Workplace Health and Safety Officers

Version Number

3.0

Implementation Date

9/07/2012

Scope

The requirements to appoint a Workplace Health and Safety Officer apply to all departmental workplaces with 30 or more workers.

Purpose

​This procedure provides information regarding the requirement to maintain a workplace health and safety officer (WHSO) position in departmental workplaces with more than 30 staff.

Overview

​The Workplace Health and Safety Officer (WHSO) provides advice and support to the officer in charge on the status of health and safety issues in the workplace. The WHSO establishes and undertakes activities to support the management of health and safety, including attending committee meetings, undertaking incident investigations, coordinating the annual assessment, and identifying health and safety training needs.

Responsibilities

​Director-General, Deputy Directors-General, Regional Directors, Assistant Directors-General:

  • implement a departmental structure that supports the management of health, safety and wellbeing at every departmental workplace
  • ensure the implementation of the WHSO at workplaces with 30 or more staff.

Officers in charge of workplaces (Principals, Institute Directors, Directors, Managers):

  • ensure a WHSO is appointed and trained at a workplace with 30 or more staff
  • support the implementation of WHSO role at workplaces with 30 or more staff, including allocation of time and resources to fulfil the functions of the role.
  • consult with the WHSO about risks at the workplace and changes at the workplace that may affect the health and safety of staff and others
  • display a notice identifying the WHSO for the workplace.

Workplace Health and Safety officer/role:

Staff:

  • participate in health and safety initiatives and activities including committees, annual assessments, hazard and risk identification and training.

Process

​Please see above in Responsibilities.

Online Resources

​Supporting documents

Online materials

Review Date

24/02/2013
Attribution-NonCommercial CC BY-NC

​Officer in Charge
A person who has the authority for the management of a departmental workplace, e.g. school principals, TAFE institute directors and managers.  An officer in charge (OIC) has the responsibility for, and decision making authority at, a workplace for a range of issues, e.g. supervision of staff, budget expenditure, facilities management, and is an executive leader  such as Senior Executive Services (SES) Officers, Senior Officers (SO), Regional Directors and Assistant Regional Directors.

Workplace Health and Safety Officer
A person who is appointed as a Workplace Health and Safety Officer (WHSO) by the officer in charge and completes training approved by the Department of Education, Training and Employment. A WHSO will be required to complete approved training. Approved departmental training is still under development. Transitional arrangements for completion of training are in place during 2012.

An officer in charge may appoint himself or herself as a WHSO for the workplace.

30 or more staff
30 or more workers are normally employed at the workplace means, during the current year, at least 30 workers are employed, or are likely to be employed, at the workplace for a total of any 40 days during the year.

To calculate the ‘30 workers or more’:

  • 30 workers do not have to be employed at the workplace every day
  • the workers do not have to work full days for the 40 days
  • itinerant workers should be included in the calculation
  • regular volunteers should be included.

Workers for the purpose of this procedure are persons who carry out work for DETE including:

  • full time, part time, casual and temporary employees
  • apprentices, trainees and pre-service teachers
  • students gaining work experience
  • volunteers
  • paid or unpaid staff in tuckshops, canteens, uniform or book shops and security stations.

Definitions

Authority

Related Policy Instruments

Attachments

Contact

​For further information, please contact:

Regional Health and Safety Consultants

DETE employees, please contact:

Regional Health and Safety Consultants

or

Senior Health and Safety Consultant
Organisational Health
Phone: (07) 3234 1583

Uncontrolled Copy Disclaimer

Uncontrolled copy. Refer to the Department of Education, Training and Employment Policy and Procedure Register at http://ppr.det.qld.gov.au( http://ppr.det.qld.gov.au/ ) to ensure you have the most current version of this document.