Steps to a healthy workplace

Identify - Eliminate - Isolate - Minimise - Train

Identify

Your employer should systematically identify all hazards in your place of work. You should be told about all the hazards you might be exposed to at work, or hazards that you might create while at work.

Eliminate

Once hazards have been identified, employers must take all possible steps to eliminate significant hazards from the workplace.

For example: Replacing a fraying electrical cord

Fixing a broken ladder

Isolate

Sometimes it is not possible to eliminate all significant hazards from the workplace. In this case they must be isolated by your employer. This means separating you from the hazard.

For example: Putting noisy machinery in a separate room

If a floor is slippery putting warning signs in place until it is fixed.

Minimise

Sometimes it may not be possible for your employer to eliminate or isolate a hazard. Hazards that can't be eliminated or isolated have to be minimised as much as possible.

For example wearing earmuff will minimise the risk of damaging your hearing.

Train

The law says your employer has a duty to provide training so you can do your job safely.

This means your employer must:

• Tell and show you any hazards you will be exposed to in your job and how to avoid being injured by them.
• Show you how to minimise your exposure to hazards.
• Ensure that you have the skills and experience to do the job.
• Show you what to do in an emergency. For example: How to switch off machinery in an emergency; The location of fire exits and how to exit safely in an emergency; Where fire extinguishers and other safety equipment is stored.
• Make sure you are properly supervised when doing your job.