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AMSANT Administration Manual
for Aboriginal Primary Health Care Services in the Northern Territory |
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Occupational Health and Safety
DisclaimerPro Forma
The links below open Microsoft Word documents that can be edited for your own use.
- Occupational Health and Safety Policy
- Workplace Incident/ Accident Procedure
- Violent/ Intimidating Clients or Community Members and Staff Safety
- Staff Immunisations
- Needle Stick/ Biohazard Injury Protocol
- Information Sheet for Staff Member Exposed to Body Fluids
- Workplace Health & Safety Delegate Checklist
- Incident/Accident Report Form
A Safe and Healthy Workplace
The NT Work Health Act provides the legal framework under which employers and employees must operate to achieve a safe and healthy workplace
This is everyone's responsibility. Employers (ie the health service) must provide the facilities and resources necessary for a safe working environment, whist workers (employees) have a responsibility to work in a way that protects themselves, their work mates and their clients.
Workplace Health & Safety Delegates
To maintain a safe workplace requires a process whereby potential hazards are identified and corrected.
In larger workplaces a health and safety committee made up of both management and worker's health and safety delegates can oversee this role with delegates being given time during work hours to regularly inspect the workplace and report to management to have identified hazards addressed.
A Workplace Health and Safety checklist (see Proformas) can be used by delegates as a tool to use during inspections. For smaller workplaces it is not feasible to have such committees. Instead the issue of health and safety should be included on clinic meeting agendas, and staff can rotate the responsibility of workplace inspections.
Worksafe Australia (a Commonwealth agency) has a range of specific Codes of Practice, Information Sheets and other information about specific hazards and preventive strategies.
Health & Safety Policies
Each workplace should have an Occupational Health and Safety Policy that states clearly the obligations of the employer and employees in achieving a safe and healthy work environment. The policy should also address particular health and safety issues relevant to the enterprise.
The draft policy (see Pro forma) provides a guide for health services from which to develop your own policy.
Workers Compensation
Each service requires a clear process whereby injuries or illnesses caused by work can be reported and workers compensation claims are made. What is required is included in the section on Accounts (Insurances). However, any injury , or any incident which could have led to an injury, should be followed by an investigation as to the cause so that such an incident can be prevented in the future. It is a good idea to keep a book of injuries and incidents so that periodically the service can get an idea of how often accidents happen, and whether preventive action is being taken.
Further assistance and information.