An OHS Policy is simply a method of stating how you, your employees, contractors and

visitors are expected to behave when they are on Company property or performing
Company related activities. As an employer or responsible contractor, you are required
by law to provide a safe system of work. This means you need a method of
communicating, duplicating and implementing a safe way of working. The basis for this
process begins with your Occupational Health and Safety Policies.
OHS Policies should be developed in consultation with workers and provide a clear
statement about the companys commitment to managing OHS risks in the workplace.
Good Policy development is flexible enough to accommodate all work activities, and yet
balances a healthy commitment to finding the safest methods for working.
All employees should sign and have the opportunity to understand and agree to all
company OHS Policies as part of the company induction. The contents of an OHS
Policy Manual should be written to meet AS/NZS 4801, OHSAS 18001 and OHS
Legislation in all States
An OHS Policy Manual would typically include; Occupational Health and Safety, Antidiscrimination and Equal Employment Opportunity, Chemical Management, Drugs and
Alcohol, Environmental Policy, First Aid Policy, Incident Reporting, Internet and E-mail
Usage, Manual Handling, Personal Protective Equipment, Privacy, Purchasing Policy,
Return to Work Policy, Smoke Free Workplace, Stress and Fatigue Policy and more.
A safety data sheet (SDS), previously called a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), is
a document that provides information on the properties of hazardous chemicals, how
they affect health and safety in the workplace and on how to manage the hazardous
chemicals in the workplace. For example it includes information on the identity, health
and physicochemical hazards, safe handling and storage, emergency procedures and
disposal considerations.
An SDS is an important tool for eliminating or minimising the risks associated with the
use of hazardous chemicals in workplaces.
Regulation 330, Schedule 7: A safety data sheet for a hazardous chemical must state
the following information about the chemical:
Section 1 - Identification: Product identifier and chemical identity
Section 2 Hazard(s) identification
Section 3 - Composition and information on ingredients
Section 4 - First-aid measures
Section 5 - Fire-fighting measures

Section 6 - Accidental release measures

Section 7 - Handling and storage, including how the chemical may be safely used
Section 8 - Exposure controls and personal protection
Section 9 - Physical and chemical properties
Section 10 - Stability and reactivity
Section 11 - Toxicological information
Section 12 - Ecological information
Section 13 - Disposal considerations
Section 14 - Transport information
Section 15 - Regulatory information
Section 16 - Any other relevant information
A person conducting a business or undertaking must ensure the current SDS is readily
accessible to workers who use the hazardous chemical at the workplace and an
emergency service worker, or anyone else, who is likely to be exposed to the
hazardous chemical
Manufacturers and importers of hazardous chemicals have duties under the WHS
Regulations to provide current information about the hazardous chemical in the form of
an SDS. These duties are summarised below.

the Standard for the Uniform Scheduling of Medicines and Poisons (SUSMP)
established under the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 (Commonwealth) (as amended). If
so, list the relevant Poisons Schedule number

any applicable prohibition or notification/licensing requirements, including for

carcinogens under Commonwealth, State or Territory legislation

the Industrial Chemicals (Notification and Assessment) Act 1989

(Commonwealth), including listing on the Australian Inventory of Chemical Substances
(AICS), any condition of use associated with the listing on the AICS and/or whether any
Typically OHS Inductions are conducted either as a one on one basis, or as a small
group for larger companies. Often a video is used to provided a consistent message
accompanied by a workbook or questionairre. OHS Inductions for smaller companies
generally involve the Manager taking a new employee through the OHS aspects of the
company and how they relate to the role of that worker.

Workers or Contractors can complete an Online OHS Induction before even arriving at
the worksite. By following a web link, they can complete training, questionnaires and
even simulated scenarios to test their knowledge and provide employers with a record
of what has been learnt.
These hazards are inherent in this situation
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

Threat of fire as the chemicals are inflammable.

the risk of leakage during shipping and delivery when supplying to the customers.
risk to children and elders in neighborhood
risk to waste contractor as chemicals are dangerous even in small amount.
untrained staff and limited emergency equipment and no information on
emergency plan displayed.
6) Old infrastructure which need to renovate the place according to new legislative
policies and procedures
7) Risk to all employees while crossing the busy intersection which has more
probability of accidents as projected from number of past incident happened on
the intersection.
8) Risk of fire which can ignites from road accident at the intersection near to the
company due to flammable chemicals in the factory.
9) strong smell of chemical also pollutes the surrounded area and neighborhood got
effected too.
10)Hazardous chemicals that are corrosive to metals can cause damage to plant
and equipment, such as containers, pipes, fixtures and fittings. Corrosion can
lead to leaks or complete failure and loss of containment of the chemical,
resulting in serious damage to property, exposure of workers to the hazardous
chemicals and potential injury and death.
11) Chemicals like acid and corrosives spill on the workers during the filing the small
retail size containers from the big drums.
There are several tools which can be used to assess risk in this case
Likelihood and probability:
This is an estimate of how likely it is that a hazard will lead to harm such as an injury or
disease. This likelihood might range from almost certain to extremely remote depending
on the nature of the hazard, the exposure or the work process. An important aspect to
consider when estimating likelihood is the frequency and duration of exposure of
workers to the hazard. This can range from infrequent to continuous. Frequency of
exposure is the proportion of a workers working hours during which they are exposed to
a particular hazard.

