Work health and safety is the act of managing risks to health and safety of everyone in your workplace. Whether you call it WHS, OHS, health and safety or safety and health, you need to comply with current legislation and regulations to keep everyone on-farm safe.
What is the difference between these two terms you ask? Legislation is passed down by parliament, it serves as a description of the legal requirements as well as the punishment for breaches and violations. Legislation is statutory law. Whereas regulations are the process of monitoring and enforcing that law. Regulations outline how an authority will apply that law and are often utilised to focus on specific sections of legislation.
What does it mean to be compliant for an agribusiness?
When your farm is non-compliant, it means your business has failed to comply with its legal obligations or industry standards. In Australia, under WHS laws, you must ensure the health and safety of workers as well as the health and safety of others on your farm. The Australian Government states that, in order to be compliant you must:
- provide a safe work environment
- provide and maintain safe machinery and structures
- provide safe ways of working
- ensure safe use, handling and storage of machinery, structures, and substances
- provide and maintain adequate facilities
- provide any information, training, instruction, or supervision needed for safety
- monitor the health of workers and conditions at the workplace
Your workers also have a role to play when it comes to WHS obligations, they are required to:
- take care of their own health and safety
- take care not to do anything that could hurt others
- follow WHS instructions
- follow the workplace’s WHS policies and procedures
Why is Health and Safety Compliance important for farmers?