Work Health and Safety Consultation, Cooperation, and Coordination Policy and Procedure

[Name of Organization] 

Work Health and Safety Consultation, Cooperation, and Coordination Policy and Procedure  

Consultation is a legal requirement and a crucial part of managing health and safety risks. A person, who is conducting a business or undertaking it, should consult with workers, who carry out work for the business or undertaking, and who are directly or indirectly affected by the health and safety matter. The task is based on the concept that workers input and participation improves decision-making about health and safety matters and assists in reducing work-related diseases and injuries. So, you should consult with your contractors and sub-contractors and their workers, volunteers and other people, who are working for you, and are affected by a health and safety matter. Workers are entitled to take part in consultation arguments and to be represented in relation to work health and safety by a health and safety representative who has been elected to represent their work group. If workers are represented by a health and safety representative, consultative should involve that representative.   

This procedure outlines the definition of consultation, co-operation, and co-ordination, and how consultation with workers directly involved with the task, can benefit the work environment by lowering health and safety hazards and improving relationships. This approach recognises the ideal time of consultation, the manner of consultation, and whether it is needed to be documented or not.   

[YOUR COMPANY NAME]’s Code of Practice offers practical guidance to persons conducting a business or undertaking on how to effectively consult with workers, who carry out work for the business or undertaking and who are directly affected by a health and safety matter. It includes information on mechanisms to facilitate worker participation, as well as representation. It also provides guidance to duty holders, who share reasonability for the same work and safety matter on how to consult, co-operate and co-ordinate activities with each other.  

Consultation helps to make sure that everyone associated with the work has a shared understanding of the kind of risk, workers, who can be affected by these, and how the risks will be controlled. Exchange of information helps duty holders to work together to plan and manage health and safety. The consultation should include: 

Co-operation can involve implementing arrangements related to any agreements reached during a consultation with other duty holder and involve not acting in a way, which can compromise what they are doing for health and safety. It also means that if you are approached by other duty holders wanting to consult with you on a health and safety matter, you should: 

Co-ordination of activities needs duty holders to work together so that each person can meet their duty efficiently without leaving any gaps in health and safety protection. It is your duty to plan and organise activities together with the other duty holders. Moreover, you should also make sure that the measures you each put in place work efficiently together to control the risks. You should  

A safe workplace can be achieved easily when everyone involves in the work communicates with each other in order to identify hazards and risks, talks about health and safety concerns, and work together to find solutions. Consultation with workers helps to make a more informed decision. Effective health and safety consultation also has several benefits: 

In situations where you need to share responsibility for health and safety with other person, the need to consult, co-operate, and co-ordinate actions with other duty holders will help to deal with any gaps in managing health and safety risks, which often occur when: 

The WHS Act identifies specific matters that trigger the requirement for consultation. A person conducting a business or undertaking should consult with workers when: 

Consolation with workers can be undertaken in several ways. It does not always need to be a formal process and can be as simple as talking to them regularly, as well as considering their views when making health and safety decisions. Moreover, a consultation can be undertaken through health and safety representatives and health and safety committees. But the WHS Act does not require the establishment of these consultation mechanisms, unless: 

You should consult on health and safety matters so far as is reasonably practicable with workers who carry out work for you and who are directly affected. Consultation, which is ‘reasonably practicable’ is both possible and reasonable in the particular circumstances. What is reasonably practicable depends on several factors, including: 

You are not expected to do the impossible, but to take a sensible approach to consultation. Moreover, it is not always necessary to consult with ever worker of your workplace. The workers you consult with will be those who are, or could be, directly affected by the health and safety matter. Only workers on the affected level need to be consulted about the matter.  

Consultation with workers and other duty holders does not have to be documented unless it is needed under the WHS Regulations. But it is recommended to keep records to demonstrate compliance with consultation requirements. Records of consultation may also assist the risk management process and make disputes less likely. The records should include any outcomes of discussions. The records can be brief and simple, and should cover: 

The successful implementation and establishment of this policy is the responsibility of all employees of [YOUR COMPANY NAME]. The company will monitor and evaluate the implementation of this Policy and Procedures in a certain interval 

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