In accordance with the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 the Treasury is committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment for its employees, contractors and visitors to the department. The Treasury continues to explore and implement strategies to assist staff in enhancing their personal wellbeing, with an emphasis on prevention, early intervention and education.
- In April 2014 the Treasury launched promotional material aimed at reducing the impact of stress and fatigue during peak work periods, offering holistic approaches to reduce stress and fatigue and promoting a healthy lifestyle.
- The Treasury continues to address key work health and safety risks. These are highlighted in Departmental Risk Registers in consultation with the Work Health and Safety Committee and Audit Committee. An in-depth risk review of the department's risk register occurs annually.
- The Treasury s 2014-15 Comcare premium rate has maintained a low rate of 0.34 per cent. This is considerably lower than the premium rates for all agencies combined, currently at 2.12 per cent. The Treasury's Early Intervention policy plays a key role in preventing potential compensation claims and loss of productivity. This allows staff to seek immediate treatment for illnesses and injuries which are likely to impact on their capacity to work.
Treasury staff are encouraged to contribute to a safer workplace by reporting potential hazards, incidents and accidents as soon as they occur to ensure immediate measures are put in place to assist injured employees and eliminate further risk to others. In accordance with Part 10 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, the Treasury is required to provide a report on work health and safety activities and statistics for notifiable incidents, investigations and notices.
| Work Health and Safety Act 2011 | Number |
|---|---|
| Deaths that required notice under section 38 | 0 |
| Serious injury or illness that required notice under section 38 | 1 |
| Dangerous incidents that required notification under section 38 | 0 |
| Investigations conducted under Part 9 | 0 |
| Notices given to The Treasury under section 191 (improvement notices) | 0 |
| Notices given to The Treasury under section 195 (prohibition notices) | 0 |
| Notices given to The Treasury under section 198 (non-disturbance) | 0 |
The Treasury received 22 injury/incident reports from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014. Four of these incidents were related to contractors, one of which was reportable to Comcare.
Throughout 2013-14, ongoing risk management activities included the following:
- The provision of an Employee Assistance Program offering free, professional and confidential counselling services to employees and their immediate family members for both work and personal issues.
- Individual workstation assessments and training on ergonomics, workstation adjustment and recommended workstation practices. A total of seven employees were referred for external workstation assessments and 132 employees received individual workstation setups conducted by trained Treasury employees.
- Manual Handling training was provided for administrative and support staff; a total of 17 staff participated.
- Partial reimbursement for employees requiring glasses for screenbased use. Five employees received this reimbursement during this period.
- The Health and Safety Committee met every three months in accordance with the Work Health and Safety Act 2011. The meetings monitored and reviewed health and safety measures and facilitated cooperation and communication amongst staff.
- A consultation model for work health and safety matters was developed in accordance with the requirements of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011.
- Timely reporting of work-related incidents ensured immediate action was taken to rectify hazards. During 2013-14, the Treasury received 22 work-related incident reports, with the majority relating to trips, slips and falls.
- Managers are encouraged to report absences which may be related to physical or psychological injury or illness to enable staff and managers to be supported. This includes assistance under the Treasury Early Intervention Policy.
- Health and Safety Representatives and their work groups are aligned to the Treasury's Group structure. There are two health and safety representatives from each Group and all of the positions are filled.
- First aid officers are located throughout the department. Staff with underlying health conditions such as epilepsy, asthma and diabetes are encouraged to inform nearby first aid officers to ensure timely and appropriate assistance is provided.
- Free influenza vaccinations are offered annually with 340 employees receiving the vaccination in March 2014.