OH&S Policies and Procedures

The University of Western Sydney is a complex organisation that operates in an environment of increasing legislative compliance requirements for occupational health and safety and rehabilitation.

In New South Wales, Occupational Health and Safety is regulated under two important pieces of legislation: the NSW Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000, and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 2001.

Penalties for non-compliance with this legislation can be very severe and can include the imposition of monetary fines, prison sentences and/or the imposition of penalty notices. The penalties vary in their severity and have in the past been imposed on both the employer and employees.

At the heart of the legislation is the fundamental requirement that the employer must take reasonable care of an employee and that 'due diligence' should be exercised in carrying out this obligation.

Due diligence requires that an employer take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances to protect the health, safety and welfare of all who work in, are contracted to and visit the employer.

In practice this requires every person who is involved in the management of a business (in the case of UWS the Board of Trustees, Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Vice-Chancellors, Deans, Heads of School, managers and supervisors) understanding and complying with their legal obligations as set out in the legislation.

This means that individual managers can be held legally accountable for the design, development, implementation and monitoring of a properly functioning and documented health and safety management system that is commensurate with the level of occupational risks posed by the work that is under their control.

An important component of the University’s health and safety management system is the provision of OH&S policy, procedures and guidelines.

The University expects all employees to be pro-active in the implementation of its OH&S policy, procedures and guidelines so that unnecessary legal, financial and personal costs can be avoided.

For all UWS OH&S documentation, please see Index to OH&S Information.