A key foundation to a reduction in workplace injuries and a safe working environment is a documented, effective Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OH&SMS). The system needs to be a proactive system which is fully supported by the company from management to employee level.
As with any organisation, the people working in the organization are a key to the success of the OH&SMS. People need to be adequately consulted and included in OH&S and trained effectively to give them the knowledge and capability to make the system work effectively.
The work environment in which the OH&SMS exists is an equally important factor in establishing a safe and healthy place to work.
Why consider OH&S?
Industry has one of highest injury rates
- Steady decline in the number of abattoirs in Australia, often due to crippling workers compensation costs.
- Very physical, hard industry to work in,
- Difficult to attract people to the industry.
Primary objectives of OH&S program
- To foster a systematic, sustained approach to safety by improving systems and increasing knowledge and awareness of all stakeholders.
- To create safer work environments through the development of technical and system innovations.
- To support organisational change projects in an effort to increase the profile of the red meat processing industry and make it an employer of choice in the manufacturing sector.
- Disseminate findings to industry with tools to evaluate and benchmark industry in OH&S performance and improve OHS performance.
In order to achieve these objectives a number of activities have been occurring including undertaking projects, conducting forums and workshops, development of tools, visiting sites, participating in network meetings.
Outcomes for 2004-05 that contribute to the above objectives include:
- Considering OH&S in design and building process.
- Measuring the OH&S impact of technology.
- Developing an understanding of how to affect retention in the industry.
- Develop tool to measure cost of turnover in red meat industry.
- Ensuring sustainability of OH&S systems.
- investigate new technology that will impact OH&S issues
development of user friendly risk assessment processes for meat industry.
- Knife training.
- Risk control plan developed for high risk task.
- Process mapping.