023 The modern day approach of the WHS regulator

Fit for Work

THE MODERN DAY APPROACH OF THE WHS REGULATOR

1. Do you respond better to carrots or sticks?
2. Do you bury your head in the sand and hope nothing breaks in your sandbox?
3. Is your only encounter with the regulator when audits or disasters strike?
4. Or are you proactive and keep the regulator close seeing them as an ally in fostering healthy, safe and productive working lives?

Here to inform and challenge your perception on the modern day approach of the Regulator is Jim Kelly Director of Health and RTW for SafeWork NSW.

Jim’s responsible for leading state-wide health and return to work (RTW) policy for SafeWork NSW. His team influences National WHS strategy and offers technical advice across his portfolio of health, environment, ergonomic, psychosocial and RTW fields. Jim started his career as an Occupational Therapist and has over 20 years’ experience working across various industry sectors in injury management, rehabilitation, workplace health and safety (WHS) prevention and regulatory services.

In this interview we explore the Strategic Roadmap and Priority Areas for SafeWork NSW and the shift from a compliance driven to risk based approach to WHS.

Tune in to learn why you might like to become closer friends with your local WHS regulator…

TIME FOR A REFRAME: FROM FUN POLICE TO FRIEND

As I was thinking about the role and goal of the regulator following my chat with Jim, I couldn’t shake this picture of the regulator being like that kid at school that’s sometimes left on the outer because hey they’re a little rulesy and play it safe, but who we can probably learn a lot from. You know their intentions are good to keep us out of harms way and they’ve got our best interests at heart, but the delivery is sometimes a little awkward. Moving forward they deeply want to be invited into our inner circle, to be involved in conversations, to be asked advice and not just be forced to act as the fun police when we push the boundaries. So how about it? Would you consider become closer friends with the regulator?

In acknowledging my limitations and recognising my specialty is workplace health more than it is Safety, I turned to my hubby Paul a HSE Advisor and asked the question “What’s your honest opinion of the regulator?”. He said without hesitation “They’re awesome. If you have a question you can just call up and ask and they put you onto a specialist to chat things through. It beats reading through 50 pages of legislation and you don’t even need to say where you’re from. It surprises me that more people don’t do the same”. I was happy to hear that in Paul’s world he’d let the regulator become part of his inner circle.

In this interview, Jim will give you more reasons why you might want do the same.

SHIFT IN THE REGULATOR APPROACH

From Compliance and Prescriptive Approach

To a Modern Risk-based and Advisory Approach

Source: SafeWork NSW Roadmap PDF

Key Priority Industries:

• Construction
• Transport
• Manufacturing
• Agriculture
• Government
• Health Care and Community Services Sector

WHAT SERVICES COULD YOU TAP INTO FOR YOUR BUSINESS?

1. Get Healthy at Work – Free online and face-to-face Health Checks for Small-Large businesses
2. Mentor Program – Coaching and mentoring between large and small businesses sharing insights about WHS.
3. Monthly Webinars – various WHS topics
4. Small business rebate – $500 rebate towards an eligible Safety Solution
5. Paralympic Speaker in your workplace – book them in for free
6. Workshops – Participatory, Ergonomic, Manual Task 4 hour Workshop, train-the-trainer model
7. SafeWork Awards – Recognise high achievers in Safety.
   (see links in the resources section below)

Source: SafeWork NSW ‘Our Approach to WHS Regulation PDF’

JIMS FINAL THOUGHT

“Build a relationship with your local regulator when times are good so that if in the event that something bad were to happen, you know who it is that will be responding to that, the approach they’ll take, you’ve already established that you’re committed to health, safety and wellbeing… And the regulator knows who to go to when they have a product or service that you might be interested in”

So how about it? Would you consider become closer friends with the regulator?

By nature we tend resist authority, but I wonder if we could reframe and see the regulator as not the fun police, but as an advisor? An advisor that will help you to learn:
– how not to be one of the 5% doing the wrong thing
– how not to leave money on the table
– how to be proactive in managing your risk

Hopefully these give you motivation enough to make better friends with your local regulator.

JIM’S QUOTES
“Its always better for you to invite the regulator to your workplace, than the regulator to invite themselves” – Jim Kelly

“Most people recognise that safety is good for business…it’s the 5% that are doing the wrong thing that need the compliance and enforcement approach” – Jim Kelly

“Manage business risks safely, rather than just managing safety as another business risk.” – Jim Kelly

CONNECT WITH JIM
Jim on LinkedIn
Twitter @whsjk

RESOURCES
Safework NSW Website
SafeWork NSW Call Centre: 131050
SafeWork Wrap eNews
SafeWorkNSW on LinkedIn
Twitter @safework_nsw
Facebook

DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCES

Services SafeWork NSW provide:

Link to all programs and services provided – HOW WE CAN HELP
http://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/health-and-safety/how-we-can-help

Mentor Program
http://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/health-and-safety/how-we-can-help/mentoring-program

Get Healthy at Work
http://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/health-and-safety/how-we-can-help/get-healthy-at-work-service

Online Safety Webinars
http://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/health-and-safety/how-we-can-help/online-safety-webinars

Small Business Rebate
http://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/health-and-safety/how-we-can-help/small-business-rebates

Paralympian Speakers
http://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/health-and-safety/how-we-can-help/paralympian-speakers

Manual tasks workshops
http://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/health-and-safety/how-we-can-help/workshops

Safety advisory visit
http://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/health-and-safety/how-we-can-help/safety-advisory-visits

SafeWork Awards
http://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/health-and-safety/how-we-can-help/safework-awards

Request for Presentation or Workshops
http://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/health-and-safety/how-we-can-help/request-presentation-or-workshop

Social Media – which includes Facebook, twitter, SafeWork Wrap (is a newsletter directly sent to you)
http://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/health-and-safety/how-we-can-help/workcover-social-media

YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/user/workcovernsw/featured

Research
http://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/health-and-safety/how-we-can-help/research

I’m so happy to be bringing you this thought leadership and I trust you got a lot of value out of todays episode with Jim.

Until next time, continue being part of the solution in taking your workplace from good to great…

Continue the conversation at www.fitforworkaustralia.com.au, say hi on LinkedIn or flick us a personal note at [e-mail].

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