Perception call center recognizes the value of its employees, and it is committed to ensuring safe and healthy working conditions in contribution to health, safety, and well-being of all employees, visitors, and contractors. That will be executed by commitment to compliance with the Work Health and Safety Regulations 2012, the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, the Victorian Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004; Call Center Codes of Practice and Australian Standards as far as it is reasonably practicable (Urquhart, 2011).
Goals
To provide a workplace free from health and safety risks by ensuring implementation of the utmost possible standards to protect the safety, health, social and mental well-being.
To participate and consult with all employees and others affected by the organization’s undertakings and business to ensure identification of hazards and risks related to them are reduced, or eliminated to the best level (Queensland, 2003).
To establish an environment where employees and other parties affected by the activities of the organization are supported and encouraged to raise safety and health issues and help in their reduction and management.
Responsibilities
Management will
Make sure that work activities are performed safely by supervising workers
Consult with workers on matters in the workplace involving health, safety, and wellbeing
Supply suitable personal protective equipment and safety equipment
Provide an appropriate return to work and injury management programs
Ensure that the business conforms to any regulation concerning health and safety
Make sure to eliminate or minimize, as far as reasonably practicable, all workplace hazards and risks
Offer information, instruction, and training so that all workers can work safely
While in the workplace, workers must
Ensure that they are responsible for their health and safety
Make sure that they follow procedures, instructions, and rules that ensure a safe work environment
Partake in safety training on a regular basis
Make use of safety and personal protective equipment as they are instructed to
Report all events and near misses instantly, irrespective of how trivial
Consult with the management to identify, evaluate, and control hazards
Report any known or seen hazard to their manager or supervisor.
Reviewing the policy
The policy will be reviewed by the management annually, in consultation with the employees:
To evaluate its effectiveness
By reviewing health and safety performance
By checking the policies and procedures’ effectiveness
Communicating the policy
It will be communicated by displaying it in the workplaces
All workers, visitors, and contractors will be given a copy by the supervisors
Structure of the WHS management system most appropriate for the call center
The two standards in Australia related to the plan, implementation, and ongoing maintenance of basic WHSMS:
AS/NZS4801: 2001 Occupation Health and Safety management systems explains OHSMS that are currently referred to as Work Health and Safety Management Systems, as being a component of the general management system. This system entails: planning, organizational structure, processes, procedures, practices, responsibilities, and resources for the development, implementation, attaining, reviewing, and maintenance of the WHS policy, as well as the management of the WHS risks related to the business of the organization (Urquhart, 2011).
AS/NZS 4804: 2001 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems that offers additional general guidelines on the standards, systems and subsidiary methods including:
How an OHSMS should be set
How to constantly improve an OHSMS
The resources required for setting up an OHSMS and its improvement
Similar to the Australian Standards dealing with Management systems, AS/NZS 4801and 4804 are carefully line up with the appropriate global standards that deal with related issues (Mugagga, 2008).
Call centers have a code of practice that addresses Workplace Health and Safety issues. The code recommends the manner in which health and safety hazards commonly related to a call center work can be addressed according to the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984, the Occupational Safety and Health Regulations 1996 plus other significant Commission for Occupation safety and health (Commissions) codes of practice and standards.
The financial and human resources would be necessary to support and maintain a viable WHS system covering the three shifts
The call center has recognized and assigned human and financial resources to facilitate successful execution of the WHSMS. The resources are provided in the budget provision to the Workplace Health and Safety department as well as the general budget for the separate work components
The Workplace Health and Safety Act, 1995 enacts workplace health and safety obligations for different people at the workplace for workplace health and safety (Olmstead et al., 2014). Under the WHS a company takes a duty of care of providing workers with a safe and healthy workplace, as well as a safe work system; this includes working hours and work organization. Employers have to identify the level of risks and hazards related to shift work, prolonged working periods and night work, and act to control the risks. This obligation is owed to employees, contractors, and contractors’ employees.
Legislation for shift work
Night work should be limited to no more than 2 days in a row
Night shifts should not exceed 8 hours
Night shifts should not start between 12 am and 6 am
Rotating shifts should be forward. Day shift – Afternoon Shift - Night Shift
Breaks taken between shifts ought not to be fewer than 12 hours
Rest days should be evenly distributed
Responsibilities and roles
The WHS policy defines, records, and communicates the responsibilities and role of the managers, supervisors, employees, contractors, and subcontractors. The WHS manager has the responsibility of making sure that WHSMS requirements are stated, executed, and upheld according to the AS/NZS 4801:2001 OHS management systems, and reporting on the WHSMS performance to the call center managers for review and any improvement of WHSMS (Olmstead et al., 2014).
