NT WorkSafe has approved three new Codes of Practice for Northern Territory under the Work Health and Safety (National Uniform Legislation) Act 2011 (WHS Act).
Codes of Practice provides practical guidance for employers and other duty holders, including workers, on how to manage health and safety risks.
The three new approved Codes of Practice are:
- Managing risks of respirable crystalline silica in the workplace
- Healthcare and Social Assistance Industry, and
- Managing the risk of fatigue at work.
The following seven Codes of Practice have also been updated under the WHS Act:
- Confined spaces
- Construction work
- How to manage work health and safety risks
- Managing noise and preventing hearing loss at work
- Managing the risk of plant in the workplace
- Managing the work environment and facilities
- Safe design of structures
The Northern Territory’s Work Health and Safety Regulator, Grant Hastie encouraged employers to download and follow the codes relevant to their businesses.
“Approved Codes of Practice provide valuable practical guidance to assist businesses manage particular risks that apply at the workplace.”
“Where a risk exists at your workplace, review your work practices against the relevant code and address any identified gaps or deficiencies in risk control measures”, Mr Hastie said.
“Further, Codes can be used in court as evidence to show what is understood about a hazard and how to control it. Courts may use them to decide what actions are considered ‘reasonably practical’ in a situation.”
“So, following a Code of Practice can help employers and other duty holders meet their legal work health and safety obligations.”
Approved Codes of Practice can be downloaded from worksafe.nt.gov.au/codes-of-practice.
