Anyone who owns a business, even sole traders and sub-contractors, are required by law to ensure the health, welfare and safety of all workers, volunteers, the general public, and other visitors to their business premises or workplace.
In brief, the technical requirements of safety compliance include:
- Identifying hazards and assessing their associated risk levels within the work environment;
- Implementing safe systems of work;
- Ensuring safe use of plant, structures and substances;
- Emergency Management preparedness – developing and implementing emergency plans and systems;
- Providing adequate facilities for the health and welfare of workers;
- Identifying, preventing and/or managing psychosocial risks for workers;
- Notification and recording of workplace incidents.
Business owners must meet their legal obligations, so far as reasonably practicable, under either the Work Health and Safety legislation in NSW, QLD, ACT, SA, WA and TAS, or the Occupational Health and Safety legislation in VIC.
To enable any business to work towards compliance under safety legislation, which is especially important for start-up businesses, it’s a requirement for the business owner to demonstrate that they have basic understanding of their duties and obligations regarding safety and they must have a Safety Management System in place which is appropriate and effective for their workplace.
As a business owner facing the day-to-day pressures of running a business, the thought of having systems in place to manage health, welfare and safety can seem overwhelming. However, managing health, welfare and safety and Return to Work (if you have employees) does not need to be difficult.
Having a proactive attitude towards the safety of your workers, contractors, customers, and the general public is an important first step. Workplace Safety should not be seen as an additional cost to your business – it’s part of your business. It’s always far better to deal with health, welfare and safety issues before they escalate. Though it may cost to implement safe practices, educate your staff in safety management and install safety equipment in the first instance, the personal cost, business cost and long-term ramifications of not taking action can be massive.
Better health and safety outcomes in the workplace also improve your bottom line and help make your business more productive and successful.
It’s simple ……….. SAFE BUSINESS IS GOOD BUSINESS.
So, if you’re about to start a new business venture, including a new Self Storage facility, contact the friendly and experienced staff at Safety Makers!
The Safety Makers team includes a qualified, professional WHS Lead Consultant with over 12 years of specialist experience in the self-storage industry.
Safety Makers is an official partner of Self Storage Startup.
Find out more about our official partners here.
