Flinders University's commitment to WHS
The University is committed to, and requires the active support of all workers, students, visitors and other persons in its workplaces in fulfilling this commitment to:
- complying with work health and safety legislation
- ensuring continuous improvement in workplace health and safety, by planning, implementing, monitoring and reviewing its systems and processes as set out in the Work Health and Safety Management System
- providing safe plant, structures, substances and systems of work by taking a planned and systematic risk management approach to identifying hazards and assessing the risks with the aim of eliminating or minimising those risks where it is reasonably practicable to do so
- where hazards and risks cannot be eliminated, implementing effective control measures that are monitored and regularly evaluated and reviewed to ensure they remain effective
- maintaining communication and consultation on work health and safety matters with workers, students, health and safety representatives, and other relevant persons including other PCBUs where there is a shared duty
- consulting, cooperating and coordinating with other parties (PCBUs) who manage or control workplaces not under the University’s control or management to ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, that there are safe systems in place to provide a safe and healthy workplace
- specifying responsibilities and accountabilities for health and safety
- making available relevant supervision, training, instruction, information and safe systems of work to allow workers, students and other persons to perform their duties so they can work and study safely and effectively
- providing adequate human and financial resources to effectively manage health, safety and wellbeing
- maintaining an effective process for reporting and resolving health and safety issues
- encouraging the raising of health and safety issue without fear or concerns of reprisal
- using internal and external expertise to improve workplace safety and injury management where relevant
- providing effective support to staff to optimise recovery and return to work in the event of a work- related injury, and
- managing workers’ compensation claims promptly, fairly and equitably as outlined in the Return to Work Policy.
What we do
The Work Health and Safety Unit provides:
- a central management system for work health safety, rehabilitation and workers' compensation services;
- a high level strategic advisory role to the University Executive and to the Vice-Chancellor as Officers;
- expert work health, safety and injury management resources including policies, procedures, documentation, reports, advice and assistance to the University community;
- the development and implementation of local area work health and safety management strategies, together with their integration into the University's management plans, processes and programmes in partnership with the Colleges and Portfolios; and
- conduct of investigations into workplace incidents in partnership with the relevant College/Portfolio staff and management.
Indemnity and WHS responsibilities
The following statement applies to all staff of the University carrying out duties required of them which would include any additional WHS work that they may be asked to perform from time to time:
- The University is liable at law for the actions of its staff while they are carrying out duties required of them under their contracts of employment.
- The University carries substantial Public Liability insurance protections and this cover extends automatically to its staff.
This means that staff engaged in carrying out their duties/activities, including WHS responsibilities, are protected should an event/action occurs which causes injury to other persons.
