Your OH&S

Responsibilities

Self-Paced
Module
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 Welcome & Overview

Overview

This module is one of a series of self-paced training guides about occupational health &
safety at Boral. All of the modules are designed as stand alone topics to be used by Boral
employees to increase their own knowledge and ability in relation to OH&S.

The modules are also designed to focus you on your own workplace and the action you
can take to make it a safer and healthier place to be. This is important since the high level
of safety we deserve in our businesses will only come about by people like you caring
enough to take a stand and do the right thing. We get the level of safety we show we
accept.

Boral’s Health & Safety Policy states the following:

“In keeping with our value of Respect, Boral promotes a culture where harm to our people
through work is unacceptable. The company is committed to providing safe and healthy
working conditions for all people involved in our business including contractors, visitors and
the general public.”

It is interesting to note that the parts of Boral that demonstrate this value the most and
have the best OH&S records share similar characteristics:

• They are made up of tight teams that care about each other,
• They have access to good information, which they use,
• They have a strong focus on finding and fixing hazards, and
• Their managers consistently act on hazards, follow through on promises, and enforce
the rules.

In short, creating and maintaining a safe and healthy workplace is something we must all
take on as part of our job and it is often what you do on a day to day basis that will make all
the difference.

Learning about health and safety priorities is a big step in the right direction so you are
encouraged to complete this module in full. That includes the reading, the exercises and
the test at the end. Your manager should not sign-off completion of this module unless
satisfied that this is the case.

Overall Aim of this Module

The aim of this particular module is to outline the various responsibilities of managers,
frontline managers / supervisors and team members when it comes to creating and
maintaining a safe and healthy workplace.

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Learning Outcomes

By the end of this module you will be able to do the following:

• Describe the general OH&S responsibilities of a manager, supervisor / frontline

manager and team member,
• Summarise your own specific OH&S responsibilities given your role and the people you
work with, and
• Understand the difference between responsibility and accountability.

About the Module’s Content

Please note that most of the content of this module is sourced from Boral’s Health & Safety
Manual and from the General Manager, OH&S. For more detailed information you should
refer to the manual, an appropriate health & safety person in your workplace, or your
manager.

Important Note

This module is designed as a guide only and to help individual Boral employees gain an
improved understanding of health and safety issues which might affect them. The module
is not designed to replace existing material or personnel and businesses should continue
to use the health & safety information, systems and expertise already available to them.

Please contact Learning@Boral on +61 2 92206415 if any issues related to this module
come to your attention. For technical content issues please contact the General Manager
OH&S or your divisional or business unit OH&S manager.

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 Your OH&S Responsibilities

Creating a safe work environment doesn't happen just because you have the right systems
in place. The only workplaces that can ever hope to be completely safe are ones where
everyone knows what their health and safety responsibilities are and commits to abide by
them.

People managing others have different responsibilities from people who

don't. Over the next couple of pages you will learn about the typical
responsibilities of managers, supervisors or frontline managers, and team
members.

The OH&S Responsibilities of a Manager

Making sure the workplace is safe and healthy is an important management responsibility.
If managers don't make health & safety a significant priority, then no one else will. For any
OH&S activity to succeed, it must have the full visible & audible support of management.

All levels of management have to show commitment through their own personal
involvement with health & safety issues in their area of responsibility. If you are a manager,
then here are some specific actions which you must take responsibility for:

• Making sure Boral’s Health & Safety Policy is prominently displayed.

• Setting objectives, developing plans, and implementing and reviewing programs and
procedures to ensure your business complies with relevant H&S legislation and
standards.
• Determining appropriate OH&S performance measures for your business, including
positive measures like, “X number of health & safety toolbox meetings”, and so on.
• Encouraging everyone's involvement in creating and maintaining a safe and healthy
workplace.
• Making sure plant, equipment and mobile machinery is used safely and maintained
regularly.
• Working with employees to document systems & procedures which ensure that people
are able to work safely and without risk to health.
• Providing training and instruction for all team members to ensure they understand their
responsibilities and so they work without risk to themselves or others.
• Providing induction training to all new employees or employees transferring to a
different job or work location.
• Making sure risk management activities are completed when new processes are
introduced or when existing processes change.

