An Occupational Health and Safety Policy is considered to be one of the most important policies to enable workplace success. The intention of an Occupational Health and Safety Policy is to ensure that the workplace is an environment that is accident-free, safe and healthy, always implements safe working methods, and provides safe work equipment.
The objectives of an Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Policy is as follows:
- Achieve a safe and incident-free workplace
- Consider OHS in project planning and work activities
- Report all OHS risks and incidents in the workplace
- Involve employees, contractors, volunteers, and students in the decision-making process through regular communication and consultation
- Develop an Occupational Health and Safety Committee, if applicable, to report and manage risk
- Ensure employees and contractors identify and control risks in the workplace
- Monitor and review the elimination or control of potential risks
- Enhance employee’s OHS knowledge through education and training, including staff induction
Each state or territory has its own OHS laws that businesses need to abide by and a regulator to enforce them.
Use this template to formulate your own Occupational Health and Safety Policy at your workplace: