The Queensland Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 requires that everyone at a workplace has some obligation to ensure the safety of themselves and others. This translates into one or more levels of responsibilities:
- Employers (meaning managers and supervisors of QUT as well as the executive)
- Workers (other than managers and supervisors)
- Students
- Others eg. contractors, visitors, delivery persons & the public. roles and responsibilities
Additionally QUT has outlined responsibilities for:
- Health and Safety Committees
- Workplace Health and Safety Officers
- Workplace Health and Safety Representatives
Employers
The Council, the executive, managers and anyone who supervises others have the following roles and responsibilities:
- Document risk assessments where relevant;
- Consult with staff and (where practicable) students on health and safety matters;
- Provide adequate and appropriate training to ensure safety;
- Communicate with staff and students (especially new staff and students) regarding workplace hazards and relevant safety procedures;
- Conduct prompt investigation and reporting of accidents and implement remedial action;
- Conduct prompt assessment of reported hazards and implement corrective measures;
- Develop plans to improve health and safety systems and monitor implementation;
- Conduct audits;
Resources
- Health and Safety Management for supervisors
- Health and Safety Policy
- QUT's Policy on Indemnity and Insurance
Workers
Staff without a supervisory role have the following health and safety roles and responsibilities:
- Follow formal procedures and instructions and make proper use of personal protective equipment;
- Not to interfere with or remove any safety device, except where authorised to do so;
- Not to misuse anything provided for safety;
- To report unsafe conditions that they become aware of in their workplace and in the case of staff, if it is in their authority and competence to do so, remedy it;
- To report all accidents, injuries, near misses and dangerous events to their supervisor.
Resources
- Health and Safety Management for workers
- Health and Safety Policy
- QUT's Policy on Indemnity and Insurance
Students from PhD to undergraduate
Required to work as instructed;
- Use properly what is provided for safety;
- Not recklessly or wilfully injure themselves or others;
- To report problems to their lecturer or supervisor;
- Use personal protective equipment as trained.
Resources
- Health and Safety Management for students
- Health and Safety Policy
Contractors, visitors, delivery persons and the public
Required to do as instructed;
- Use properly what is provided for safety;
- Not recklessly or wilfully injure themselves or others.
Health and Safety Committees
The University Health and Safety Committee fulfils the legislative requirements under the Queensland Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995.
The committee is chaired by the Registrar who has been delegated the authority by Council to formulate health and safety related policies for the university. Two academic staff and two professional staff are elected every two years to participate on behalf of their colleagues, along with a representative of the student guild, two ex officio members and a representative nominated by the Vice Chancellor's Advisory Committee.
Faculties and Divisions are encouraged to maintain a local health and safety committee with other committees being established related to need. A copy of the minutes of these meetings should be forwarded to the HR Health and Safety Advisory Services Associate Director who will summarise them for the University H & S Committee. The ultimate goal is to integrate health and safety into all management decision-making structures as a standing agenda item and not require separate committees.
The University Health and Safety Committee monitors the overall progress of implementation across the university, analyses data related to H & S, identifies training requirements, monitors legislative changes, receives reports of specific incidents and supports appropriate initiatives and programs.
- http://www.mopp.qut.edu.au/A/A_09_02.jsp#A_09_02.06.mdoc
- http://www.mopp.qut.edu.au/A/A_09_02.jsp#A_09_02.05.mdoc
Workplace Health and Safety Officer and Workplace Health and Safety Representatives
Refer to the Workplace Health and Safety Officer and Representative web page:
Refer to the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995: