We all hope that we’ll never have to defend a serious workplace incident, injury or fatality in court, but do you really understand how to avoid this and your full responsibilities as a manager?
When managing workplace safety, there are some important questions that we have probably all asked ourselves from time to time :
1. What does ‘reasonably practicable’ mean & do our systems meet this requirement?
2. Would I be able to defend this in court?
3. What do I need to know and do to prevent a workplace incident that is prosecuted in court?
4. What are my responsibilities with respect to contractors on-site?
These important questions and more were answered in the recent WorkSafe Prosecution Moot Court conducted by BPN and HR Legal where we acted out a very real workplace incident of a contractor fall from height complete with witnesses, prosecution & defence lawyers, judge and jury.
We explored the responsibilities of employers, employees & contractors with respect to the Occupational Health & Safety Act, and reviewed real world examples in an informative & interesting manner.
In the Moot Court, and as is often the case in the real world, the WorkSafe prosecution was successful with charges and fines being applied to the guilty company.
So if you have any questions similar to those above or would like to know more, then contact Yvonne at BPN for the course notes, or even better, attend the next Moot Court to ensure that you, your colleagues or company are never prosecuted by WorkSafe in a real court.
As always, it is far better to be informed and well prepared than to learn the hard way!
Thanks to HR Legal, BPN and Nufarm for hosting this event.
George Fletcher Operations Manager – Lyondellbasell