Investor Presentaiton
Work health, safety and injury management
Commitment to workplace health and safety
The department is committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment,
and to maintaining the safety and health of staff, contractors and visitors in
alignment with the Work Health and Safety Act 2020 (the Act).
In 2022-23, the department's work health and safety (WHS) management system
was reviewed to ensure alignment with the new work health and safety legislation
that came into effect on 31 March 2022. This included updating the WHS policy
and associated procedures.
To raise awareness of the new Act information was communicated to staff via a
range of mediums. This included refresher WHS training for managers, and the
introduction of a new training package designed to assist the executive team to
understand and meet their legal duties. A total of 5 executive training sessions
were delivered between February and March 2023.
To assess implementation of the new legislation, the department plans to conduct
a WHS gap analysis to ensure the safety management system is effective and
compliant with the appropriate legislation, and industry best practices and
regulations. In addition, an internal audit of the department's Health, Safety and
Wellbeing program is underway.
The department also continued to mature the WHS management system by
improving compliance and monitoring mechanisms to aid in decision making and
support hazard and risk management. This included a new interactive dashboard
developed to monitor mandatory WHS staff training, and to provide real time and
trend data concerning incidents and hazards. This information will inform strategic
initiatives and action plans.
The department's Health and Safety Committee is responsible for ongoing
monitoring and review of WHS management requirements, strategic initiatives
and action plans. The committee also provide a mechanism for WHS issues to be
discussed and escalated. In 2022-23, an Executive Sponsor was established for
the Health and Safety Committee to support matters that may require decision or
approval by the department's executive.
Another new initiative was the establishment of the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)
network as detailed in the Inspire and empower section of this report.
Injury management and return to work
The department is committed to assisting employees with work-related injuries
to return to work as soon as is medically appropriate. A formal injury management
system is in place that meets the requirements of the Workers' Compensation and
Injury Management Act 1981.
Management supports the injury management process, with recognition that
success relies on active participation and cooperation by the injured worker.
Whenever possible, and having regard for the injured worker's medical restrictions,
suitable duties are arranged through a return-to-work program.
Workers' compensation
The worker's compensation scheme in WA is regulated and administered by
WorkCover WA under the Workers' Compensation and Injury Management
Act 1981. In 2022-23 a total of 7 workers compensation claims were made, an
increase from 4 in 2021-22.
Work health and safety performance
The annual performance for the department in relation to work health and safety
and injury management is summarised in Table 13.
Participation in manager WHS training has continued to trend upwards due to
improved compliance monitoring.
Contents
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Significant issues Report on operations Agency performance Operational disclosures ⚫Key performance indicators • Financial disclosures and compliance • AppendixView entire presentation