Occupational health and safety
What everyone needs to know
The NSW Occupation Health and Safety Act 1983 aims to protect the health, safety and welfare of people at work by laying down general requirements which must be met at every place of work in NSW.
The Act covers employees as well as employer and self-employed people.
Employees must:
- take reasonable care of the health and safety of others
- co-operate with employers in their efforts to comply with occupational health and safety requirements.
Employers must:
- act to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of their employees
- provide and maintain safe places of work, equipment and systems of work under the Act.
All persons must not:
- interfere with or misuse things provided for the health, safety or welfare of persons at work
- obstruct attempts to give aid or attempts to prevent a serious risk to the health and safety of a person at work
- refuse a reasonable request to assist in giving aid or preventing a risk to health and safety.
What managers need to know
Employers must act to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of their employees. They must:
- provide or maintain equipment and systems of work that are safe and without risk to health
- make arrangement for ensuring the safe use, handling, storage and transport of equipment and substances
- provide the information, instruction, training and supervision necessary to ensure the health and safety at work of employees
- maintain places of work under their control in a safe condition and provide and maintain safe entrances and exits
- make available adequate information about research and relevant tests of substances used at the place of work.
Note: This page adapted from information provided by WorkCover NSW http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au Nothing in this page shall be construed to waive or modify any obligations imposed by the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2001 or the associated legislation, or any regulations made under it.
