Buyer Beware – Generic WH&S Systems
Generic:
- Characteristic of or relating to a class or group of things; not specific.
Workplace Health and Safety can seem complex and overwhelming. In addition to this, meeting legislative requirements in terms of documentation can seem like a very costly exercise, particularly for small to medium business owners with few or no dedicated WH&S personnel in-house.
Presumably in response to a desire to comply with WH&S legislation for minimum outlay, I have noticed growth in the marketing of generic workplace health and safety products. From Asbestos procedures to emergency management plans it seems there is a generic document out there ‘to help you comply’ with every WH&S requirement. Is this too good to be true?
In my experience there are a number of pitfalls that businesses thinking of purchasing these documents must be aware of.
- If the document author provides you with a standard pre-prepared document, the processes described may bare minimal resemblance to the way the process occurs in your business. This creates a situation whereby you may find that you are unable to customize the document to your needs now or in the future.
- Terminology that is not consistent with your workplace terminology may lead to confusion as to what the safe work practice should be. This increases the threat to the health and safety of your workers.
- Where the process outlined in the document is not consistent with your actual workplace practices, you will either need to change your workplace practices in order to comply with the safety document you have purchased (not an easy feat) or risk being seen to have failed to follow your businesses own documented process. This could lead to serious legal and financial repercussions.
- Purchasing off the shelf/generic WH&S documents increases the likelihood a business will skip the essential steps of consultation and communication in both the development and implementation of the safe work procedure. This is a legal requirement pursuant to the Work Health and Safety Act and Regulations 2011. Omitting these essential steps reduces the likelihood that your safety process will be implemented successfully, as buy-in and stakeholder involvement are widely acknowledged as essential ingredients.
In short the claims that these documents will ‘help you comply’ must be approached with caution.
The existence of a safe work procedure is only one aspect of compliance with workplace health and safety legislation. If a’ generic’ or ‘off the shelf’ workplace health and safety procedure is not followed or implemented its mere existence will provide little protection for a business in the face of penalties or prosecution.
Effective workplace health and safety systems include safe work processes that have been developed in a customized fashion in conjunction with that business and its people. This is the difference between being truly committed to a workplace that is a safe place to work or making a token but pointless and ineffective attempt to appear to comply.
At HR Business Direction we can help you with Workplace Health and Safety programs that are developed in conjunction with you and your people. Contact us here.
Christina Willcox MHSc; PostGradDip OHS; BBus(HRM); COHSProf
Workplace Health & Safety Specialist
christina.willcox@hrbd.com.au
07 3890 2066
www.hrbd.com.au