1 general conditions of employment - Department of Education and ...

6 OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY Emergency Management6.1 INTRODUCTIONOccupational health and safety (OHS) concerns the health, safety and welfare of all people inthe workplace. The overarching emphasis is on the prevention of work-related incidents,illness, disease and injury. Safe and healthy workplaces depend on safe people, safe systemsof work, safe property and safe work environments.The Department is committed to ensuring the health safety and wellbeing of staff, studentsand visitors in the workplace. It is a basic right that every person works in safe and secureworkplaces and that injured staff should be afforded care, with dignity and respect, to ensurethey are able to make an early, safe and ongoing return to work.Consequently, the Department has developed a comprehensive safety strategy, Safe Workingand Learning, to improve the Department’s health and safety and injury managementperformance as a priority.The success of the strategy relies on a strong workplace safety culture and the participationand cooperation of every employee in the successful implementation of safety policy and safeworking systems. Please talk to your principal, supervisor or regional OHS teams about waysthat your workplace can achieve improved health, safety and well being.In addition to this the Department has signed a Dignity & Respect in the Workplace Charter.The charter sets out that the Department is committed to a workplace that provides dignity andrespect to all its employees and that no one should suffer bullying while going about theirwork. When the treatment of another person is unreasonable, offensive, intimidating,humiliating or threatening and repeated then this amounts to workplace bullying and shouldnot be tolerated.Information about health and safety is provided on the Department’s OHS website. The sitecan be accessed through the Intranet, by clicking on the Occupational Health and Safety linkunder the A-Z of Directorates, or by going to the following address:http://detwww.det.nsw.edu.au/adminandmanage/ohands/index.htmStaff may also contact the Team Leader, Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Strategy andPolicy on (02) 9266 8958 for further information.If you have any concerns about OHS at your workplace, you should talk to your principal orsupervisor as soon as possible. Assistance for staff in implementing OHS is also availablefrom a range of departmental officers and support teams. The Regional OHS Liaison Manageris available in the first instance to provide advice and assistance to the workplace manager.Guidance on other appropriate contacts can be sourced from the OHS Liaison Manager.6.2 NSW OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY LEGISLATIONIt is the responsibility of the Department, its employees and others in the workplace to complywith the NSW Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000 and Occupational Health and SafetyRegulation 2001.6.2.1 THE NSW OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY ACT 2000The NSW Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000 (the OHS Act) aims to protect the health,safety and welfare of people in the workplace. It sets out the legal obligations of employers tomaintain a safe working environment for all employees, contractors and workplace visitors. Itrequires employers to consult with employees about issues that might affect their health, safetyand welfare and to share information with them about these issues. Employees are to be giventhe opportunity to express their views and contribute their ideas for resolving OHS issues.6.2.2 THE NSW OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY REGULATIONS 2001Handbook for non teaching staff in schools (September 2008) Page 2 of 7