What’s happening?

FSU Health and Safety Reps in NAB, CBA and RBA have reviewed draft consultation guidelines developed by the Safety Commission, the body that regulates OHS in the Comcare system.

It is important that the final guidelines ensure members are effectively consulted on matters that impact on workplace health and safety.

Your FSU HSR’s have made the following recommendations to the Safety Commission.

FSU HSR’s recommend the guidelines should:

1. Identify what effective consultation with employees and HSR’s means. This definition should include recognition of the important role HSR’s perform and that of their employee representative, the FSU;
2. Enable all employees to genuinely participate in OHS consultation in the workplace. This means employees must be able to participate in such consultations during working hours without loss of pay or other detriment to their job;
3. Ensure all HSR’s are able to effectively fulfil their role, without loss of pay or other detriment to their job. HSR’s should know which employees are in their Designated Work Group (DWG) and employees should know who their HSR is. Measures should be developed which enable effective communication between employees and their HSR. HSR’s must also have timely access to training and their preference of training provider should be taken into account;
4. Ensure HSR’s are directly consulted on employer’s OHS action plans and are directly involved in the identification of both physical and psycho-social hazards;
5. Require that all employer OHS consultations are recorded;
6. Include reference to all OHS legislation and related requirements (this includes the licence conditions that apply to employers as self insurers in the Comcare scheme and includes NAB, CBA and RBA).

A copy of the proposed Safety Commission guidelines can be found on the FSU website www.fsunion.org.au in the Occupational Health and Safety Section.

If you would like to provide your feedback on the proposed guidelines, please contact your FSU HSR by cob 20 February, 2009.

Not sure who to contact? Call the Member Rights Centre on 1300 366 378 to get the help you need.