People and Culture

Occupational Health and Safety

Compliance and Risk Management

The Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004

The key legislation for compliance with health and safety laws in Victoria is the Victorian Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004. The Act, along with subordinate regulations, prescribes the obligations that employers, employees, designers, manufacturers and suppliers have to provide a safe and healthy workplace.

The Act does not prescribe safety standards, but rather imposes general obligations to eliminate risks to health and safety so far as is reasonably practicable; or if it is not reasonably practicable to do so, to control those risks so far as is reasonably practicable. The Act also sets out a number of specific duties for employers. WorkSafe may approve compliance codes to provide practical guidance for those who have specific duties or obligations under the Act.

Access to the OHS Act, regulations and codes of practice can be found at the WorkSafe Victoria website.

Indexed Directory of OHS Legislation

The University subscribes to an indexed internet based directory of occupational health and safety legislation, which outlines, in plain English, the occupational health & safety legal obligations.

The indexed directory is only available to La Trobe University employees and does not give legal advice. Relevant legislation and explanatory publications should be consulted and professional and/or legal advice sought where appropriate.

To access the directory, click here: Legal Obligations Directory

Risk Management

In order for employers to comply with the Act by eliminating or controlling risks, it is essential that there be a systematic process of identifying and evaluating workplace risks. In fact, the onus is on employers to be able to demonstrate that risks have been identified and either eliminated or controlled and the expectation nowadays is that employers are able to show that tasks and duties can be performed safely.

The importance of completing and documenting risk assessments cannot be overstated; as well as systematically identifying and reviewing risks, it provides a foundation to review and update assessments either periodically or in line with changes to the workplace and provides evidence that this has been undertaken.

There are a number of tools to assist managers and supervisors in identifying, assessing and controlling risks in the workplace. The University’s Occupational Health and Safety Manual contains a procedure as well as some publications relating to risk assessment and control and specific procedures relating to various hazards in the workplace.

Compliance at La Trobe University

To ensure the University complies with its occupational health and safety obligations, the following frameworks have been established:

• A Safety Policy approved by Council which sets out the University’s commitment to providing a safe and healthy environment and which details key responsibilities of University employees, students, contractors and visitors to the University. The Safety Policy can be accessed at: Safety Policy
• A consultative process comprising health and safety committees to foster consultation between employees and the University, whereby health and safety issues are discussed in a constructive manner and agreement reached regarding actions to be undertaken. More information on the committees can be accessed at: OHS Committees
• A network of designated work groups, to enable employees to raise health and safety concerns and to provide a framework for resolving disputes which cannot be resolved in the immediate workplace. Each designated work group has an elected health and safety representative (unless the position is currently vacant) and a nominated employer representative for resolving disputes. Information on designated work groups can be accessed at: DWG Register
• Policies and procedures approved by the Executive OHS Committee which contain the requirements for compliance by University and which identify staff responsibilities and actions to be undertaken by designated staff. All OHS policies and procedures can be accessed at: Occupational Health and Safety Manual
• An internal audit program administered by the Occupational Health and Safety Section to provide schools and departments with information on the level of compliance with health and safety standards. Details of the audit program can be accessed at: OHS Audit program
• An incident reporting and investigation process to enable the causes of incidents to be identified so that preventative actions can be undertaken. More information on incident reporting and investigation can be accessed at: Incident reporting and investigation

Links to Regulatory and Advisory Bodies

• WorkSafe Victoria
• NOSHC
• National Health and Medical Research Council
• Australian Safeguards and Non-Proliferation Office
• Victorian Department of Human Services
• National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS)
• Australian Standards
• Therapeutic Goods Administration