Having an OHS Policy is both an important and legal requirement of worksites in the Australian construction industry. In Australia, workplace safety is governed by OHS (Occupational Health & Safety) legislation and each state and territory has its own legislation. Nevertheless, there are no major differences between State legislation as they all have to comply with Commonwealth legislation.
What is OHS Policy?
Concisely, an OHS Policy is a document outlining how you expect people involved in your project, whether they are workers, contractors or visitors, to behave while on the construction site. Such a policy plays a vital role in assuring Construction Health and Safety for all involved.
How is the Policy Structured?
If you were to go through a large number of policies and look at the way they are structured, you will tend to find that there exists a common structure between all of them. They tend to consist of 2 parts:
- Aim – this is where the objectives of the policy is described
- Policy – this is where the method through which the policy is expected to be implemented is described
If you are not quite sure how to come up with your very own OHS Policy, you can take a look at some of the sample policies from the NSW Business Chamber.
Construction Safety Comes First
At the end of the day, the most important aspect of any construction project is assuring the safety of all those involved. The risks and the consequences of not making this a priority can be disastrous both financially and psychologically for all involved.
As a result, it is important that as a contractor or construction company, that you do your due diligence and do everything in your power to assure the health & safety of those involved. Having a good OHS Policy is one way to achieve this.
