Occupational Health and Safety Legislation

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Recommended: • Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

OH&S legislation is the result of the vested interests of doctors and lawyers rather than genuine concern for employee health or management excellence'. Do you agree with this statement? Discuss. Executive Summary Occupational Health and Safety legislation is a crucial aspect to all workplaces to ensure employee safety. The legislation was created to protect employees, firstly in order to ensure ways to prevent workplace injury and secondly, that in case of injury the employee has guaranteed compensation. Occupation health and safety benefits both the workplace and the workers, and is the outcome of concerns regarding employee health and workplace risks, as well as management excellence and reducing workplace harm. It was not a result for the interests of doctors and lawyers. Essay Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) legislation are a set of rules that promote worker safety within a workplace. These rules are based around the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Work Safe Australia, 2014, p.1) which aim to improve workplace safety in Victoria, however these are regulated and applicable nationally. This act ensures that certain precautions are taken in work activities by both employers and employees to benefit both parties through the minimisation of health or harmful risks and ensure that management of the workplace operates with minimal complications. Each profession and workplace encourages and educates employees of OH&S procedures, and how to optimize personal safety. This creates a win-win situation, as the employees are ensured safety whilst the work place reduces the responsibility they have towards injured employees as well as the risk of employee injury. Occupation Health and Safety legislation is not for the... ... middle of paper ... ...ved from http://www.pc.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/96163/ohs-report.pdf Greenway, C. (2010). Occupational Health and Safety. Australian Pharmacist, 29(1), 41-43. Retrieved from http://search.informit.com.au/search;res=IELAPA;search=FTI=yes%20AND%20IS=0728-4632%20AND%20VRF=29%20AND%20IRF=1%20AND%20PY=2010%20AND%20PG=41 Safe Work Australia. (2012). Australian Work-Related Injury Experience by Sex and Age. Work-related Injuries. Retrieved from http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/swa/statistics/work-related-injuries/pages/work-related-injuries Quinlan, M. Bohle, P. & Lamm, F. (2010). Managing occupational health and safety. Palgrave Macmillan (2nd Edition) Australia. Work Safe Australia. (2014). Occupational Health and Safety. Laws and Regulations. Retrieved from http://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/laws-and-regulations/occupational-health-and-safety.

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