In Australia today we have access to some of the best Work Health and Safety practices in the world. That has not always been the case. Just under 100 years ago people were subject to injuries or death at work on a regular basis. This was because there were no laws in place to protect them and their employers didn’t really care. People were living in fear of the machines they worked with. Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) Laws now ensure injuries, illness and death in the workplace are rare. Accidents do happen but we have measures in place to protect employees with compensation schemes and rehabilitation programs in place.
In 1956, a group of workers in Australia were lifting buckets of hot bitumen onto a roof. One worker was consequently subjected to injuries from a spill. The worker sued their employer and as a result the High Court determined that the employer had a responsibility “to take reasonable care to avoid exposing the employee to unnecessarily risk of injury” This case is the origin of the core of OHS legislation in Australia.
In 1972, a historical moment in Australian OH&S history occurred. The release of Robens Report into the country. This document reviewed OH&S practices in the UK and were comparable with Australian systems. The report was essentially an admission that what they had in place did not suffice in the prevention of industrial injury, illness and disease. Its purpose was to, above all, fill in the gaps in the system. Australia adopted the report into our OH&S in the 70’s and 80’s and today we still use the same style of practices. The incorporation of concepts from the 1987 Bruntland Report have also been used to fill in the gap for sustainability. From there, we have also had numerous improvements and revisions to continuously improve laws.
Our Commitment to OH&S
Here, at WDIS, we dedicate ourselves to the health and safety of all personnel. We have a commitment to providing the highest possible level of health, safety and quality across our business. As WDIS develops as a business we are continuously improving our systems and processes. We aim to incorporate the world’s best safety techniques to complete our day to day activities and implement systems for new operations and capabilities.
