Health and Safety Databased Software

THINK SAFETY SYSTEMS

Why keeping electronic records of workplace hazards and risk controls is important to employers and organisations.
WHS Act and its Regulations are the workplace safety rules.
Governments in Australia have introduced, since 1985, workplace health and safety rules (the Act and their Regulations) to ensure employers and organisations introduce systems and procedures in their workplaces to eliminate or reduce hazards and their risks.
Many employers still think the Act is all about injuries and illnesses.
Many employers, still today, think that the workplace health and safety Acts are all about injuries and ill health of employees, but that's far from the truth. The health and safety Act is about the employer identifying hazards and their risks in the workplace and with consultation with their workers, deciding on how to eliminate or at least minimising the risks associated with the identified hazard. For an example, a chainsaw has many hazards, and in most cases the risks have been identified and through proper training and understanding of the risks, the chances of an accident are minimised. The only chance of an incident occurring is if the operator of the chainsaw is not properly trained or supervised in the safe use of a chainsaw. The employer needs to record the names of workers who have been trained, and provide the worker with written safety instructions on the chainsaw's hazards and risks and how to operate the chainsaw in a safe manner.
Data based safety software ensures compliance with the Act.
Think Safety Systems (TSS) has been developing data based OHS software systems for many years (1986) to assist employers and organisations to comply with these workplace health and safety rules, relating to the OHS Act, and its regulations.
Electronic Safety Software.
Each TSS safety software system was developed using information from the Government's workplace health and safety Act, including each health and safety regulation, which were developed by the Government, to assist employers and organisations comply with each section of the Act and the relevant regulations.
Employers no need to read or understand the Act or its regulations.
For an example, each TSS software data base has been designed to enable employers and organisations to prove they comply with the requirements of the Act, and each health and safety regulation, by using the safety software data base to easily record each hazard and the risks associated and the controls to be implemented to either eliminate the risk or reduce the risk as far is reasonably practicable under the Act. In other words, the Act and its regulations have been designed and have been summarised into the TSS electronic system format.
Accidents in the workplace affects productivity and profits.
No employer, organisation, employee or any member of the public really likes to know about a workplace accident, which not only affects productivity and profits, but it is worse when an employee or a member of the public is either killed or receives a serious workplace injury whilst at work or in the workplace.
WorkSafe Inspectors must investigate all reportable incidents.
Unfortunately, after a serious reportable incident, this is when a WorkSafe Inspector is required to investigate the causes of the incident, and during the investigation, may identify where the employer or organisation failed to comply with the Government workplace health and safety Act.
Employers failing to record hazards and risk controls may end up in Court.
Also unfortunately, most employers plead guilty in Court because they were unable to prove they complied with the workplace health and safety legislation, even though the employer may have attempted to comply, in an ad hoc way, but failed to record the events as evidence in a Court.
Keeping electronic records of workplace hazards and risks minimises prosecution by WorkSafe.
If the employer or organisation could prove either to the WorkSafe inspector or the Courts that the employer had written up to date records of hazards and risk control management systems, such as provided with the TSS safety software, the chances of being prosecuted by WorkSafe would be very minimal.
Serious workplace incidents doesn't always mean the workplace was unsafe.
Many investigations by WorkSafe Inspectors of serious workplace incidents, have not been prosecuted by WorkSafe because the employer had provided written evidence that the employer complied with the relevant sections of the Act, even though the worker suffered a serious workplace injury or illness.
Employer's senior officers maybe also be prosecuted.
Even the employer's officer, the CEO or manager, maybe be sued by WorkSafe for failing in their duty of care under the workplace health and safety Act, and the penalties range from a jail sentence or a heavy penalty in the thousands of dollars or both.
Employer and or CEO maybe end up in Court through Civil Action by injured worker.
If the injured worker's injuries are estimated by WorkSafe to be more than 30% seriousness, the injured worker can sue their previous employer for damages in the civil court, which the employer has to pay out of their profits, as the cost is not covered by their workers compensation scheme, due to the employer breaching relevant sections of the Act, you can not insure for disobeying Government legislation.
Common sense prevails.
It's much the same as if your employee was driving the company vehicle, and the vehicle was unregistered and involved in a road accident, the company's vehicle would not only be covered by insurance, but the police would probably fine the employer as well for not complying with the road laws.
Employer needs assurance to minimise compliance.
TSS safety software could be considered as the employers assurance in case of a serious workplace incident, because the employer would have recorded information to establish that the employer was compliant with the relevant sections of the Act.
Electronic safety software systems best practice safety management systems.
TSS health and safety data based software also allows inserting pictures of the hazard when the software is installed on an iPhone or iPad. There is no need for formatting or searching for pictures on the hard drive from a camera, and when the safety record is printed, the print out has been designed to present a readable and understandable report to provide to a WorkSafe Inspector, and other interested persons who may be interested to find out if the employer is in compliance and management of the hazard and associated risks in the workplace, i.e. OHS Committee Members, OHS representatives and the union safety officers.
TSS electronic safety software reduces time in recording hazards and risks controls.
Each TSS safety data software program has been designed to reduce the time it takes to record hazards and risks and also has been designed to find and search for particular safety information and to enable a summary of all hazards and risk control management systems recorded in the system.
TSS safety data based software is a summary of the Act and its Safety Regulations.
Employers and organisations do not need to read or understand the contents of the workplace health and safety Act or the health and safety regulations because each TSS safety software module automatically does this for you. In other words, if the employer and the organisation's nominated person follows the flow of each data entry space of the software, the results will either advise the employer they comply or does not comply with the Act. The software, if completed correctly, also provides prompts to ensure follow up of risk control measures to ensure eventual compliance with the Act.
TSS software also incorporates all the employers health and safety information in one place.
Other benefits of the TSS safety data based software is, each module was designed not only using the Act and the OHS regulations, but also the Australian Standards of compliance, ensuring risk management requirements not mentioned in the Act are also captured within the TSS safety software program. OHS Policy and Procedures, safety training material, and calculating what is reasonably practicable are a few of the TSS safety modules which can greatly provide best practice health and safety management systems to ensure compliance with all aspects of workplace health and safety legislation.
TSS safety software utilises modern technology.
TSS safety software was also designed to incorporate modern technology such as the Internet, emailing, and the use of iPhones and iPads for recording and maintaining workplace health and safety records.
TSS software reduces the costs of implementing and maintaining health and safety data.
The TSS software also reduces costs of printing and distributing of OHS information to staff and employees, storage of hard copy records, photo coping, mailing and postage, because all the employers OHS information is stored on the main computer hard drive, and with the internet or intranet, nominated personal, with a relevant password, will have access to the TSS data based software wherever they may be employed.
This document was prepared by : Tony Pumpa
Think Safety Systems
Mobile: 0418200972