Managers & Supervisors need to be trained

Weekly WHS Article 23rd March 2022

Company Directors, CEOs, and business owners need to use and be able to rely on their Managers and Supervisors to carry out actions that will help them ensure that the business itself (PCBU) is in compliance with its WHS duties and obligations, and to help them carry out their own duties as Officers under Section 27 of the WHS Act.

For example, the Code of Practice, How to Manage Work Health & Safety Risks, has useful guidance at page 23 about giving authority and resources to Managers and Supervisors.

“Accountability for health and safety – Managers and supervisors should be provided with the authority and resources to implement and maintain control measures effectively. Accountability should be clearly allocated to ensure procedures are followed and maintained.”

Managers and Supervisors also have an important part to play in WHS consultation because:

• they act as representatives of senior management, as delegated by the directors and CEOs (as officers of the PCBU) and therefore are helping senior management to ensure that the mandatory duty of the business to consult workers on WHS matters is being met. Directors and business owners may be held personally liable for WHS breaches and may face hefty fines or jail time for serious incidents, such as incidents resulting in the death of workers. Senior management must consult before making any decisions on WHS matters. To consult, they need to have their leadership team go out and about to get feedback from all those in the workforce who might be affected by the WHS matter.
  

• As workers themselves, managers and supervisors must take reasonable care of their own health and safety as well as the people they work with. Workers have this duty under Section 28 of the WHS Act. As workers they must contribute to consultation efforts too.

  
  

“Management commitment and open communication between managers and workers is important in achieving effective consultation. Your workers are more likely to engage in consultation when their knowledge and ideas are actively sought and concerns about health and safety are taken seriously.”

(SafeWork NSW Code of Practice, Work Health & Safety Consultation, Co-operation and Co-ordination)

Consultation procedures can vary from one workplace to another.

Effective Consultation

As described in the SafeWork NSW Code of Practice, Work Health & Safety Consultation, Co-operation and Co-ordination, effective consultation:

“... is a 2-way process between you and your workers where you;

• Talk to each other about health & safety matters

• Listen to their concerns and raise your concerns

• Seek and share views and information

• Consider what your workers say before making decisions.”

Training Managers & Supervisors

It is very important that all persons involved in WHS consultation procedures know what is required of the business, the business owners and directors, and their roles as representatives of senior management at the operational level. Training in WHS fundamentals is essential. These have to be understood before tackling WHS risk management and WHS consultation. Supervisors and managers may benefit from attending: WHS Responsibilities for Duty Holders (courtenell.com.au)

Note:

The quotations from the, How to Manage Work Health & Safety Risks Code of Practice, and the Work Health & Safety Consultation, Co-operation and Co-ordination, Code of Practice, are the copyright work of SafeWork NSW and are used under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia Licence (CC BY 3.0). To view a copy of this licence, visit www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/au/

For more information feel free to contact us at train@courtenell.com.au or phone us on 02 9552 2066

23rd March 2022 (Revised 31 July 2024)