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The OH&S Responsibilities of a Manager, continued

• Creating and encouraging an environment which promotes consultation regarding

health & safety matters.
• Keeping accurate and complete records regarding all training that is carried out.
• Ensuring the safe handling, use, labelling and storage of chemical substances, and
to obtain material safety data sheets for all relevant materials used.
• Ensuring that all workplace incidents, accidents and injuries are fully reported,
recorded and investigated and relevant people notified.
• Ensuring that adequate First Aid provisions are available.
• Ensuring that contractorsand site visitors understand and observe Boral’s H&S
practices and procedures.
• Where necessary, following Boral’s dispute resolution and discipline procedures to
reinforce health & safety standards.

The OH&S Responsibilities of a Supervisor / Frontline Manager

The supervisor or frontline manager’s role is a line management function and has a great
deal of impact on the organisation. Supervisors / frontline managers are directly
responsible for production and for organising and directing the employees who make it
happen.

Ensuring the day -to-day health, safety and welfare of the work team is an important part
of the supervisor / frontline manager’s role.

If you are a supervisor / frontline manager, then here are some specific actions which you
must take responsibility for:

• Working with managers to set OH&S objectives, develop plans, implement systems,
and measure and review progress.
• Ensuring safe working practices and procedures are implemented and adhered to.
• Ensuring plant and equipment is maintained in a safe condition, with guards and
safety devices in place and a regular program of maintenance established.
• Through regular plant inspections, observing safe working behaviours and identifying
potential problems and hazards.
• When necessary, arranging assessment of possible hazards and implementing
control measures in consultation with team members.

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 Your OH&S Responsibilities, continued

The OH&S Responsibilities of a Supervisor / Frontline Manager,

continued

• Requiring the reporting of all incidents and near hits as well as accidents and injuries.
• Making sure all necessary incident reporting documentation is completed.
• Investigating reported incidents, near hits or accidents.
• Ensuring all new and transferred employees receive induction training and arranging
other health, safety and on-the-job training when required.
• Ensuring that personal protective equipment is available, that employees are
instructed in its use, maintenance & limitations, and that employees use the
equipment as intended.
• Encouraging the involvement of all employees in achieving a safe and healthy
workplace by inviting input from people on matters relating to work processes as well
as to health & safety.
• Supporting and assisting with the rehabilitation of employees who have been injured
at work, by encouraging their early return to normality through work-based
rehabilitation programs.
• Ensuring contractors and site visitors in the supervisor / frontline manager’s area of
responsibility are appropriately inducted, observe the company’s safety procedures
and use the appropriate personal protective equipment.
• Overseeing the provision of first aid facilities on site and ensuring that qualified First
Aid personnel are available when required.
• Keeping management informed of all matters relating to health & safety.
• Ensuring the safe handling, use, labelling, and storage of chemical substances, and
ensuring all relevant material safety data sheets are available for employees.
• Ensuring that inventories of hazardous substances are accurate and up-to-date.

Responsibilities of all Employees

In accordance with the OH&S legislation, employees also have certain responsibilities
with regard to their health & safety and to that of others.
These are summarised below:

• To work with due care and consideration so as to safeguard their own health and
safety and the health and safety of others.

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The OH&S Responsibilities of all Employees, continued

• To comply with all safe working practices and procedures operating in the workplace.
• To report any hazards identified in the workplace or any mishaps, incidents or injuries
that may occur during the course of work.
• To observe all instructions issued to protect their health & safety or the health &
safety of others.
• To attend, when required, any relevant training or instruction related to health &
safety.
• To use personal protective equipment and to ensure that it is maintained in proper
working order.
• To co-operate with any rehabilitation program that is arranged to assist recovery from
injury for themselves or for fellow employees.
• To comply with regulatory practices and procedures.
• To cooperate with authorities investigating incidents, accidents and injuries.
• No person shall wilfully, recklessly, or intentionally, interfere with, remove, misuse, or
damage, anything that is provided in the interests of health, safety and welfare nor
wilfully place at risk the health or safety of any person at their workplace.

The Difference Between Responsibility & Accountability

An important point needs to be made about the difference between responsibility and
accountability. Responsibility is the obligation to act whereas accountability is the
obligation to answer for an action. While you can delegate responsibility, you cannot
delegate accountability. In short, accountability means having to answer for your
responsibilities or your delegated responsibilities.

