Safe at work committees

Effective consultation is critical in the effective management of Work Health and Safety (WHS). There are both formal and informal consultation mechanism at UOW.  Informal mechanisms include:

• Team meetings
• Emails
• Discussions with your supervisor
• Newsletters

Your supervisor should be the first contact person for reporting any health and safety incidents, hazards or issues. In addition, all workers are encouraged to report any health and safety incidents, hazards or concerns in the workplace using UOW’s online reporting system.

 The University has a 3 tier Formal consultation structure which is outlined below:

• Tier 1: WHS committee which is responsible for resolving and communicating about university wide WHS issues.
• Tier 2: Safe at Work committees (SWC)  or Safe at Work representative (SWR) which are responsible for resolving and communicating about Division or Faculty wide WHS issues. Any issues that can not be resolved at this level can be passed onto the Tier 1 committee.
• Tier 3: School or unit committees which are responsible for resolving and communicating about local WHS issues. Any issues that can not be resolved at the level can be passed on to the Tier 2 committee.

The WHS committee is responsible for resolving and communicating about university wide WHS issues and has both employee and employer representatives. Key roles of the committee are to:

• provide a forum that will allow consultation and discussion between management and employees at the University to aid in achieving a safe workplace
• advise the University on effective ways to ensure the health and safety of staff, students, visitors and contractors
• encourage all staff, students and contractors to work together to establish a safe and healthy working environment, and
• enable all persons employed by the University of Wollongong and persons covered by legislation to be able to refer matters to the Committee for advice and assistance

Safe at Work Committees are responsible for resolving and communicating about Division or Faculty wide WHS issues and have representation form students, employee's and management. Any issues that can not be resolved at this level can be passed onto the WHS Committee. They are also responsible for assisting with regular workplace inspections and ensuring staff and students receive the appropriate training and inductions.

In some cases, the utilisation of a Safe at Work Representative to act as a formal consultation mechanism for WHS matters may be preferred instead of establishing a Safe at Work Committee especially for small or low risk areas.  Safe at Work Representatives act as a point of contact to assist with resolving and communication about Division or Faculty wide WHS issues. Any issues that can not be resolved at this level can be passed onto the WHS Committee. For more information about the role and responsibilities of a SWR see the Terms of Reference for SWR's.

School or unit safety committees are responsible for resolving and communication about local WHS issues. Any issues that can not be resolved at this level can be passed on to the areas Safe at Work Committee. They are also responsible for assisting with regular workplace inspections and ensuring staff and students receive the appropriate training and inductions.