WHS is the employer’s responsibility – but they need to know!
Under the Work Health and Safety Act 2012 in South Australia it is the employer’s responsibility to provide a workplace free from risk to health.
It is extremely important for ALL employees to report ALL hazards, near misses and injuries no matter how ‘small’ they may seem.
This includes reporting psychosocial hazards and injuries to your mental health and well-being which are often over-represented in education settings. These hazards and injuries are particularly prevalent when associated with student behaviour.
Where there has been a risk to health and safety and/or actual physical or psychological injury, notification using an incident form must follow.
There continues to be a concerning trend in schools that members are unaware of how and when they should be reporting incidents. If you are unsure ask your elected Work Health and Safety (WHS) representative. If your school doesn’t have an elected Health and Safety Representative (HSR), contact your IEU Organiser and they will assist the Sub-Branch with the process of electing a HSR.
How to report injuries in Catholic schools or worksites
The Catholic Safety Health & Welfare’s (CSHW SA) own flow chart states that incidents/injuries are to be reported in the database within 24 hours and that investigations commence within 48 hours.
This is a guideline – you can report at a later date – but we recommend you report it as soon as practicable to the date of the actual injury.
You should report ALL incidents to the employer via their online Catholic Safety and Injury Management website—NOT through SEQTA or any other internal school process.
You can access the Catholic Safety & Injury Management website here: https://cshwsa.org.au
To access the online report form, click on the link ‘Report Hazard/Incident’ – https://www.incidentreporting.com.au/ReportIncident.aspx
We recommend including your IEU Organiser to the distribution list of people involved in the follow up of the incident to ensure you have independent assistance if needed.
Do not use SEQTA for hazard or injury reports.
Members have indicated that some Catholic staff are being told to record incidents in SEQTA and to not report using the incident reports. This is not the correct advice. You must use the CSHW SA website online form as noted above.
Schools and work sites not in the Catholic Sector
Schools in other sectors have similar requirements but will use their own forms, hard copy or online.
It is very important to keep a copy or screen shot of your report and speak to your elected WHS representative.
If you or someone else is ever dissuaded from completing and lodging an incident report, then this is a serious breach of your rights and obligations to identify a hazard in your workplace (under the Workplace Health and Safety Act 2012).
For further information or advice, contact your IEU Organiser – 8410 0122 or enquiries@ieusa.org.au