In terms of health & safety, this means that while you may choose to delegate certain
responsibilities, you are always accountable for it being delivered on. For instance, you
may delegate the requirement for reporting incidents at your site to team leaders or other
staff. However, if it’s not done, it is you and not the people you delegated to who remains
accountable. This means that making comments like, “I asked him to do it” are simply not
acceptable.

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 Employer Responsibilities

Table

Acts of Parliament specify responsibilities of employers when it comes to their duty

towards employees and their duties towards others who come into contact with an
organisation.

The relevant Acts are summarised in the following table:

Name of Act Duty to Duty to

Employees Others
Labour Ministerial Regulations - Chapter 1 Chapter
Subject: Defining the Standard in Managing the 2-4
Occupational, Health, Safety and Working Environment
B.E. 2549
Labour Ministerial Regulations - Chapter Chapter
Suject: Defining the Standard in Managing the 1-4 5-6
Occupational, Health, Safety and Working Environment
about Heat, Lighting and Noise B.E. 2549
Notification of The Ministry of Interior Chapter -
Re: Safety in working with Machinery 1-4
Notification of The Ministry of Interior Chapter Chapter 9
Re: Safety in connection with Electricity 1-8
Notification of The Ministry of Interior Chapter -
Re: Work Safety in Confined Space 1-2
Notification of The Ministry of Interior Chapter Chapter 3
Re: Work Safety relating to Hazardous Chemicals 1-2
Notification of The Ministry of Interior Chapter Chapter 9
Re: Work Safety relating to Protection and Prevention of 1-8
Fire for Employees
Industrial Ministerial Regulations issued on the Industrial Chapter -
Act B.E. 2535 - 1-2
Subject: Location, Surrounding, Internal and External of
Building Type

Refer to the relevant Act for more information as required.

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 Exercise 1

Background

It is very important that you are 100% clear about your health & safety responsibilities.
The points raised in this module are only an indication of what they might be. In Exercise
1, you actually have an opportunity to find out exactly what they are.

Instructions

Exercise 1 involves arranging a meeting with an appropriate health & safety person or
your manager. At that meeting, review the lists of responsibilities summarised in this
module. Identify all of the responsibilities that apply to you by putting a tick ( ) next to
them. Bear in mind that, depending on your job, they may come from more than one list.

Are there any other OH&S responsibilities of yours that aren’t mentioned in this module?
Record details about these in the space provided. Do you need help with any of your
responsibilities? Record details about the help you need in the space provided as well.

By the end of the meeting you should be able to:

• Describe all of your health & safety responsibilities, and
• List all the specific responsibilities where you need some form of help.

Evidence of Completion - Exercise 1

Be prepared to discuss this meeting with your manager as part of obtaining sign-off for
the module. During that meeting you should also discuss the help you require and put
plans in place to ensure you receive it.

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 Exercise 2: Testing Yourself

You have almost reached the end of this module. To check your understanding, please
complete the following test:

1. What are THREE specific OH&S responsibilities of managers?

2. What are THREE specific OH&S responsibilities of supervisors / frontline

managers?

3. What are THREE specific OH&S responsibilities of all employees?

4. What is the difference between responsibility and accountability?

See over the page to check your answers.

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 Exercise 2: Testing Yourself, continued

Checking Your Answers

You can find the answers to the test questions on the following pages in this module:
• Question 1 see pages 4-5
• Question 2 see pages 5-6
• Question 3 see pages 6-7
• Question 4 see pages 7

Sign-Off

You can approach your manager for sign-off of this module once you have completed all
of the exercise and the test. A sign off sheet is found on the following page.

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 Your OH&S Responsibilities

Sign-Off Sheet

This sign-off sheet is to confirm that the learner has satisfactorily completed the ‘Your
OH&S Responsibilities’ self-paced module, including both the readings and the
exercises.

Learning Outcomes

As a result of completing this module the learner should be able to do the following:
• Describe the general OH&S responsibilities of a manager, supervisor / frontline
manager and team member,
• Summarise their own specific OH&S responsibilities given their role and the people
they work with, and
• Understand the difference between responsibility and accountability.

Learner’s Name & Signature:

Manager’s Name & Signature:

Date:

Maintaining Adequate Health & Safety Records

This sheet should be photocopied and included with the learner’s training records or
personnel file. If appropriate, you may also need to provide your local health & safety
person with a copy.

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