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Standards Australia International, 2001, AS/NZS 4804:2001 Occupational health safety and
management systems – General guidelines on principles, systems and supporting
techniques, SAI, pp.5.

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What is the purpose of implementing a WHSMS? According to Standards Australia, the
primary reason for the implementation of an effective WHSMS is to reduce workplace
injury and illness and to protect the welfare of employees.; however, to discover all
motivations for implementing a system as well as specific risk to health and safety, you will
need to consult with all affected stakeholders about the form, content, purposes and
functions of a WHSMS and its implementation. Different individuals and parties will have
slightly different needs. For example, senior managers may be concerned with high-level
outcomes and reporting; line managers and workers may be concerned with particular
procedures for reducing risk in their specific areas of operations.

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At the end of this session, you should know how to:
•Communicate to individuals and parties the WHS policy requirements and commitment
requirements to implement a WHSMS
•Develop and implement an initial WHS review, as required, appropriate to own job role
•Develop WHS policy that meets organisational requirements and is appropriate to the
organisation
•Facilitate and support the participation of, and consultation with, individuals and parties in
developing and agreeing to WHS policy
•Document WHS policy and communicate it to individuals and parties

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As a manager or supervisor with some responsibility for the health and safety of others in
the workplace, you should be aware of recent changes to the legislative environment. These
changes may affect your business’ or organisation’s approach to work health and safety. By
agreement, the Commonwealth and state and territory governments (which have
constitutional responsibility for regulating work health and safety in their respective
jurisdictions) have endorsed and committed to enact laws that reflect the model WHS Act
developed for consultation by Safe Work Australia. Accordingly, the Work Health and Safety
(WHS) Act, based on the model WHS Act, was enacted by the Commonwealth in 2011.
Many other jurisdictions have since followed suit with their own mirror legislation.

For more information about the model Work Health and Safety Act, and the progress of
implementation, visit Safe Work Australia: <http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au>.

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As part of your review for the purposes of designing a WHSMS and developing policy, you will
need to consult

Under sections 46–49 of the WHS Act, duty holders and PCBUs have a responsibility to consult,
cooperate and coordinate WHS activities. When it comes to workplace health and safety, every
company must consult with workers and HSRs. Employees should be consulted in activities such as:
•identifying or assessing hazards or risks
•making decisions about the measures to be taken to control risks
•making decisions about the adequacy of facilities for the welfare of the employees
•making decisions about the procedures for resolving health and safety issues
•monitoring the health of employees and the conditions at any workplace
•providing information and training
•determining the membership of any health and safety committees
•proposing changes, that may affect the health or safety of employees, such as changes to the
workplace, plant, substances or the conduct of the work performed.
An employer or company officer who is required to consult with employees must do so by:
•sharing information with employees, about the matter on which the employer is required to consult
(which could be achieved through WHS meetings, bulletins or other communication means)
•giving the employees a reasonable opportunity to express their views about the matter
•taking into account those views.

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Controls may be:

1.Elimination
The elimination of the hazard itself or associated risk.
2.Substitution
Use a less hazardous substitute.
3.Engineering control
Provide a barrier (guard) around the hazard to reduce the associated risks.
4.Administrative control
Provide procedures or instructions to control the use or exposure to the hazard and thus
reduce the risk.
5.Personal Protective Equipment
Provide a hazard specific personal barrier by way of protective equipment to reduce the risk
of injury to an individual.

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A crucial factor in ensuring the success of any organisational change is to secure the support
and commitment of the people who will help you implement the change. You will therefore
need to discuss options and gain agreement from stakeholders to ensure a smooth
implementation of your WHS management system. To do this effectively, you will need to
determine stakeholders of influence. You will then need to determine how to communicate
and consult with them.

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To build support for and agree on implementation priorities with stakeholders, you should
ensure that you address the following important questions.
•What does the organisation have to implement now?
•What can the organisation afford to implement now? Will more funding be available later
down the track?
•What other activities are occurring within the business that may be impacted by the
introduction of the WHSMS?
•What changes may deliver ‘quick wins’ that can be capitalised upon to assist with
introducing other changes in connection with the WHSMS?
Certain aspects of your system may not seem important in them, but, because they can be
implemented quickly, build important momentum.

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It is necessary, for you to define the areas of accountability and responsibility of those people
involved in the implementation and operation of the WHSMS.
While ultimate accountability for WHS rests with the employer or PCBU, the organisation should be
committed to the following:
•defining roles and delegating responsibilities
•documenting and communicating WHS responsibilities and accountabilities
•promoting decision-making and authority to act
•reporting requirements for all managers, employees, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers and
visitors
•providing a clear process for monitoring and communicating changes in responsibilities
•providing the ability to respond with contingency plans and to respond appropriately to unforeseen
circumstances
•identifying and assigning a person to operate at a senior level within the organisation with particular
responsibility for overseeing implementation and monitoring the ongoing performance of the
WHSMS across the entire operations of the organisation
•ensuring line managers are responsible and being held accountable for the effective implementation
of the WHSMS and are committed to its continual improvement.
•ensuring capacity to hold all employees accountable for WHS performance and support overall
WHS objectives.
•ensuring capacity to maintain WHS obligations in accordance with changes in legislation.

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In order to implement your WHSMS effectively, you will need to identify the training needs
of your employees, not just in relation to their work duties but including competency in
WHS issues.
Procedures should be put in place to ensure that WHS competencies are developed and
maintained. Employees could be assessed as competent if they have attended accredited
training and achieved education, experience, and training in WHS responsibilities, and in
dealing with the hazards and risks associated with their work activities.
Training should be carried out by trainers who have the necessary knowledge, skills and
experience in WHS. No one should be exempt from WHS training; everyone needs to be
aware of their obligations – from senior management to new employees.
You should consider a number of training method and formats appropriate to employees and
the needs of the organisation including face-to-face classroom or on the job training,
distance learning, self-paced learning, synchronous e-learning such as webinars or e-
learning.

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An important part of measurement and evaluation is the monitoring of the system itself. A
management system audit may be done internally or by an external auditor. To achieve
certification of the system as AS/NZS 4801 compliant, an external audit by an accredited
organisation is necessary.
Internal audits should be performed by competent personnel who are knowledgeable about
the area being audited. Internal audits should be conducted in an objective manner, so it is
best if the internal audit staff do not have direct involvement in the activities being audited.
Internal auditors should always use a recognised methodology to ensure the consistency,
fairness and validity of the audit data and outcomes from the audit process.
External management system audits can be substantial and are usually undertaken by WHS
specialists or by the appropriately trained internal staff. External audits provide you with an
independent assessment of your performance. There are several organisations that can assist
you with auditing. The Australian Standard AS/NZS 4801 provides useful guidance for such
external audits of the organisation as it provides a nationally accredited audit tool that can
be used to examine systems and determine areas for improvement.
A management system audit has a wide scope of investigation and will monitor the
effectiveness of organisational structures, implemented procedures, responsibilities,
accountabilities, mechanisms for measurement and the realisation of the objectives outlined
in the WHS Policy.
The results of the internal and external audits should be used by senior management in the
management review process for the purpose of continual improvement.

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Automatic triggers
As always, it is important to take a systematic approach to monitor and taking corrective
actions. One way to do this is to build in automatic triggers. Automatic triggers are best
designed into a WHS management system where you can predetermine the most appropriate
actions to take if a condition eventuates. The main advantages of automatic triggers are:
•rapid response
•reduced need for discussion and decision making.

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