The Board of Management and Executive Staff Council of Ballarat Health Services (BHS) understands and accepts their legal, ethical and moral responsibilities to create and maintain a safe environment that protects and promotes the health and well-being of all employees, patients, clients, visitors, contractors and volunteers. Ballarat Health Services regards occupational health and safety (OHS) responsibilities with the utmost importance and, as such, will strive to eliminate risks as far as reasonably practicable, or mitigate risks to create a safe workplace.

Ballarat Health Services is committed to working collaboratively with all key stakeholders to:

• Implement and maintain safe systems of work and a safe and healthy working environment
• Identify all risks and assess their potential impact
• Reduce/eliminate so far as reasonably practicable all OHS hazards and risk
• Ensure staff regard incident prevention as both a collective and an individual responsibility, at all levels of employment
• Ensure staff assess work practices and conditions continually, to report failings in them and to take advantage of safety information provided by BHS and other sources, and
• Ensure all employees are provided the opportunity to raise and discuss safety issues and are consulted about any changes that may impact on their health, safety and well-being
• Share responsibility for the creation of a health promoting workplace

All Board Members, Executives, Managers and Employees (including contractors and volunteers) have a duty of care to themselves and others to provide a workplace free of risk and adverse harm.

BHS - Ballarat Health Services

Health Promoting Workplace - Ensures a flexible and dynamic balance between customer expectations and organisational targets on the one hand and employees skills and health needs on the other (WHO, 2017)

OHS - Occupational Health and Safety

Reasonably Practicable - Doing what is reasonably able to be done to ensure the health and safety of workers and others

This Policy provides the framework for:

• The development of safe methods of work
• The achievement of a safe working environment using integrative approaches
• The promotion of good health and well-being within the work force
• Reducing the number and severity of injuries and illnesses in the workplace
• The establishment of consultative processes to ensure all employees have the opportunity to be consulted on and provide input into OHS matters in their work environment
• Compliance with all other Ballarat Health Services Health, Safety and Well-being Policies and Protocols
• Complying with all relevant Acts, Regulations, Standards and Codes of Practice
• Establishing and maintaining an integrated health, safety and well-being system
• The development of a health, safety and well-being strategic plan for the organisation that will be reviewed annually by the Executive Management Team
• The establishment of measurable objectives and targets for OHS to ensure continuous improvement aimed at the elimination of work related illness and injury.
• The effectiveness of the Policy will be measured by the:
  • Development and implementation of initiatives included in the Health, Safety and well-being Strategic Plan
  • Compliance to the annual Operational Plan which indicates how the strategic initiatives are being implemented and completed.
  • Compliance with legislative requirements, with no adverse actions resulting in penalty or prosecution by the regulator
  • Achievement of a Health Promoting Workplace