WHS Policy

Purpose 

The purpose of this Policy is to establish a framework for the school, its employees, students, volunteers and contractors, and for other persons with a legal right to be on premises controlled or managed by the school, to comply with the requirements of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and the Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011.

Policy Framework

St Matthews Catholic School acknowledges that the dignity, safety and well being of people are central to the values of the school.  The school also recognises that it is responsible and accountable for ensuring, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers and other persons who either enjoy or use the services and facilities of the school, or provide services to the school.

To meet these social, moral, and legal obligations the school is committed to:

• The provision and maintenance of a work environment without risks to health and safety.
• The provision and maintenance of safe plant and structures
• Provision and maintenance of safe systems of work and
• The safe handling and storage of plant, structures and substances.
• The provision of adequate facilities for the welfare at work of workers carrying out work for the school including ensuring access to those facilities

Policy Content 

The school is committed to ensuring, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of all workers, students, and other persons who are legally present on school premises.

To support this Policy, the school will implement and maintain an appropriate work health and safety management system for workplaces we control or manage to:

1. Develop appropriate planning strategies to ensure that the design and function of facilities at our workplace and plant hired, purchased, or leased for use at our workplace, meets or exceeds the best work health and safety standards.
2. Review or develop purchasing policies in relation to other goods, materials, and services purchased for or provided to the school workplace that may affect the health and safety of workers and/or other persons.
3. Provide the resources, training, information, instruction, and levels of supervision required for all workers, students, and other persons covered by this Policy to achieve the Policy’s objectives.

In order to achieve these aims, and the objectives envisaged by the Policy, the school shall:

• Identify, and assess all existing or foreseeable workplace hazards, then eliminate the hazard, or develop strategies to control risks arising from a hazard that cannot, for practical reasons, be eliminated
• Develop and maintain an appropriate workplace incident/injury reporting system that will provide the school with information to help prevent future incidents and work related injury or illness
• Conduct an investigation of all incidents, and circumstances, that may either expose any person to the risk of injury or illness, or result in injury or illness.
• Employ, and contract when necessary, the services of competent and skilled persons who are sufficiently trained, instructed, and informed to meet their obligations under the Policy.
• Encourage workers to report, at the earliest opportunity and without prejudice to any worker, any suspected workplace hazard, risk, and/or work related incident, injury or illness that may affect or has affected themselves or others.
• Provide for the welfare of our staff and students and for all injured workers prior to their return to work, in the development of their return to work plans, and in the rehabilitation process following their return to work.

To achieve these objectives, the school will consult openly with our workers and other stakeholders, and provide them with sufficient information to assist in the decision making process. The school will value and acknowledge the outcomes of this consultation.

The school shall establish appropriate levels of responsibility and accountability for our workers, consistent with their position within the organisation to meet the policy objectives. These levels of responsibility and accountability will be developed in consultation with the respective workers.

The school shall require all contractors, visitors, and volunteers to comply with any direction, procedure, or specific policy, applying to such persons that meet the objects and requirements of the Act.

All workers while at work, and irrespective of their position, shall:

• Take reasonable care for their own safety
• Take reasonable care that their acts or omissions do not adversely affect the health and safety of other persons
• Co-operate with any reasonable policy or procedure or the school in relation to health or safety at the workplace that has been notified to workers.
• Report all incidents, or hazards, that may cause injury or illness, and any damage or maintenance requirements affecting the safety of the workplace or plant used at work.
• Attend and participate in any training or in-service seminars arranged by the school to support the objectives of this Policy.
• Engage openly with school personnel in any consultation on WHS issues, or information, brought to their attention, to assist the school meet its obligations under the Act.

Other persons at the workplace shall:

• Take reasonable care for their own health and safety
• Take reasonable care that their acts or omissions do not adversely affect the health and safety of other persons and
• Comply, so far as is reasonably able with any reasonable instructions given to enable the school to comply with this act.

Related Policy and Procedures 

1. Anti-harassment Policy
2. Child Protection Policy
3. Drug Education Management Policy
4. First Aid Policy and Guidelines
5. K-12 School Drug Policy
6. Manual Handling and Lifting/Transporting of Students Policy
7. Medication Policy
8. No Smoking Policy
9. Overseas and Interstate Excursion Policy
10. Personal Protective Equipment Policy
11. Procurement Policy
12. Workplace Bullying Policy 

Support Resources 

1. CSOHS Online OHSMS
2. CSOHS Online audit tool