Policy 8.10 : Occupational Health and Safety

Community Enterprise Inc. is a non-profit organisation established for the purpose of supporting people with disabilities and their families living in the Shire of Hidden Valley.

The services offered by Community Enterprise include group home accommodation, in-home respite, out-of-home respite, home help and community access.

Community Enterprise is a non-profit, community organisation which is governed by a management committee elected annually by the members. Community Enterprise receives all of its operating funds from the Western Australian Government in the form of an annual grant.

The purpose of this policy is to set out specific procedures and performance standards to maximise the health and safety of the agency's employees, volunteers and other unpaid persons involved in agency business (e.g., work experience participants and students on practicum)

This policy provides for the:

• Identification of potential risks and hazards to which employees may be exposed in the course of their duties.
• Implementation of appropriate procedures and measures to minimise work related accidents, injuries or illness.
• Development and delivery of specific training programs to educate employees regarding good occupational health and safety practices.
• Investigation and documentation of work-related accidents or lost hours with a view to future risk minimisation.
• The policy has been framed around the Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Act (1984), the Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Act (1994) and Standard 8 of the Disability Services Standards (1993). This policy applies to all of the agency's programs and activities.

The following procedures are to be implemented to ensure that the agency meets its policy objective of ensuring that all employees are properly informed and adequately protected so as to minimise the risk of illness, accident or injury at work:

The agency will:

1. Provide all agency employees with appropriate information about, and training in, relevant occupational health and safety standards and practices.
2. Take all reasonable steps to assess the safety of the locations where agency employees provide support to people with disabilities.
3. Where appropriate, provide agency employees with a safe and reliable means of transportation between the office and work sites.
4. Insure all agency employees, volunteers, other unpaid persons involved in agency business and management committee members, both at work and travelling to and from work.
5. Ensure proper documentation of all work related accidents, injuries and illnesses.
6. Investigate all work related accidents, injuries and illnesses and take appropriate action to minimise future occurrences.
7. In the event of injury or illness, implement a rehabilitation plan to assist the employee to return to work as soon as practicable.
8. Promptly investigate, remedy and document any agency employee grievance regarding occupational health and safety matters.

The following performance standards must be met to ensure that the procedures specified in Section 4 are implemented effectively:

1. All employees have been provided with a copy of the agency's Policy on Occupational Health and Safety and a staff copy of the policy is kept in each service outlet.
2. All agency employees have attended and successfully completed agency approved training courses in occupational health and safety, as well as manual handling and first aid (where appropriate to their duties).
3. All agency volunteers have attended and successfully completed an agency approved training courses in manual handling and first aid (where appropriate to their duties).
4. Carers wear appropriate protective clothing and use appropriate safety equipment in accordance with good occupational safety and health practices.
5. Where agency employees or volunteers have been provided with transport, the vehicle has been maintained according to the manufacturer's specification, has been fitted with a driver's airbag, a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit and has been replaced at or before 40,000 kilometres, or after a longer period if the vehicle has been modified.
6. The agency has workers' compensation insurance for all employees.
7. The agency has personal accident insurance for all volunteers, other unpaid persons involved in agency business and management committee members.
8. All work related accidents, injuries and illnesses, and any resultant rehabilitation plans, have been recorded on the Accident Report Form, which has been collated and reported to the Management Committee on a quarterly basis.
9. Any grievances that have been lodged have been addressed in accordance with the occupational health and safety principles outlined in this policy and the Policy on Staff Grievances.
10. All employees and volunteers have been made aware of the contents of the Policy on Occupational Health and Safety.