Employers should enact these procedures to minimize the risks associated with shift work
Provide rest areas and suitable meal facilities
Devise rosters that do not have excessive working hours and night work and have adequate breaks.
Providing modification to employees homes to help them adjust to working night shifts
Maintain records about working conditions from shift work
Training and competency
The call center in session with the workers identifies any need for training about the performance of work incompetence, as well as health and safety training.
The company determines the experiences, competencies, and training needed by employees and others for safe performance of different tasks in the workplace. The job description is according to specific competencies and qualifications required. Training needs are also identified by the process of annual performance management (Olmstead et al., 2014).
Consultation processes
Consultation between the organization and the employee is an important part of effectively managing the WHS. The call center consults with the workers for them to participate in decision making about the employment of safety procedures and health and safety systems created to guarantee the safety, health, and well-being of workers. It is important to involve workers to ensure a safe workplace.
Worker Health and Safety Records
All central WHSMS documentations are conducted using principle models and documents regulator processes. System records are preserved on the website of the company in the Workplace Health and Safety page. Changes to records are informed through email to the workers and contractors. Policies are reviewed regularly reviewed in discussion with the applicable stakeholders and ratified by the company’s management.
Worker Compensation and Return to Work Program
Explain the suitable methods for consultation to comply with legislation
Section 49, of the WHS Act, states that anybody carrying out business has to consult with the workers when:
Assessing risks and identifying hazards from any work performed or to be performed
Deciding on ways of eliminating or reducing such risks
Determining the capability of amenities for the workers’ well-being
And when deciding on the consultation procedures with the workers; solving safety or health issues; monitoring the workers’ health; monitoring workplace conditions; and giving training and information for the workers (Australian Government Concare, n.d).
Section 48 of the Act states that consultation necessitates that
Applicable WHS material be shared with the employees; Employees are provided with a rational chance to direct their perspectives and to raise safety or health problems. Employees are provided with sensible opportunity to take part in the policymaking process related to the safety and health problem; The workers’ perspectives are considered; and Employees are informed about their consultation in a timely way (Australian Government Concare, n.d).
Examples of WHS consultation
Effective WHS consultation involves properly communicating about health and safety issues which may affect employees. The following methods can be used to facilitate this.
Tool Box Meetings
Company Noticeboards
WHS consultation meetings
Company Newsletter
Health and Safety Committees
Pre Start meetings
Health and Safety Representatives
Hazard Report forms
Staff Meetings
Issue Resolution flow chart
(Queensland, 2003).
Explain three (3) possible indicators which could be used to measure and evaluate WHS performance
WHS Lag indicators
Hazard and Incident Reporting
Hazard and Incident Reporting monitors the level of hazards and incidents that are reported in the workplace.
Methods can include using the total amount of hazards near misses and incidents reported or just high-risk hazards near misses and incidents. Additionally, a percentage of completed hazard and incident reports can be used (Guidance on the use of Positive Performance Indicators, 2005).
The method used can then be compared with the industry standard for the type of work to measure how well the business is performing in regards to the average.
Training
The number of training courses developed in the workplace can be measured to provide a performance indicator (Guidance on the use of Positive Performance Indicators, 2005).
Either the number of participants involved in a WHS training course can be used as an indicator or the number of training courses developed by the WHS unit.
Both can be measured against industry standards to see if the workplace in question compares adequately to the average.
WHS Leading Indicator
Risk assessment
Risk assessment can be measured by the proportion of risk assessment approved. It is used to monitor the accomplishment of risk assessment for working activities with WHS risk (Guidance on the use of Positive Performance Indicators, 2005).
