WORKFORCE management software company ComOps says its survey has found 87 percent of managers believe the harmonisation of Work Health and Safety (WHS) legislation will be a positive impact to their organisation’s overall operational sustainability in 2012.
ComOps conducted the survey at the Safety Show Sydney 2011 event. It also found 68 percent of respondents believe that the harmonisation model will achieve a true harmonisation of WHS laws in Australia for the first time while 60 percent of organisations believe that the law’s personal liability provisions will be positive to their business.
The harmonisation of Australia’s WHS legislation is intended to minimise areas of risk, and implement greater accountability and visibility into workplace safety practices within organisations.
A key focus of the legislation is to improve communication and implement more comprehensive reporting. Accountability is a major focus of WHS harmonisation with the new laws demanding greater visibility into WHS practices, better communication and more comprehensive reporting.
Business owners, directors and other management will find their duty of care far more tightly defined.
In light of the upcoming harmonisations laws, when asked about the three most critical factors for driving a successful WHS program today, 74 percent said that creating the right culture in the company was the most important factor while 52% indicated that having management support and participation was the second most important factor.
Almost half of all respondents (48 percent) said that deploying tools throughout the entire organisation to report on hazards and incidents was the third most important factor in their current planning.
The survey found that 68 percent of participants have already prepared their processes and systems in time for the new legislation, while 18 percent believe it will take their organisation at least another six to 12 months to achieve the task.
Daniel Sheahan, General Manager, ComOps, said, “During the remaining months, businesses would be well advised to audit their risk management strategy as well as revisit their existing WHS plans, and confirm that they are still appropriate and will meet the requirements of the new legislation. Harmonisation provides an excellent opportunity for organisations to strengthen their management and employees’ awareness of risk.”
The ComOps survey was completed by 218 professionals, 27 percent of which represented organisations with more than 1,000 employees.
http://www.nationalworkerscomp.com.au/news/managers-hold-positive-outlook-for-harmonisation
