Safety boost thanks to Alliance campaign

Tuesday, 31 July 2012

As part of its ongoing campaign for better workplace safety, the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance has signed a protocol agreement with WorkCover [NSW] ensuring members will have their workplace safety issues dealt with quickly, without delay or hindrance.

Mal Tulloch, director – entertainment with the Alliance’s Crew and Sport Section signed the agreement on behalf of Alliance federal secretary Christopher Warren, together with WorkCover’s team leaders Les Blake (representing the Retail, Wholesale, Consumer and Business Services Team), Laurence Richey (Regional Service Delivery North) and Bill McColl (Regional Service Delivery North).

The new protocol will assist the Alliance to work with WorkCover to achieve improvements in safety within the media, entertainment and arts industries.

All workers are entitled to a safe workplace and to go home to their families every night without being killed or maimed at work. This new agreement ensures Alliance members through their Union will be able to seek WorkCover  assistance when employers don’t take action to rectify any dangers seriously.

The Alliance will continue to lodge all notifiable incidents, work related injuries or illnesses; as defined in the Work Health & Safety Act and Regulation by telephone to WorkCover’s toll free number 13 10 50, ensuring all notifications from across NSW are received, triaged and referred to the appropriate business units within WorkCover for action.

WorkCover team manager Les Blake said, “This protocol is intended to provide timely and legitimate support to help work health and safety representatives health and safety issues in the workplace.”

The arrangement is part of the significant new work health and safety (WHS) laws that replaced the occupational health and safety (OHS) laws in NSW on 1 January 2012.

These new laws will provide greater consistency, certainty and clarity across Australia making it easier to understand your workplace health and safety duties.

The new laws also enables businesses and volunteer organisations that operate over several states to initiate nationwide safety policies and procedures.

This Alliance initiative is part of the “United we Stand, no compromise on safety”campaign that is empowering our members to take action on safety in their workplace.