Work Health Safety Act in New South Wales State, Australia - Research Proposal Example

Wоrk Неаlth Sаfеty Асt In New South Wales (NSW) State, Australia Name Institution Wоrk Неаlth Sаfеty Асt In New South Wales (NSW) State, Australia Table of contents 1.0 Executive summary This study investigates NSW Work health Act, and its provisions to employers and employees in the effort to promote work health safety in the state. The study has focused on collecting data through examining the components of the Act, and views from the employees and employers in NSW State in Australia. The NSW work health Act was established for the purposes of ensuring that employees in the workplaces are safe and healthy. The Act provides a number of regulations and codes of conduct that should be observed at the workplace to promote the health and safety of employees at work. NSW State Government is committed towards promoting the health and safety of the employees, and to minimize injuries, and related deaths caused by poor health and safety standards at work. 2.0 Introduction In Australia, all the states have developed the work health safety Act that guides the conduct and work practices employed by employers and employees in the workplace. The NSW State developed its work health safety Act that provides guidance on the responsibilities of employers and employees with regard to work health issues that may be presented at the workplace. The Act was developed to bring accountability and responsibility on the part of employees and employers on the need to ensure that health and safety standards are not underestimated. The Act provides a certain code of conduct that should be observed by the employers in ensuring that the health and safety of the employees within a certain workplace setting. This is an important issue by the state by the virtue that the state has the obligation of providing safety of its citizens (Rashbrooke, 2013, p. 47). 2.1 Aims of Study This study looks forward to achieve the following: Discuss the objects of the Act with the intention to understand what the Act stands for as regards employee’s health and safety. Investigate on the duties that employers and employees have as mandated by the Act, outlining the responsibilities that all parties have in promoting health and safety of workers. In addition, Discuss the purpose of consultation, representation and participation and how this is conducted in the workplace. Discuss the roles that Human Resource (HR) plays towards the implementation of NSW Wоrk Неаlth Sаfеty Асt. 3.0 Methodology This study is a culmination of an in-depth research on the objects of the NSW Work health Act. The study involved a research process of data collection, analysis and reporting. This research involved a number of sources, with the main source being the Act. Two types of sources were employed in collecting information used in these study-primary and secondary sources. The secondary sources include the NSW work health and safety Act, and other books that have addressed the subject. Secondly, the study involved collecting information from 50 employers and employees in Sydney’s Cole and Woolworths Supermarkets. The employers and employees filled a 3-question survey questionnaire form on the implementation of health and safety practices at work. 4.0 Results From the survey and research on the Act, a number of findings have been established with regard to the formulation and implementation of the Act in the workplace. From the survey question, of the 50 respondents, 70% of the respondents felt that the enactment of the NSW work health and safety Act to have been a success in promoting health and safety at work. This is by the virtue that the Act has put pressure on the employers to ensure that the workplace is safe for all the workers. On the second question, 80% of the respondents felt that the Act has been 100% implemented by the virtue that all employers and employees in the workplace are obliged to observe the terms captured in the Act. The respondents observed that the law has impacted them by the virtue that employers have provided health and safety standards as per the law. On the third question, 60% of the survey questionnaire felt that the implementation of the NSW work health and safety Act has greatly impacted their life. The Act has impacted the lives of the employees by the virtue that Act has made it an obligation for employers to provide set standards for health and safety in the workplace. 5.0 Analysis and Discussion From the study, a number of things have become clear with regard to the NSW work health and safety Act. These include the significant impact that the Act has played in shaping the workplace health and safety conditions at the workplace. The Act has put an extra obligation to all the employers in NSW to ensure that their workplaces are characterized by set basic standards of health and safety of the employees. This move has been significant for the employees who fall at risk of health and safety issues as they work in their stations. In addition, the Act has put accountability on the part of employers in the event of harm or injury to an employee within the work setting (Guthrie, 2013, p. 54). 5.1 Objects of the Act The NSW work health and safety Act has featured a number of regulations and principles governing health and safety in the workplace. First, the Act outlines health and safety duties of the employers with regard to health and safety at work. In this context, the Act states that it is the principle duty of employers to protect their workers from exposure to hazards and risks at work (Marsden, 2000). Secondly, the Act provides room for the representation and participation of workers in health and safety matters (Goden, 1998, p. 34). In addition, the Act has provided a set of codes of practice that employers and employees should comply with to be safe from harm and injuries at work. The codes of practice play a key role in minimizing the risk to workplace danger (Purse, 1999, p. 44). The codes of conduct apply to employers and all parties involved in the provision of care to the workers in a given workplace within the state. The Act also provides steps by which employers and relevant parties may take to adopt and comply to the provision of the requirements captured by the Act (Kelly, 2000, p. 46). 5.2 The duties of employers and employees under the Act Both employers and employees have obligations to play in the implementation of the Act and to ensure that workplace safety and health conditions are upheld. According to the Act, employers have the following responsibilities (Gingras, 2010, p. 45). They have the responsibility of providing a safe and healthy workplace for all, and facilitating the establishment of occupational health committees or representatives for purposes of in resolving health and safety concerns (Verna, 2012, p. 56). They also have the responsibility of protecting workers from exposure to any form of harassment; ensure compliance to occupational Health regulations; and provision of safe work procedures to all the parties in the workplace (Barr & Welch, 2012, p. 57). On the other side, employees has the responsibility not to harass other workers, to comply with the Acts regulation, to observe safe work practices, and to collaborate with respective occupational health committees in promoting safety and health of all (Travis, 2002, p. 49). 5.3 The purpose of consultation, representation and participation and how this is conducted in the workplace and Role of HR in the implementation of the Act Consultation, participation and representation is critical in the promotion of health and safety at the workplace. The first reason is that through representation and participation of all parties represented at work, it becomes easier to identify hazards and asses the risks that faces an organization (Reade, 2004, p. 49). This is critical in the efforts to promote health and safety at the place of work, for when risks are identified, then it becomes easier to take precautionary measures in advance (Kata, 2007, p. 45). Secondly, consultation and representation is important in facilitating the formulation of effective decisions as regards ways to eliminate work place health and safety risks. Through consultation, ideas are generated and enhanced on health and safety. Through consultation, key decisions as regards adequacy of facilities and proposed changes on health and safety are handled well (Anderson, 2006, P. 56). It is also important to note that the HR plays a key role in the implementation of the NSW work health and safety Act. First, the HR is n-charge of health and safety of workers at the organizational level, and would make policies that would support the principles captured in the Act (Rashbrooke, 2013, p. 51). Secondly, the HR is in-charge of ensuring that work health and safety policy are in line with the provision of the Act (Janet, 1999, p. 47). Third, the HR will play a key role in dealing with the issue of law and compliance to the set principles captured in the Act. The HR is also in-charge of designing work design, which should be in line with health and safety principles of work (Blewett, 2012, p. 44). 6.0 Conclusion and recommendations Conclusively, the study has made it clear on the objects and position taken by the NSW work health Act. It is evident that the act has put accountability and responsibility on the employers and employees on matters of health and safety at work. The Act has pushed employers and employers to take an active and deliberate step towards promoting health and safety of the workers in the workplace. From the study, I will recommend two recommendations for action that may be important in promoting health and safety of workers in NSW workplace. There is need for employers to invest more on health and safety equipments to deal with health and safety issues, especially in the event of emergencies. Secondly, I recommend for increased advocacy geared towards sustaining high levels of workplace health and safety standards in NSW workplace. 7.0 References Anderson, K 2006, Workplace safety at risk, Australian Nursing Journal, Volume 14, Issue 5, p. 7-24. 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