Work Health and Safety
The Work Health and Safety Act (Qld) 2011 places a statutory obligation on Council to provide, so far as is reasonably practicable, a safe workplace for all workers and others who may be impacted or affected by the work we do. This is widely known and accepted. What perhaps is not as well-known is this same legislation defines employees, contractors, subcontractors, apprentices and trainees, work experience people and volunteers as workers.
Therefore to meet our obligations in this regard, we must ensure we are satisfied the safety systems and work processes of all these ‘workers’ are adequate and do not expose workers or others to unacceptable risks. Council is required to ensure, so far as they are reasonably able, that anyone we are engaging to do or provide work, goods or a service for us:
- does in fact have the required expertise to ensure the work can be carried out safely.
- has in place the systems, processes and procedures to ensure the work can be carried out safely.
- is carrying out the work in a manner which does not create a health and safety risk for Council’s own workers or others at the workplace.
Contractors are required to:
- Provide evidence, to Council's satisfaction, of safety standards should they wish to be included in panel arrangements or be awarded tenders.
- Conduct their own risk assessments before starting work and put in place relevant controls on day to day operations where possible.
- Comply with reasonable direction given by Council in relation to WH&S.
- Take all practicable steps to ensure the health and safety of its employees and all other people who may be affected by their work systems and practices.
- Provide information and supervision to their employees in relation to hazardous or high risk work processes or materials.
- Promptly report any workplace accident, injury, illness, property or environmental damage which occurs during the carrying out of the work.
- Report any lost time incidents immediately to the BRC Supervisor.
- Provide confirmation they have understood general induction information by returning a signed copy of the BRC Contractor Handbook.