Safe Work Australia released the Model Work Health and Safety Regulations and an Issues Paper, the first set of model codes and the Regulatory Impact Statement for public comment in December 2010. Public comment closes at 5pm on April 4, 2011.
The amount of material is huge, the time allowed for harmonising was short and consequently there are many problems in both the draft regulations and codes. If the regulations are adopted as currently written, there will be a significant reduction in health and safety standards; including a reduction in some democratic rights around the election of Health and Safety Reps and issue resolution. The protections for common risks (asbestos, noise, machinery etc) and basic standards e.g provision of drinking & dining facilities cannot be reduced.
The VTHC is preparing its submission, which is very detailed and very lengthy. When it is completed, it will be available on this website.
In the meantime, with the assistance of the AMWU, we have prepared a number of short submissions on individual chapters of the regulations. There are six available so far - a general one covering a number of sections and chapters of the regulations, and then some specific ones. These can be downloaded from the right hand side of this page.
They are in word format, and include the cover page that Safe Work Australia requires, some comment and space for your name etc. Amend the comment, add to it, send in one or more. Safe Work Australia prefers to receive comment via email. Remember to fill in the cover page (which will be the first page). More information on the public comment process is on the Safe Work Australia website.
Also for download is a postcard for you to send to the ACTU giving your support to ensure that OHS standards are maintained.
More information:
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Safe Work Australia Model regulations webpage - the model regulations, codes of practice, Issues paper and Regulatory Impact Statement can be downloaded from here. In addition, there's a page of Frequently Asked Questions.
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WorkSafe Victoria has prepared document to assist and provide a basis for discussion. The 80 page document is titled Initial Comparison of the draft model WHS Regulations with Victoria's OHS Regulations 2007 and can be downloaded from the WorkSafe website.