It is important to remember that the duty of care requires your SLSC/service to provide a safe and healthy workplace and not just to comply with the existing regulations or mandatory standards.
Below are a few examples of your SLSC’s responsibilities:
- Consulting with workers, volunteers and other relevant bodies
- Exercising due diligence by keeping up to date on WHS matters
- Having a primary duty of care to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers, including volunteers and all other third parties at the workplace
- Maintaining places of work under their control in a safe condition and ensuring safe entrances and exits
- Making arrangements for ensuring the safe use, handling, storage and transport of equipment and substances
- Reporting serious WHS incidents to their state/territory WHS regulator within required time frames (i.e., SafeWork and maritime [for on-water vessel-related injuries])
- Providing adequate facilities for the welfare of workers/volunteers
- Providing and maintaining systems of work and working environments that are safe and without risks to health
- Providing gym inductions as per the latest SLSA Guidelines for Safer Surf Clubs led by an instructor with a minimum qualification level of Certificate III in Fitness (or equivalent providing information, instruction, training and supervision necessary to ensure the health and safety of everyone
- Recording all incidents in the SLSA report logbook and on the incident reporting database (IRD)
- Resolving WHS issues promptly.
As an SLSC officer, you can help the SLSC make all members aware of the relevant WHS legislation and that their responsibilities include:
- Displaying a summary of the legislation in the SLSC where all members can see it
- Ensuring that members receive induction training that includes awareness of the health and safety legislation and their duties to health and safety
- Making WHS resources easily available and known to members
- Spending some time in your management committee meetings highlighting and discussing key points within the acts, regulations and codes of practice relevant to your SLSC.
The following table provides an overview of SLSC stakeholder responsibilities:
