiments should play an important role in shaping an organization’s policies on health and safety. Employees involvement in developing health and safety measures of an organization ensures that the workforce has the complete knowledge of safety measures adopted by the organization, due to this duty, the employer- employee relationship is improved. An empoyer has a duty to provide protective gear to the workforce as stipulated in the Work health and safety rules.The protective gear regulation is necessary in some industries which include, mining, construction, exacation and chemical industries. Safety gear such as clothes , fire extingushers, first aid kits are very important to the employees (nsw.gov.au,2016). The reduce the impacts caused by tragedies in at work places. Employers who violate or fail to meet this obligational wilways have a hard time during litigations.Ammendments are at times done the work health and safety laws through parliamentary procedures,therefore, employers have the manadate of periodically reviewing the organization’s health and safety plans to ensure that it is in line with the law.This law enables the employer to operate within the law at all times. It is the employers duty to review the health and safety measures so that policies adoted by the organization are of the right threshold with the law. Employers have a duty to provide welfare facilities to their workforce , basic ammenities such as lavatories, should be in place .They also have a duty to conduct a risk management assesment on the working premises and on the system they have put in place. It would be very difficult for employees to work without some basic amenities, therefore through the law, employers are required to provide this ammenities. Welfare faciities such as social forums and annual leaves are aimed at reducing stress levels, and improve the employees efficiency at work.Entreprises have the obligation of providing ,insuarance covers , as well as workman compensation schemes to their workers. The insuarance and and workman compensation boost the confidence of the workforce by assuaring them that they will be duly compensated incase of accidents at work (communitydoor.org.au,2016).This particular duty saves the employers from possible litigations as well as the heartache that would occur incase a workcatastrophe occured. Organaisations are also able to quickly resume operating after undergoing losses such as fire outbreaks. The work health and safety rule was ammende in 2011, it is therefore the employers duty to ensure that the organization is working within the WHS regulations in accorance to the ammendment. The work health and safety laws have specific demands for each industry and state The general mandates include: The industry or state should provide education , training, as well as advice on work, health and safety should be incorporated into the management systems of the organization. The industry has the duty to train players in the industry of ways to ensure that employees are safe while at work.The industry should create work health and safety systems so that respective players can bench mark. The set standards by the industry regulators is a way creating a mark of quality The best example of a bench marking system is the ISO certification (talkingsafety.org,2016).The clauses on the work health and safety laws affect industries in a very personal way, some industries, the is very specfic on industries that expose the workforce to more health and safety risks , the obligations of stakeholders in such organizations are very tight , with the aim of protecting all players in these industries. The WHS laws give a range of consequences toparities that breach the given law.This incudes on- spot fines ,prohibition notices from inspectors, heavy fines e.tc., however there is a procedure to be fpollowed in enforcement of these penalties, this involves investigations of complains from the workforce or from the random inspections carried out by state officers. SWA (Safe Work Australia). (2011e)__National Compliance and Enforcement Policy. Conclusion. The existing work, health and safety regulations are playing an important role of maintaining a good balance among the stakeholders, however, they need to be riewed in time toso that they can be more useful in future. It is paramount for the law to protect all stakeholders in this sector. References. Business.gov.au, 2016, Workplace health and safety, Retrieved on 9th October 2016, from; https://www.business.gov.au/info/run/workplace-health-and-safety worksafe.vic.gov.au,2016,Employer rights and responsibilities, Retrieved on 9th October 2016, from; http://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/laws-and-regulations/employer-rights- and-responsibilities nsw.gov.au,2016,Employer and business obligations, Retrieved on 9th October 2016, from; http://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/law-and-policy/employer-and-business- obligations communitydoor.org.au,2016,Participate in workplace safety procedures, Retrieved on 9th October 2016, from; http://etraining.communitydoor.org.au/mod/page/view.php?id=236 talkingsafety.org,2016,Employer and employer WHS rights and responsibilities, Retrieved on 9th October,2016, from; http://www.talkingsafety.org/young-workers/employee-workplace-safety- rights-and-responsibilities.html Read More