Leadership and capability
What this looks like
- Departmental leaders that are visibly active on safety, health and wellbeing
- People have the capability to manage safety, health, and wellbeing
Why this is important
- Leadership provides the impetus for continual improvement
- Building staff capability means everyone can participate in better safety, health, and wellbeing outcomes
How we will do it
- Deliver a contemporary training plan including:
- induction
- leadership
- health, safety, and wellbeing modules including psychosocial training
- refresher training
- Encourage all leaders to be visibly active on health, safety, and wellbeing and destigmatise mental health
Outcomes
- A critical mass of leaders and staff are trained in accordance with the training plan
- Leaders are visible on the topic of safety, health and wellbeing
Success measures
- % of staff trained in accordance with the training plan
- Number of health, safety, and wellbeing moments that leaders create each year
Actions
- Hold divisional initiatives such as R U Ok Day, Mental Health Month
- Include health and safety as a standard agenda item on meetings
- Attend and encourage staff to attend health and safety training
- Attend training and encouraging staff to do the same
- Promote toolkits and resources available to staff
- Review reporting structure for Work Health and Safety (WHS) Committees, PeCCo and EB
- Implement the department’s first WHS Commitment
- Review the WHS Governance structure and TOR for current WHS Committees
- Review current suite of WHS training and implement a new program
Technology and systems
What this looks like
- Technology that provides data intelligence on safety, health and wellbeing
- One management system that guides the department in managing safety, health and wellbeing
Why this is important
- The department requires improved data and operational intelligence
- Implementing one health and safety management system across the whole department will reduce duplication and red tape resulting in more efficient and effective delivery
How we will do it
- Develop and implement a health, safety, and wellbeing information management system software application.
- Consider workflow management capability
- Create a health, safety, and wellbeing space on the intranet
Outcomes
- Better safety health and wellbeing decision making
- Consistent standards of practice across the department
- An ability to develop a safety assurance program
Success measures
- Successful implementation of the management system
- Successful implementation of the IT system and better data reporting
- Successful launch of the intranet space
Actions
- Research and procure an online platform to manage all things WHS and wellbeing
- One management system that guides the department in managing safety, health and wellbeing
- Build reporting capability in Aurion for the working from home WHS checklist
- Assist in the development of a reasonable adjustments passport for employees
Risk management
What this looks like
- Focussed work on known safety, health and wellbeing risks (e.g. chemicals, electricity, mental health, and frontline risk management programs at NMI and Questacon)
Why this is important
- Prevent injury and illness by proactively identifying hazards, assessing risk, implementing reasonably practicable and compliant controls.
- Improve the implementation of controls, safety assurance and testing of control effectiveness
How we will do it
- Locally implemented risk management programs
- Electrical compliance program
- Chemical and hazardous substance program
- WHS Act and regulation compliance audit
- Compliance action plans
- Upgrades and maintenance work
Outcomes
- Compliance with WHS Act and regulation
- Maintain risk level as low as reasonably practicable
Success measures
- Reduction in electric shocks
- Results of health and safety audit
- Assessment of the department’s risk profile through pre- and post-implementation risk workshops
Actions
- Conduct a systematic review of the department, NMI and Questacon to streamline the WHS Management System
- Review processes and procedures to ensure they remain current
- Develop departmental WHS risk register in line with the enterprise risk management framework
- Local risk management programs
- Electrical compliance program
- Review current working from home to align the department’s policy guidance with Comcare, Safe Work recommendations:
- implementing approval and reporting system
- implementing detailed WHS requirements
- Implement contractor assurance review process for high and moderate risk contractors
Service delivery and programs
What this looks like
- A safety and case management team operating a contemporary service delivery model
Why this is important
- Large departments require well-resourced safety, health and wellbeing teams to deliver on the strategy
- Using a service delivery model which drives line management accountability will mean work is distributed across the department in the most efficient and effective way
How we will do it
- Communicate new service delivery model
- Develop and communicate services catalogue
- Develop and implement annual plan of safety, health and wellbeing programs (e.g. flu vaccinations)
Outcomes
- Successful delivery of relevant safety, health and wellbeing programs
- Internal stakeholders provide positive feedback about the safety, health and wellbeing team
Success measures
- Service usage levels
- Successful delivery of annual programs
Actions
- Develop and implement annual plan of health, safety, and wellbeing programs (e.g. flu vaccinations)
- Review the current process for workstation assessments and automate the process
- Continue to deliver WHS services to the Climate Change Authority and Arena
- Research the possibility of providing subsidised WHS support for working at home
- Build engagement with state and territory offices
- Tailored sessions for staff and managers i.e. resilience sessions, self-care, mental health support
Injury prevention and engagement
What this looks like
- Engagement programs that encourage cross departmental collaboration
- Early intervention, case management and workers’ compensation programs that provide recovery services for staff
Why this is important
- Cross department engagement creates connections
- Early intervention is proven to reduce the frequency and duration of claims and create better long-term health outcomes
- It is more efficient and effective to maintain a centralised case management team for complex cases
How we will do it
- Create cross departmental health and safety education, consultation, and collaboration frameworks
- Share the lessons from incidents with everyone
- Continue with early intervention, case management and works compensation team operations
Outcomes
- Staff and management engaged and well supported during times of specialist need
Success measures
- Department wide engagement on WHS including sharing incident stories
- Reduction in workers’ compensation claims
- Increased usage of early intervention programs
Actions
- Implement strategies to support the mental wellbeing of our employees based on the recommendations from the APS Mental Health Capability Taskforce
- Develop and promote a range of resources to raise awareness and reduce stigma of mental health
- Review the Workplace Contact Officer role
- Continue to promote participation in mental health first aid
- Develop and implement a new early intervention program for staff
- Promote services to managers and employees
- Rehabilitation Management System refresh
- Updated iCentral (intranet) page
- Talk to a case manager sessions
- Review current panel arrangements for workstation assessments and rehabilitation