Posted: April 28th, 2015

the Health and Safety representative for the Aged Care Community Service Agency.

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).