You have just been appointed as the Health and Safety representative for the Aged Care Community Service Agency. You have a big challenge on your hands, as the organisation has not previously placed much focus on health and safety. You have just completed a due diligence and have discovered the following.
You have just discovered that workers:
• Do not know about and are not applying hazard identification and risk education strategies when working off-site.
• Do not know about and are not applying hazard identification and risk reduction strategies when driving with and without clients.
• Do not know about and are not applying hazard identification and risk reduction strategies relating to client aggression/ violence.
• Do not know how to respond in emergency situations (eg fires, bomb threats).
• Do not know about and are not applying hazard identification and risk reduction strategies relating to manual handling.
• Do not know about and are not applying hazard identification and risk reduction strategies relating to risks of infection.
• Do not know about and are not applying the hierarchy of control.
• Do not know who to report to when they identify occupational hazards.
• Do not know about duty of care obligation.
• Are unsure of the health and safety legislation and codes of practice that relate to them.
• Are unsure of what health and safety records must be kept or how to fill them up.
Create a health and safety information booklet that can be distributed to all employees to educate them about the issues.
To ensure readability and to achieve maximum impact :
• Ensure that information is presented in logical order
• Ensure that information is well organised
• Ensure that information is presented in plain English
• Use pictures, illustrations charts if necessary
• Include statistical information (eg how many workers are injured in manual handling related incidents each year).