The following frequently asked questions relate to occupational health and safety:
- What are my occupational health and safety responsibilities when employing a person with disability?
- How do I modify evacuation procedures for employees with disability?
The following checklists are also available to assist you with occupational health and safety issues:
What are my occupational health and safety responsibilities when employing a person with disability?
Your business benefits from a proactive approach to occupational health and safety. Better health and safety improves productivity, your business image and can save you the costs associated with a work related injury or illness.
As an employer you are probably already highly aware of the need to provide a safe and healthy workplace to protect your employees against potential health and safety risks. Your responsibilities toward employees with disability are really no different to your responsibilities toward all other employees.
Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) law in Australia has three sources:
Occupational Health and Safety law requires employers, employees, contractors and the self employed to ensure their own health and safety as well as the health and safety of others affected by their work activities.
Support for employers
JobAccess has been developed to support you through the process of ensuring a safe and healthy workplace. In meeting you responsibilities as an employer, you will need to ensure that all employees are covered by workers compensation insurance and, in the event of a workplace injury, must assist an injured employee return to work safely.
Australian Safety and Compensation Council
The Australian Safety and Compensation Council (ASCC) works with state and territory governments, employers and employees to prevent workplace death, injury and disease and to improve workers compensation arrangements and rehabilitation and return to work of injured workers. For more information on occupational health and safety visit their web site—see Related Links.
Small Business Occupational Health and Safety Advisers Program
The Small Business Occupational Health and Safety Advisers Program provides free workplace safety services for Australian small businesses and is open to all companies with less than 20 full time employees (or equivalent).
Consisting of safety seminars, on site assistance and telephone support, the program operates in all Australian states and territories and across all business sectors.
To get involved in the program, you can register your interest by visiting their web site—see Related Links.
State and Territory contacts
For information and advice about workplace safety and health in your state or territory, check the specific employer information and contact details below (please note that these links will take you to an external site in a new window).
Australian Capital Territory—ACT WorkCover
New South Wales—WorkCover NSW
Northern Territory—NT WorkSafe
Queensland—Queensland Government, Department of Employment and Industrial Relations
South Australia—WorkCover South Australia
Tasmania—WorkCover Tasmania
Victoria—Victorian WorkCover Authority
Western Australia—WorkSafe
How do I modify evacuation procedures for employees with disability?
Procedures for fire and other emergencies should always include provisions for the evacuation of people with disability and all employees should be made aware of the evacuation procedures in the workplace.
Essential steps for evacuation procedures
The following essential steps should be reviewed and incorporated into your evacuation procedures where appropriate:
- nominate a fire warden for each work area, that is, per floor in an office building, or a section of a warehouse or factory
- during an emergency, the fire warden should assign an appropriate person (a ‘buddy’) to assist each employee with a mobility impairment
- identify a refuge area for employees with reduced mobility (for example, fire isolated stairwells)
- the fire warden advises emergency personnel (that is, fire fighters and police) of the location of employees with reduced mobility in refuge areas
- conduct evacuation drills regularly, including practice for evacuating employees with disability
- clearly identify and show emergency exits by using illuminated exit signs
- clearly display emergency and evacuation procedures on appropriate signage.
Employees with disability
Fire wardens should be aware of any employees with mobility impairments in their work area.
A mobility impairment is a physical, psychological, intellectual or sensory impairment, either temporary or permanent, which results in a person requiring assistance during an emergency evacuation.
Suggestions on how to modify evacuation procedures so that they include employees with a range of mobility impairments are provided below. However, it is always best to discuss evaluation procedures with your employees as they will be the experts in any assistance, equipment and adjustments they will require.
Wheelchair users
- An evacuation strategy should be developed in consultation with the wheelchair user to take individual issues into account.
- It may be appropriate to advise local emergency personnel that there are wheelchair users in the workplace, particularly if they are located in high rise buildings.
- It is not recommended to lift a person out of their wheelchair and carry them.
- There should be adequate space within fire isolated stairwells for a wheelchair user to turn around. Fire isolated stairwells are protected from fire and smoke for up to two hours and can be a safe refuge area.
- Specialist evacuation chairs and other equipment are available for installation in business premises. For information see:
People who are Deaf or hard of hearing
- A flashing light alarm should be installed in work areas, including bathrooms.
- If no flashing alarm is installed, a co-worker should be assigned to assist a worker who is Deaf or hard of hearing.
People who have vision impairment
- Install tactile ground surface indicators (TGSIs) on the approach to fire stairs, which indicate a change in terrain for people who are blind or vision impaired (only five per cent of people with vision impairment have no sight at all).
- Brightly coloured step edges aid people with vision impairment and are recommended for use in fire stairwells.
Anxiety disorders or other mental illness
- Emergency situations can be particularly stressful for people with anxiety disorders or other mental illnesses.
- For people with disclosed anxiety disorders or mental illnesses, a ‘buddy’ should be assigned to assist them in the evacuation process.