9 months ago Can we discipline a worker for gossiping that is harming another? We have an employee who frequently complains and gossips about a particular manager. The behaviour is affecting several people, especially the manager being spoken about. Would this behaviour be considered harassment? Can we take disciplinary action?
9 months ago What are the health and safety duties of franchisors and franchisees? What is the extent of work health and safety duties and liability of a franchisor and franchisee?
10 months ago What Australian Standards should we consult to develop our emergency management plan? We are in the process of developing an emergency management plan for our business. Are there any Australian Standards that we should take into account?
10 months ago What should be inspected in a workplace? We are currently writing procedures for health and safety inspections. Could you please clarify what we should include in our inspections?
10 months ago Who has safety obligations in relation to asbestos? Our business’ workplace is a rented premises that will soon be undergoing some renovations undertaken by the owner. We will still be operating our business while the renovations take place.
a year ago How do we safely store LPG gas bottles? What is the safest way to store an LPG gas bottle? Is this covered in Western Australian work health and safety laws?
a year ago How do we ensure safety when using third-party providers to host our Christmas party? We are planning to hold our business’ Christmas party at a local venue, using the venue’s party planners. Is it up to us or the venue and party planners to ensure work health and safety?
a year ago What are the record-keeping requirements for SWMSs and JSAs in WA? What are the legal requirements for keeping completed safe work method statements (SWMSs) and job safety analyses (JSAs) in Western Australia? Are there allocated time frames for keeping these records?
a year ago How do we prepare for bushfires? Our workplace is situated in a bushfire-prone area. How can we prepare in the lead-up to bushfire season?
a year ago Are volunteers covered by health and safety legislation? Are volunteers in Victoria covered by the Victorian Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (OHS Act)? Does this differ to the legislation in New South Wales?
a year ago Should we investigate a near miss? We recently had a safety incident in our workplace that didn’t result in any injury, illness or damage, but could have done so. Should we have investigated?
a year ago How many first aiders are required for changing on-premises numbers? In our workplace, workers can elect to work from home or in the office. Most workers do a mix of both. This means that each day there is a different number of people in the office. How do we determine how many first aiders we are required to have in this type of environment?
a year ago Can we require disclosure of COVID-19 vaccination status during recruitment? We would like to include a question during our recruitment questionnaire process to check if applicants have received their COVID-19 vaccinations, including booster shot. Is this something we can do?
a year ago How do we protect our workers from sun exposure? Our workers spend some of the day working outdoors. What measures should we take from a health and safety perspective?
a year ago What duties do we have to our overseas workers? What duties does a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) have to workers outside of Australia and how do they meet these duties? Do the work health and safety laws of the parent country of the worker apply?
