Work Health and Safety Policy

Purpose. This policy sets out Ironbark Engineering's commitment to the health and safety of everyone who works at or visits its workshops and customer sites, and the responsibilities that flow from it.

1.Purpose

Ironbark Engineering carries out fabrication, machining and field maintenance work that involves hot work, heavy lifting, rotating plant, hazardous substances and work at customer sites. The company will provide and maintain a working environment that is safe and without risk to health so far as is reasonably practicable. This policy applies to all workers, apprentices, labour hire personnel, contractors and visitors at every site where the company works.

2.Legal framework

The company must comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 in Victoria and the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 in Queensland, the regulations under each Act and the codes of practice for welding processes, plant, hazardous manual tasks, confined spaces and managing the risk of falls. Where a customer site operates under its own safety management system, Ironbark workers must comply with that system in addition to this policy.

3.Commitments

The company will identify hazards, assess risks and apply controls in the order of the hierarchy of control, with elimination and engineering controls preferred over administrative controls and personal protective equipment. It will consult workers on safety matters through toolbox talks and the health and safety committee and will provide the training, supervision and equipment needed to work safely.

• Every task will be covered by a job safety analysis or a written safe work procedure
• Hot work, isolation, confined space and crane operations will be controlled by permits
• Incidents, injuries and hazards will be reported within the shift and investigated
• Health monitoring will be provided for workers exposed to welding fume and noise
• Safety performance will be reviewed monthly by the leadership team

4.Responsibilities

The General Manager is accountable for the resources and leadership needed to meet this policy. Supervisors must ensure that work under their control is planned, permitted and carried out to the documented procedures and must stop work that is unsafe. Every worker must follow procedures, use the controls provided, report hazards and incidents, and look after their own safety and that of others.

• General Manager: resources, leadership, monthly performance review
• Quality and Safety Manager: system, investigations, audits, training records
• Supervisors: planning, permits, supervision, stopping unsafe work
• Workers: follow procedures, report, participate in consultation

5.Consultation and issue resolution

Workers will be consulted before changes to plant, processes or procedures that affect their safety. Safety issues raised by any worker must be acknowledged by the supervisor on the day and resolved or escalated to the Quality and Safety Manager within two working days. The health and safety committee will meet every second month and its minutes will be posted on the notice board.

6.Review

This policy will be reviewed annually by the General Manager and the Quality and Safety Manager, or earlier after a serious incident, a change in legislation or a significant change to operations. The current version is held in the document library and any printed copy is uncontrolled.