Changes that have occurred in SafeWork SA

Many changes have occurred within the SafeWork SA program since the year that it was established. Most of the changes that have occurred have been in regard to restructuring of the program in order to make it more effective. When the program was created in the year 2009, it was only one system whose role was to ensure safety for employees in order to avoid workplace injuries. This system was later on in the year 2016 found to be insufficient and hence a division of the operational system into two equal operational units ‘the regulator’ and ‘the educator’ (SafeWork SA., 2019). The regulator unit is made up of industry teams and it is solely staffed by inspectors. The educator unit on the other hand contains a group of work health and safety consultants a well as a communications and community engagement team. This separation of compliance is significant because it helps the regulator to focus on ensuring that the laws are not getting breached and to ensure that in case of breach, correct enforcement action is taken (SafeWork SA., 2019). This system model allows the educators who are not necessarily inspectors to concentrate all their efforts on providing support to work places. This system model ensures that people receive practical support and advice on how to deal with legal work place safety issues.

Another change that has occurred is in regard to technology. The program has changed its operations by adopting the use of technology and doing away with paper work (Blewett & Dorrian, 2012). The internet and other technological advancement have greatly helped to ease operations in all sectors of the world. SafeWork SA is a program whose operations are conducted electronically making it very easy for every person to reach out to the program on any work place safety related issue.

The program has so far come up with different sections that relate to work place safety for instance; discrimination, bullying, diseases, air quality and heat exposure among many others (Blewett & Dorrian, 2012). These categories allow for every issue relation to work safety to get dealt with individually. These categories have made it very easy for the program to handle and deal with diverse work safety issues that employees deal with in a more distinctive manner. This has also made it much easier for the program to come up with distinctive legal acts that help deal with each work safety problem which has greatly helped eliminate the issue of generalization which at times is biased.

Limitations of SafeWork SA and guidelines to ensure its effectiveness

SafeWork SA has faced major challenges in trying to prove its worth in the Australian Society. Organizations for one always feel threatened by the existence of the program, in that it seeks to understand the safety measures that have been put in place by these organizations to ensure employees’ safe and fair work environment. SafeWork SA is a program that is largely devoid of a suite of coherent, logical and structured policies. Staff performance management within the program has over the years been absent.

 The program has had very poor understanding of its own risks and it has always operated in a toxic culture where there is a divide between the executives and the inspectors (Independent Commissioner Against Corruption., 2018). The practices, policies and the procedures that are expected to exist to help address the real risks of corruption, misconduct and the overall administration practices are missing. The program staffs are largely left to their own devices and the overall oversight of the program is poor. SafeWork has significantly suffered from continual change in regards to leadership and direction and this has greatly affected its output. It has been the subject of many reviews which has led to significant damage to its reputation (Independent Commissioner Against Corruption., 2018).  Staff discontent, a number of failed prosecutions and adverse comments on the program has negatively impacted n the program and overall staff morale. This is very unfortunate given that SafeWork SA is a program that is largely comprised of individuals that are passionate about the concept of work safety and have that genuine desire to reduce incidences of workplace injury.

In order for SafeWork SA to effectively carry out its role in the standards that are expected by the society, it is important that the program operates effectively and efficiently. The staff of the agency should be alive to the risks that they are prone to in their work and the policies as well as the procedures should be a model for other similar programs. The inspectors should have an excellent understanding of their field and be capable of addressing the broad range of issues that can arise (Independent Commissioner Against Corruption., 2018). Knowledge should be shared throughout the agency to ensure that its functions are discharged appropriately and the resources should be managed effectively to maximise the impacts of the agency.

Policies and procedures within SafeWork SA should operate within a documented framework which sets out the manner in which the policies are drafted, reviewed, approved and disseminated (Independent Commissioner Against Corruption., 2018). These policies as well as procedures should also be frequently reviewed to ensure that they remain relevant and promote efficiency of the program. The program should ensure that the staff adhere to the approved policies and procedures, the management should not in any way condone work around which abandon the program policies (Independent Commissioner Against Corruption., 2018).

Overall Effectiveness of SafeWork SA and Potential Future Directions

SafeWork SA has so far been effective in ensuring safe work place for employees all over South Australia. SafeWork SA main aim as a program is to ensure safety of employees at their work place, by working with employers as well as other labour agencies to provide work activities that minimise the impact on work time and commitments as well as family time (SafeWork SA., 2019).  The program has six work sites, five country locations and over 240 employees distributed all over the country which greatly help the program to expend its services to all individuals within Australia.  With its distributed work sites as well as its online operations, it has become very easy for every individual to be able to access their services, which has greatly enhanced its effectiveness.

The program has been effective in doing this by setting a good example for the labour sector where its workers get an input into the direction and type of activities that they see fit to help ensure safety at the work place. This is conducted through a survey that the program conducts every six months, the survey helps to gauge the health interests as well as health issues of workers in their various sectors that are important to them. Through this survey, SafeWork SA is able to understand the problems that their workers go through in various sectors and they are able to come up with effective plans to help deal with these issues (Blewett & Dorrian, 2012).  The information acquired from the survey helps to guide the program in making decisions on the well-being activities that are best suited for various groups of employees and this as greatly contributed to the effectiveness of the program.

SafeWork SA has had great success since its establishment, just eight years after the program was established, and it has successfully continued to update the tactical Work, Health and Safety (WHS) efforts of the labour force controllers, trade unions, governments and the various establishments. The program has guaranteed investor’s commitment to the vision of wellbeing, safe and industrious working lives as well as the recognized results and nation-wide objectives that have greatly impacted healthy working life for many in Australia (SafeWork SA., 2019). The country has so far witnessed a 30% decrease in the rate of employees’ work place injuries since the program was established which greatly illustrates the success of the program (SafeWork SA., 2019). Most stakeholders consider SafeWork SA as effective in fulfilling its purpose in ensuring safety for employees arguing that it has greatly helped improve employee output.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Blewett, V., & Dorrian, J. (2012). Partnering for workplace health and safety. Work, 41,

            2753–2756. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=71928539&site=ehost-live

Independent Commissioner Against Corruption. (2018). Evaluation of the Practices, Policies

and Procedures of SafeWork SA report. Retrieved from https://icac.sa.gov.au/evaluation/safework-sa/report

SafeWork SA. (2019, April 24). SafeWork SA. Retrieved from

            https://www.safework.sa.gov.au/