DIMA Annual Report 2000-01

Management and accountability - continued

Occupational Health and Safety

The department's management and employee responsibilities under the Occupational Health and Safety (Commonwealth Employment) Act 1991 (OHS Act) are contained in the Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) Policy and Agreement.

The Agreement was accepted by relevant staff associations and formally endorsed on 12 November 1998. The review date is November 2001.

The department currently has a number of agreed policies in place, including on:

• communicable diseases
  
  
• first aid
  
  
• eyesight testing for screen-based equipment
  
  
• pesticide spraying
  
  
• return to work
  
  
• fitness for duty
  
  
• review of actions (formerly known as grievances)
  
  
• mobile phones
  
  
• deep vein thrombosis
  
  
• safety of staff and clients during self-harm incidents.

OH&S committees

The department has established OH&S Committees in Central Office and in State and Territory offices. The peak committee, the National Committee on Occupational Health and Safety, met twice during 2000-01.

Health and Safety Representatives

Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) have been maintained for designated work groups.

Elections for vacant HSR and deputy HSR positions were conducted by the Community and Public Sector Union in consultation with the department during March and April 2001. The outcome of these elections is that there is now almost complete coverage and vacancies caused by organisational restructuring and turnover of HSRs have been largely overcome.

The HSRs assisted in a trial of new workplace hazard inspection procedures, which have now been adopted. The HSR network has met on a regular basis and provided a consultative mechanism in addition to the OHS committees established under the OHS Act. State HSRs have been active in their workplaces.

Health, safety and welfare at work

Measures taken during the year to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of employees and contractors included the continued promotion of health and safety through providing advice, work station assessments and training.

Consultants Ernst and Young provided a report based on an assessment of occupational health and safety risks in compliance, investigations, document examination and airport activities.

They also reported on the current management of these risks, and made recommendations for improvement. These have been incorporated in the Draft National Compliance Officer Staff Development Strategy - Year 2001-02.

The report also benchmarked the department's overall performance against SafetyMAP Initial Level criteria. An action plan has been developed aimed at ensuring that the department reaches SafetyMAP Initial Level.

The annual influenza vaccination program was conducted in Central Office and Regional Offices to reduce staff absenteeism, of which influenza is a major cause each year.

A further test conducted in June 2001 on the Telstra and Optus communications installation at Central Office confirmed that the level of electro-magnetic emissions remains well below the agreed standard.

Incidents

There were 29 incidents reported to Comcare under Section 68 of the OHS Act. Of these, six involved serious personal injury and 23 were dangerous occurrences.

Investigations

Comcare carried out three investigations under Section 41 of the OHS Act during 2000-2001.

The first was a Targeted Reactive Investigation of the department's State Office in Western Australia, which started in late June 2000. The investigation was designed to test compliance with the revised notification and reporting regulations that came into effect on 1 January 1999.

The report released in July 2000 assessed this workplace as having adequate systems in place to correctly identify and notify incidents to Comcare, but noted some procedural and advisory matters as requiring attention. These have been addressed.

Comcare also conducted investigations of the Curtin and Port Hedland Immigration Reception and Processing Centres on 4 April and 11 May 2001.

The report of the Curtin investigation recommended that the department put in place an effective system to ensure all prescribed incidents under Section 68 of the OHS Act are notified to Comcare in a timely manner. A reporting system is being put in place in detention facilities to address this recommendation.

The report of the Port Hedland investigation had not been received at 30 June 2001.

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