Develop a WHS induction checklist for all workers in the company
Introduction to
□ Manager/Owner
□ Supervisor
□ Co-workers
□ Health and safety representative
□ Fire/emergency warden
□ First Aid officer
2. Health and SafetyFramework Overview
Work Health and Safety policy
WHS management system
Health and SafetyCommittee
3. Location of Equipment and Facilities
Fire extinguishers
Kitchen
First aid facilities
Toilet and washing facilities
4. Policies, procedures, forms, checklists
□ Explain where to find forms for Hazard Reporting
□ Show where to find Incident /accident reporting forms
□ Show where to find Workplace Health and Safety policies
□ Guide WHS resources, as well as the WHS website
5. First Aid
□ Display the locations of nearest fire exits to the new staff member.
□ Explain the location of the first aid boxes
□ Explain the location of firefighting equipment
□ Give contact information for Nominated First Aid Officers at the workplace.
6. Emergency Procedures
□ Explain emergency procedures
□ Explain the emergency alarm system for the building. What alert, evacuation tones sounds like.
□ Show the location of assembly area in case of emergency
7. Health and Safety Training
□ Identify whether new employees need initial WHS training
□ Identify if new starters need first aid, fire safety, and emergency procedures training
□ Ascertain whether new employees need hazard‑specific training such as working at height, or working with hazardous substances
□ Determine if new starters need on the job training in safe work procedures. for example when and how to use mechanical aids
□ Determine if Job‑specific training is required such as if a license or permit.
8. Health and Safety Policy, Procedures, Processes
□ Educate the new employees about the key hazards related to machinery to be used
□ Advice how risk assessment is conducted before operating machinery.
□ Educate and show the safe work techniques to be adhered to when working with machinery.
□ A workplace free of smoke
□ Workplace rehabilitation
□ Workstation ergonomics
9. Reporting of incidents and injuries
□ Explain the requirements and methods for reporting incidents, injuries, illness, and hazards
10. Workers compensation, injury management, and Issue resolution procedures
□ Outline the workers’ compensation process
□ Summarize the Injury management process
□ Outline Issue resolution procedures
(WHS Induction and training Procedure, 2015)
12. Confirmation of completion of Local WHS Induction
Name
Signature
Date
New Employee
Develop an outline of WHS training for managers/supervisors/team leaders and employees
Work Health and Safety Training Outline Procedure
Perception Call Centre is responsible for making sure that all employees have the relevant work place health and safety knowledge to perform their duties at work safely.
Identify the training requirements for employees.
Providing training to meet employees training requirements.
Maintaining employee training records (Queensland, 2003).
Training Requirements
Perception Call Centre Management and WHS Officers will be trained in WHS legal requirements, Hazard identification and risk assessment.
General Staff will be advised on regulations relating to their duties at work.
Refresher training subject to employee observation or performance reviews.
Training Records
Training plan indicating when training is to be completed
Training Needs assessments outlying training programs needed based on their work duties
Refresher Training
Training for the following will be conducted every 2 years.
Emergency Procedures
Manual Handling
Training Topics
First Aid, Emergency preparation, HSR/ Committee member training, return to work, manual handling, respectful behavior, and use of equipment (Health Safety and Wellbeing (HSW) Training Plan., 2017).
Appendix A lists the current training topics for Perception Call Centre. Prior to each training session, it is reviewed to ensure that it is relevant to current training needs.
Training Needs Analysis (TNA)
Training needs are evaluated annually to consider which employees need initial training or refresher training over the following year. A TNA determines:
What skills are required to complete the work activity?
The current skill levels of the employees undertaking the particular work activity.
Whether there is a training gap.
Training Register
All training conducted at Perception Call Centre will be recorded in the training register. This is shown in Appendix B
Assessment
Training procedures will be assessed to determine the effectiveness of training conducted at Perception Call Centre.
References
Mugagga, K. H. (2008). Job safety analysis: A practical tool for ensuring safety of the workplace. African Newsletter on Occupational Health and Safety, 18, 2.)
Hopkins, B. (2010). Occupational health and safety of temporary and agency workers. Economic and Industrial Democracy.
Health and Safety Guidelines For Shift Work And Extended Working Hours. (2000). ACTU. Retrieved from http://www.ohsrep.org.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/192173/ACTU_ShiftGuidelines.pdf
Urquhart, J. (2011). Workplace health and safety management systems: D.I.Y. guide. Bloomington, IN: Balboa Press.
