Blue Mountains City Council has entered into an Enforceable Undertaking (EU) with SafeWork NSW (SafeWork).
Under the EU the Council makes a number of legally binding commitments to SafeWork. Among other commitments, the Council has agreed to implement five strategies to benefit the Council's workplace (3), the local government sector (1) and the community (1).
The five work health and safety strategies to be delivered by Council are outlined below:
- Providing communications technology to field teams – to allow employees to electronically access registers, records, policies and safe operating procedures and to complete and submit forms such as risk assessments, hazard reports and incident reports.
- Implementing workplace training – including online workplace training programs about asbestos awareness, Workplace Health and Safety and fair and just culture.
- Implementing a People at Work Survey across Council’s workforce – based on the model made available by the Queensland Government.
- Delivering an asbestos management toolkit for NSW councils – to integrate into their own workplace systems and procedures, and
- Delivering a Public Education Campaign – addressing and providing guidance on the appropriate disposal of household and business waste, including general solid waste and bulky waste and the correct and safe disposal of asbestos and hazardous substance waste.
As part of the EU, Blue Mountains City Council has also committed to ensuring that, within 2 years, its existing Workplace Health and Safety Management System will comply, with the principles of AS/NZS 4801: 2001 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems.
An EU is legally enforceable. General information about enforceable undertakings is available at safework.nsw.gov.au.