What is: Manager Health and Safety Obligations

What do I need to do?

Know your obligations and make sure employees know theirs

• Familiarise yourself with your obligations as set out in Metro North Health’s Accountability Matrix, Safety Management System (SMS) and Queensland Health – Health, Safety and Wellbeing Management System.
• Make sure your employees know their responsibilities and complete all mandatory safety training, including:
  • WHS Orientation
  • Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD)
  • Patient and Manual Handling
  • First Response and General Evacuation
  • Occupational Violence Prevention.
• Record details of completed training in the Talent Management System (TMS).

Identify and address hazards

• Regularly identify and address potential hazards in the work area. This includes keeping the work area clean and tidy, removing trip hazards and clearing emergency exits of any obstructions.
• Make sure chemicals are handled safely:
  • staff must be trained in the safe handling, storage and use of chemicals in the work area
  • make Safety Data Sheets (SDS) available for chemicals used in the work area
  • when new chemicals are introduced, update chemical stockholding in ChemAlert.
• Complete and submit all mandatory periodic audits on time, including the annual Work Area Safety Inspection Checklist (WASIC) and ChemAlert Chemical Stockholding.
• Consult with staff about safety issues and provide a forum for raising safety concerns e.g discuss safety at team meetings. Refer to consultation on safety matters for more information.

If there’s an incident

• Check the Riskman system daily for incidents and investigate them as soon as you can. Record the results in the Riskman system and report back to workers.
• When there’s an incident, arrange immediate first aid and help workers to receive same day medical treatment.
• Arrange for the worker to get home safely if they can’t stay at work.
• Actively promote rehabilitation at work while injured workers wait for further treatment.
• If an employee has time off work under WorkCover management, QSuper income protection or health management, stay in regular contact.
• Facilitate and monitor their return to work and provide suitable duties where applicable.

Useful links

Safety systems and accountabilities

• MNHHS Safety Management System (SMS)
• MNHHS Health and Safety Accountabilities and Responsibilities Matrix
• DoH Health, Safety and Wellbeing Management System

Hazard and risk management

• MNHHS Health and Safety Risk Management page
• MNHHS Risk Management Procedure
• DoH Managing Risks page
• DoH Health, Safety and Wellbeing Risk Management Standard

Incident management and RiskMan

• MNHHS Health and Safety Incident Investigation Checklist
• DoH Health and Safety Incident Management Procedure
• DoH – Work Health and Safety Incident Response Standard
• WHS Riskman Guide: Reviewing an Incident
• WHS Riskman Guide: Closing an Incident

Rehabilitation and return to work

• MNHHS Workplace Rehabilitation and Return to Work page
• DoH Workplace Rehabilitation Standard

Consultation

• MNHHS Consultation and Capability page
• DoH – Health, Safety and Wellbeing Consultation Standard

Chemical management

• MNHHS Hazardous Chemicals page
• MNHHS Hazardous Chemicals – Safe Management Procedure
• DoH – Chemical Management page
• ChemAlert V5 Training (iLearn)

Mandatory training

• MNHHS Mandatory Training page
• Talent Management System (TMS)