The WorkSafe Plan Assessment remains the go-to Health and Safety Audit tool for WA Public Sector Agencies and Schools. Its non-prescriptive approach to the documents and processes it requires of organisations to have in place, generally remains a less confronting set of requirements than other standards.
At times though, the WorkSafe Plan Assessment’s “flexibility” also leads to confusion i.e. “what documentation do we actually need?”. The WorkSafe Plan uses the word “should” frequently and the word “must” sparingly when stating required practices.
For those organisations that want to meet the requirements of the WorkSafe Plan Assessment, there is some documentation that whilst not overtly stated as essential, represents substantial value for effort. That is, the processes represented by the documentation are significant for “doing safety well”, and the documentation is relevant across numerous WorkSafe Plan Indicators. Here are the five high value documents that organisations intending to audit against the WorkSafe Plan should ensure they have.
- A WHS Risk Register – that captures the critical WHS risks of the business, and shows sound risk management process including worker consultation and regular reviews.
- Documented WHS roles and responsibilities in JDFs for the Executive who reports on WHS to the CEO; and the role that coordinates WHS.
- WHS Performance Reports that regularly go to top management, include information on the management of WHS critical risks, and performance against lead and lag Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The KPI’s must relate to critical risks of the business, and important WHS system processes.
- Health and Safety Meeting minutes – whether it’s a health and safety committee, or just team meetings. Records of who is there, the issues discussed and the outcomes.
- WHS Training Matrix – that as a minimum sets out the essential WHS training by job role, and the frequency it should be done.
So if your organisation is wanting to meet the requirements of the WorkSafe Plan at some stage, having these 5 documents (and the processes they represent) in place is well worth the effort.
For support in meeting the requirements of the WorkSafe Plan Assessment, contact FWS. Franklyn Work Safety has provided support to Public Sector Agencies and Schools for over 15 years to manage their health and safety effectively and efficiently. Click here for more information on Franklyn Work Safety WorkSafe Plan Audits.
