Repeat hazard exposure: Our commitments

This page is for: 
Employee / workerEmployerHealth and safety representativeMine operatorMinerPerson Conducting a Business or UndertakingPetroleum operator

Learn how WorkSafe is planning to achieve the aims and goals of The way forward: Priority one: Repeat hazard exposure.

Regulator activities and outputs: Raise awareness and seek compliance

Compliance strategy

  • Interrogate available data sources to better understand the causation factors, including human factors, behind repeat hazard exposures in agriculture (farming) and construction.
  • Update fatality and hazard registers for mining and exploration.
  • Determine compliance and performance metrics.
  • Review and develop compliance tools (e.g. policies, procedures, templates, regulatory systems).
  • Establish a dedicated specialist agricultural team.
  • Receive and provide information to industry groups via the reinstated Agricultural Safety Advisory Committee.
  • Establish a pilot Agriculture Advisory Assistance Program using independent consultants to provide free educational services to the farming sector.
  • Use trends from incidents to inform compliance planning and audit regimes.

Information and education

  • Develop and implement an agriculture communication strategy.
  • Develop user-friendly guidance and tools (e.g. workbooks, checklists).
  • Plan and deliver education campaigns (e.g. industry events, Safe Work Month, digital media, traditional media) to improve hazard awareness and control selection.
  • In collaboration with the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), identify and take up opportunities to educate duty holders in farming communities, and raise WHS awareness in vulnerable cohorts (e.g. young workers, older workers, CaLD workforce).
  • Collaborate with DPIRD and industry groups to deliver an annual forum for the agriculture sector.
  • Deliver a series of forums in Perth and regional centres to raise awareness of the ten main causes of fatalities in the global mining industry, and encourage operations to assess their own vulnerabilities.
  • Communicate with machinery and equipment manufacturers and dealers regarding fit-for-purpose and design requirements, and the important role of engineering controls.

Stakeholder engagement tools 

  • Develop themed one-stop shops of information and educational resources (including CaLD) using the SafetyLine Hub.
  • Integrate risk management related to small mines and farming activities into the SafetyLine Plan.
  • Continue to support Safe Farms WA to communicate safety messaging programs to farmers. 

Regulator activities and outputs: Workforce development

Workforce development

  • Undertake operational planning (scope, capacity, capability, resources) to support establishment of a dedicated specialist agricultural team.
  • Develop learning plans and pathways that support compliance and enforcement activities for agriculture.
  • Identify professional development requirements and deliver inspector skills sessions.
  • Identify and provide professional development opportunities for WorkSafe’s specialists.
  • Promote interactions between investigations and industry teams within WorkSafe. 

Regulator activities and outputs: Drive compliance and enforce legislation

Inspections

  • Plan and deliver proactive program of inspections and compliance activities for farms.
  • Provide data intelligence to inspectors based on team or directorate business needs
  • Conduct targeted inspections of workplaces with significant risk for repeat hazard exposures.

Investigations and prosecutions

  • Provide data intelligence to inspectors based on team or directorate business needs.
  • Review information and educational resources using learnings and outcomes of investigations and prosecutions.
  • Publicise learnings and outcomes of investigations and prosecutions.
  • Provide timely information to industry about the causes of fatalities and serious injuries and the preventative actions available, with a focus on ensuring industry bodies for agriculture, mining, construction, transport and the oil and gas sector are provided this information as relevant to each sector.

Compliance and enforcement tool

  • Deliver the Compliance and Regulation System Transformation Program (CARS Program)

Monitoring, evaluation and reporting

Actions

  • Communicate progress on the WorkSafe Commissioner’s response to the Inquiry into the agricultural industry in Western Australia: Report to the WorkSafe Commissioner.
  • Regularly review compliance and performance data and monitor trends, with a focus on the ten most frequent causes of fatalities in: 
    • agriculture
    • mining
    • construction
    • transport.
  • Review compliance and performance data, notifiable incident and occurrence date to inform proactive compliance regime across petroleum and geothermal energy operations (PAGEO) jurisdiction.
  • Provide periodic updates to stakeholders such as the WHS Commission, advisory committees and relevant industry bodies and unions.
  • Publish annual snapshots of compliance and performance progress and achievements. 

 

 

Last modified: