Safe Work Australia Responds to Concerns about Model Work Health and Safety Regulations
Safe Work Australia Chair, Tom Phillips AM, announced the objective of the harmonisation process is not to reduce the size of Work Health and Safety regulation but to ensure uniform safety standards are in place in each jurisdiction throughout Australia.
This follows public complaints which raised concerns about reducing the size of the regulations.
This is consistent with the requirements of the Inter-Governmental Agreement for Regulatory and Operational Reform in Occupational Health and Safety, according to Phillips.
"This exercise is about harmonisation and putting everyone on the same page, it is not rationalisation or reform," said Phillips.
Previously the content of the draft WHS Regulations are based on existing Work Health and Safety Regulations in each of the nine jurisdictions all of which vary in length, detail and matters covered.
Many chapters of the draft WHS Regulations address hazards such as noise, confined spaces and falls, or specific industries such as construction, major hazard facilities or driving.
Businesses will not need to be familiar with all the regulations, only those relevant to their business, according to the company, according to Safe Work Australia.
Phillips said Safe Work Australia has already identified a number of ways the draft WHS Regulations could be reduced in size without compromising important policy objectives.
Thursday 14 April 2011
Safe Work Australia
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