Cause and effect

The fishbone diagram is a tool which can be used in this case. It is used to identifying
and presenting the possible causes of a particular risk in visual format. It is a systematic
and visual approach with the input for the diagram usually coming from discussion
session. It enables a team or group to focus on why the hazard occurs and on the
history or symptoms of the problem, or other topics that can cause a group to digress
from the discussion. The diagram resembles a fishbone in its construction. It has a box
the fish head that contains the statement of the problem at one end. From this box
originates the fish spine or the main branch of the diagram. Sticking out of the spine are
the bones where major causes are organized. Minor causes are placed along these
bones.
Risk
Causes
old infrastructure,

Corrosive chemicals, no training

Death, fire
Broken
bones, skin
burns

No induction, Fire, spills smell etc, no safety equipments

Fish bone diagram for risk assessment

Hierarchy of control
There are a number of ways to control the risks associated with hazardous chemicals.
Some control measures are more effective than others. Control measures can be
ranked from the highest level of protection and reliability to the lowest. This ranking is
known the hierarchy of control.
You must always aim to eliminate a hazard and associated risk first. If this is not
reasonably practicable, the risk must be minimized by using one or more of the
following approaches:
Substitution, Isolation, Implementing engineering controls. If a risk then remains, it must
be minimized by implementing administrative controls, so far as is reasonably
practicable. Any remaining risk must be minimised with suitable personal protective
equipment (PPE).
ELIMINATING THE HAZARD
This means removing the hazard or hazardous work practice from the workplace. This
is the most effective control measure and must always be considered before other
control measures. For example, not using a hazardous chemical or eliminating
exposure by: Ordering the small size containers instead of big barrels.

SUBSTITUTION
Substitution is the replacement of a hazardous chemical with a chemical that is less
hazardous and presents lower risks, for example:
substituting a highly flammable liquid with one that is less flammable or combustible,
using hazardous chemicals with a single hazard class rather than those with multiple
hazards or less hazardous chemicals using diluted acids and alkalis rather than
concentrates.
ISOLATION
Isolation involves separating people from the chemicals or hazards by distance or
barriers to prevent or minimize exposure. Examples of isolation include:
solating operations in one room with access restricted to properly protected personnel,
Isolate chemicals from other chemicals Hazardous chemicals should be physically
separated from any chemicals or other things that may be incompatible. This is
achieved by distance, barriers, or a combination of both barriers and distance.
ENGINEERING CONTROLS
Engineering controls are physical in nature, including mechanical devices or processes
that eliminate or minimize the generation of chemicals, suppress or contain chemicals,
or limit the area of contamination in the event of spills and leaks. They often involve
partial enclosure, use of exhaust ventilation or automation of processes. Examples of
engineering controls include:
Using intrinsically safe electrical equipment in hazardous areas, using robots to
minimize operator exposure, for example, Mechanical ventilation Inlet and outlet vents
located on opposite sides of the storage area at low levels provide airflow across the
floor.
ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROLS
Administrative controls should only be considered when other higher order control
measures are not practicable, or to supplement other control measures. For acids,
administrative controls should only be used to provide additional protection.
Examples:
1) written policies and work procedures (for example safe work method statements)
reducing the number of workers exposed to the chemical (for example by
performing the task out of normal work hours or by restricting worker access to
certain areas),
2) reducing the duration and/or frequency of workers exposure through specific
work procedures (for example, job rotation),

3) reducing quantities of hazardous chemicals through inventory reduction this

may include just in time ordering and prompt disposal of hazardous chemicals
that are no longer required
4) implementing procedures where only staff who are involved in the use, handling,
storage or generation of hazardous chemicals are allowed access to high risk
areas where there may be a greater risk of exposure,
5) safe work practices, including good housekeeping, including regular cleaning of
work areas changing packaging material to minimize exposure during handling
6) keeping containers of hazardous chemicals tightly closed when not in use, up
spills immediately,
7) prompt cleaning of residues from empty containers that have held hazardous
chemicals
8) prohibiting eating, drinking and smoking in potentially contaminated areas
9) providing washing facilities for rinsing off chemicals (e.g. hand washing, safety
showers, laundering of clothes).
10)Training and supervision should always be provided to ensure administrative
controls are effectively implemented.
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE)
If personal protective equipment (PPE) is to be used at the workplace, the person
conducting the business or undertaking must ensure that the equipment is:
Selected to minimise risk to health and safety suitable for the nature of the work and
any hazard associated with the work , a suitable size and fit and reasonably comfortable
for the person wearing it , maintained, repaired or replaced so it continues to minimise
the risk used or worn by the worker, so far as is reasonably practicable.PPE includes
overalls, aprons, footwear, gloves, chemical resistant glasses, face shields and
respirators.
To conclude we can say, workplace health and safety (WHS) is an area concerned with
the safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment. The goals of
occupational safety and health programs include to foster a safe and healthy work
environment. OSH may also protect co-workers, family members, employers,
customers, and many others who might be affected by the workplace environment. The
main focus in occupational health is on three different objectives: (i) the maintenance
and promotion of workers health and working capacity; (ii) the improvement of working
environment and work to become conducive to safety and health and (iii) development
of work organizations and working cultures in a direction which supports health and
safety at work and in doing so also promotes a positive social climate and smooth
operation and may enhance productivity of the undertakings. Such a culture is reflected
in practice in the managerial systems, personnel policy, principles for participation,
training policies and quality management of the undertaking