Australian WHS Strategy 2023–2033

Australian Work Health and Safety (WHS) Strategy 2023–2033

I received a media release from the Australian Institute of Health & Safety that would be of interest to CSG members -about their endorsement of Safe Work Australia's 10-year WHS Strategy. Here is their statement:

aihsToo many Australians each year die or become seriously injured or ill due to work; this is unacceptable and preventable. The Australian Institute of Health and Safety (AIHS) endorses the vision of safe and healthy work for all Australians in the new Australian Work Health and Safety (WHS) Strategy 2023–2033.

We believe that every Australian, whatever their job, whether in rural workplaces or cities, has the right to healthy and safe work. As the peak national body for the health and safety profession, we commit to supporting the vision of the new Strategy.

“It may be a small note in the purpose and scope, but the recognition that this strategy should also contribute to the work and understanding of all in the WHS system including researchers, experts and practitioners who play a role in owning, contributing to, and realising the national vision is an important reminder of the critical role of our profession”, says Naomi Kemp, AIHS Chair.

Each and every day, our members provide evidence-based and practical advice to organisational leaders on health and safety matters so they can prevent work-related psychological and physical harm to their workers and meet their duties under work health and safety legislation.

Alongside Safe Work Australia, its members, and this new strategy, the AIHS will:

  • Uphold standards for WHS education and training to enable good WHS practice, based on the OHS Body of Knowledge.
  • Drive informed collaboration as the independent experts sitting between unions and employer organisations to respond to WHS challenges effectively.
  • Promote and showcase innovation and exemplary WHS practices that prevent work-related psychological and physical harm.
  • Build an effective WHS workforce by promoting the career path and ensuring professional and ethical standards.
  • Raise the capability and credibility of the profession through certification to assure employers and governments of the quality of advice needed to save lives in our workplaces.
  • Support Australian researchers to provide employers and governments with evidence regarding current and emerging risks to deepen knowledge and broaden understanding.
  • Shape contemporary policy and practice by providing regulators with the evidence base beyond the WHS system to inform policy and regulation.

 

Following the release of the new Strategy, the AIHS will be releasing its new Strategic Plan - Vision 2026 which will provide more detail. “The AIHS looks forward over the next decade to continuing our commitment to healthier, safer workplaces and communities,” Ms Kemp said.

To view the complete strategy, click here.

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July 2022 Presentation: Return to Work – What research is telling us

Presentation & Full Event Video Now Available
CSG Event: July 2022
Speaker: 
Dr Carys Chan, Research Fellow, Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing, Griffith University
 
Check out the latest presentation from our July 2022 event, along with the full event video, now available to members.
 

Return to Work – What research is telling us

This was a fascinating presentation, in which Dr Carys Chan was able to take us through some very detailed research in a really accessible manner.

Carys is one of the authors of a paper commissioned by Safe Work Australia and published last year, entitled "Response To Injury: Research to support workers’ psychological responses to injury and successful return to work". It is an 88-page report that gathers research from the past decade, and Carys was able to give us a concise summary of the main findings and recommendations that certainly piqued the interest of all present.

It is good to know that Australia is doing reasonably well in this area compared with the rest of the world though, of course, there is still room for improvement. Carys explained how a multi-disciplinary approach is the most impactful in achieving success. She also spoke about enhancers to return to work, such as removing the stigma of disability and ensuring role clarification.

Other enhancers include characteristics of the person themselves, one of which is education. I was intrigued by this and followed it up with Carys during question time. I wanted to know if that meant a person's level of education or rather how much they have been educated in the RTW process. Carys said it was actually the former: the higher the level of education, the better the RTW outcome. As an example, someone who has learnt that failure is a part of success will have a more positive approach. I thought that was a really valuable message.

If you would like to read the whole research paper, click here.

 View Presentation & Full Event Video
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