Health Safety and Wellbeing (HSW) Training Plan. (2017). The University of Adelaide. Retrieved from https://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/3023/?dsn=policy.document;field=data;id=5162;m=view
WHS Induction and training Procedure. (2015). Wudinna District Council. Retrieved fromhttps://www.wudinna.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/WHS%20Induction%20and%20Training%20Procedure%20%20V3.pdf
Guidance on the use of Positive Performance Indicators. (2005). Safe Work Australia. Retrieved from https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/system/files/documents/1702/guidanceonuseofppis_2005_pdf.pdf
Australian Government Concare (n.d). Improving outcomes. Retrieved from: https://www.comcare.gov.au/rehab_management_systems/element_4_measurement_and_evaluation/element_4_-_print
Queensland. (2003). A guide to health and safety in the call center industry. Department of Industrial Relations.
Olmstead, J., Falcone, D., Lopez, J., Mislan, L., Murphy, M., & Acello, T. (2014). Developing strategies for on-call staffing: a working guideline for safe practices. Aorn Journal, 100, 4, 369-75.
Appendix A: Training Plan 2018
Employee
First Aid training
Emergency Preparation
HSR / Committee Member training
Return to work training
Manual Handling
Respectful Behaviour training
Avoiding Slips Trips and Falls
Use of Equipment
Appendix B: WHS Training Register
Course Title
Date
Course Overseer
Course Duration
Name
Work Area
Signature
Appendix C
Item
Activity
Legal Requirements
Frequency
Responsibility
Resources allocated
Objective
Target
Performance indicator
Related policies, procedures, and other documents
Location of record
Responsibilities and accountabilities
Employees will receive WHS training on responsibilities and accountabilities
WHS Act, WHS Regulations, Codes of Practice & Australian Standards
Annually
WHS Officer
WHS Officer to organize training
Ensure that workers know and understand their WHS responsibilities
90% of workers complete training by September 2019
Percentage of workers who complete the training
WHS policy, Training policy
Personnel file
Safe work procedures
Documentation will be made for safe work procedures for all high-risk tasks and processes
WHS Act, WHS Regulations, Codes of Practice & Australian Standards
As required Induction
WHS committee
WHS committee
Confirm that Safe work procedures are documented and communicated to all workers
Increase in procedures to be developed in the next year
Number of procedures developed
WHS policy
Intranet, WHS manual
Training and competency
All employees will be trained in safe work procedures
WHS Act, WHS Regulations, Codes of Practice & Australian Standards
Annually
WHS Officer
WHS Officer to organize training
Ensure that workers receive adequate training to carry out tasks safely
All workers complete Respectful behavior training within the next year
Percentage of workers who complete the training
WHS policy, Training policy (compliance)
Personnel file
Emergency plans
Assign responsibilities to workers, for example, fire warden officer, first aid officer
WHS Act, WHS Regulations, Codes of Practice & Australian Standards
Annually
WHS Officer
WHS Officer to organize training
Certify that Workers understand their responsibilities to know how to respond to emergencies
All emergency roles assigned and training complete in the next year
Percentage of workers who complete training and number of roles assigned
WHS policy, emergency management procedure, Planning for Emergencies in Facilities AS 3745
Intranet, WHS manual, notice boards
Legal and regulatory compliance
Advise workers of the legislation, standards, and codes as they apply to their roles
WHS Act, WHS Regulations, Codes of Practice & Australian Standards
Induction, as required
WHS committee
WHS committee
Ensure that workers understand their obligations for legal, regulatory and compliance
Implement a training program for all workers over the next 12 months
Percentage of workers who complete the training
Legal and regulatory compliance register and policy, training register
Intranet, training policy, personnel file
Workplace inspections
Regular workplace inspections will be conducted
WHS Act, WHS Regulations, Codes of Practice & Australian Standards
Bi-Annually
WHS Officer & WHS Committee
WHS Committee & WHS Officer
To construct a safer workplace
Implement a workplace inspections register within the next six months
Inspection register implemented and in use
WHS policy, conducting a workplace assessment, workplace inspection checklist
Intranet, work inspection procedures manual
Accidents and incidents
Procedures for reporting incidents, including near misses, and accidents
WHS Act, WHS Regulations, Codes of Practice & Australian Standards
When incidents and accidents occur
All Employees
All Workers
To ensure that workers understand the requirements for reporting and investigating incidents and accidents
Implement a training program over the next 12 months
Percentage of workers who complete the training
WHS policy, privacy and record management policy, incident and accident procedures
Intranet, record and privacy manual
