4. Contribute to safe work practices in the workplace

2. Work Health and Safety Representatives, Committees and other consultative arrangements

One other major way you can contribute, apart from those methods above, is to belong to the committee that manages Work Health and Safety in your workplace.

All schools, no matter how large or small, will have a committee that is responsible to the Principal and to the Department or Organisation in relation to Workplace Health and Safety. Make sure you know who is the head of the committee in your school.

The policy for NSW schools can be read here:

https://education.nsw.gov.au/policy-library/policies/work-health-and-safety-whs-policy?refid=285835

Information for Queensland schools can be read here:

https://ppr.qed.qld.gov.au/category/schools-and-students

Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) Committees are the group to whom hazard reports go for deliberation and action at their regular meetings.

For example, if you or another person, including students, have identified a hazard that is not one that is managed then and there (such as a broken path rather than water on the floor), a reporting form will be have been completed and gone to the WHS Committee.

They will deliberate on the hazard and its risk at their meeting and come up with a management solution that will manage the risk longer term.

Examples of the sort of actions they take might include:

• requesting that a path be repaired

• having signage replaced or improved or implemented

• a new policy, procedure or rule on what to do in a particular situation - for example no charging cords for personal computers come to school

• having a water bubbler or shade cloth/tree put in a new section of the playground