At our Owners Corporation Workshop on Wednesday 20 March 2013, Employment Law Associate, Martin Bower, discussed the OH&S issues that face an Owners Corporation, in particular highlighting their responsibilities towards employees vs contractors.
Below are the notes that he provided at the workshop:
Practical tips for Owners Corporation managers for dealing with OH&S issues
- IDENTIFY HAZARDS — make sure that you have done a thorough inspection of your property, and have identified all hazards. You can’t deal with what you don’t know about.
- KEEP A RECORD — make sure that you record all hazards, and that the OC committee is aware of these also. OH&S should be a line item in your management report, and dealt with at each AGM. You are required to keep a register of all injuries and near misses on your property.
- PROPOSE SOLUTIONS — the legislation requires that you take ‘reasonably practicable steps’ to eliminate or minimise hazards. Think laterally about how to deal with identified hazards. The costs of failing to deal with a problem may outweigh the costs of rectification is a claim is made.
- FORMALISE ARRANGEMENTS WITH CONTRACTORS — ensure that you have written agreements with contractors that require them to comply with any site specific safety requirements, and that they will work in a safe manner.
- INSURANCE — ensure that you are properly covered by workers’ compensation insurance, and that any contractors engaged are covered (if required).
More information
For more information, please contact our Employment and Workplace Relations team on (03) 8600 8888.
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