WorkSafe is working with persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs), workers and worker representatives to set up and maintain safe systems of work so that workers are not exposed to hazards. Work with us to set priorities so that our joint efforts make the greatest possible impact on workplace deaths and lost time injuries.
Approach and business strategy
WorkSafe’s collaborative approach with industry, PCBUs and the workforce is focused on:
- influencing the commercial environment in Western Australia to ensure the achievement of the best safety and health outcomes in the workplace
- empowering business and community partners to lead in the reduction of workplace hazards and associated risks to health
- developing a modern, world class regulatory environment
- enforcing the law
- strengthening organisational capacity to assist business operators and workers to manage work health and safety including providing for fair and effective workplace representation, consultation, cooperation and issue resolution in relation to work health and safety.
Setting priorities
To ensure that our preventive work has the greatest possible impact, we have identified priority areas (areas of focus) that we target through inspection programs. The following priority areas are applicable to general industry and have been shown to result in high rates of injury or a higher-than-average number of deaths:
- mobile plant
- psychosocial hazards (which can lead to physical symptoms)
- manual tasks
- electricity
- working at height
- slips, trips and falls
- hazardous substances
- machine guarding.
These priorities change over time and so new areas and issues may need to be added. This is particularly relevant with advances in technology and will result in new work practices being adopted and new information on workplace risks becoming available. We are also confident that some problems will be substantially reduced so that they may no longer be considered a priority.