Serious About Safe Business Program

The Serious About Safe Business program is designed to help small businesses manage their health and safety risks and improve business outcomes.  The program is aimed at small businesses without well developed, existing health and safety systems 

Program components include:

• an introductory, industry specific, workshop covering how to assess your safety risks and how to take a systems-based approach to managing the safety risks associated with your business - the workshop will address:

  - management commitment to safety
  - consultation
  - developing and implementing safe work procedures
  - training and supervision of employees
  - reporting safety issues
  - workers' compensation and return to work programs

• the Serious About Safe Business Self-Assessment tool which provides businesses with a means of assessing their current level of safety compliance as well as accompanying guidance on how to lift safety performance to a higher level over six key result areas
   
• a follow-up site visit by a health and safety practitioner to help workshop participants apply the principles learned back in the workplace while at the same time developing a plan for improvement (this component alone is valued at over $400)

  The following comment was received from one of the 2008 workshop participants following their site visit:

  'I found your inspection to be a highly valuable experience that I would recommend to any business operator ... a fresh pair of eyes looking around the place - especially a highly-experienced, fresh pair of eyes - reveals many things that you tend not to notice being here every day.'
   

• ongoing support and advice from the ACT OHS Commissioner's Office throughout the duration of the program
   
• a Certificate of Achievement and window decal for those businesses progressing through to implementation of safety improvements. 

Cost:  $65

Workshop dates for 2009 are as follows:

• 12 February 2009
• 4 June 2009
• 4 August 2009
• 22 September 2009
• 29 October 2009
• 26 November 2009.

To register your interest in these workshops contact the OHS Commissioner's Office on 6205 0333 or by email to worksafety@act.gov.au.