Wesley Mission policies
Work Health & Safety Policy
Wesley Mission’s vision is to
Do all the good you can, by all the means you can,
in all the ways you can, in all the places you can,
at all times you can, to all the people you can,
as long as ever you can.
Wesley Mission is committed to ensuring so far as reasonably practicable the health and safety of our workers and others in our workplaces. We will achieve this by:
- providing and maintaining a working environment without risks to health and safety
- providing and maintaining safe plant, structures,
- providing and maintaining safe systems of work
- the safe use, handling and storing plant, structures and substances
- providing adequate facilities for the welfare of our workers, and ensuring access to those facilities
- providing information, training, instruction and supervision that is necessary to protect all persons from risks to their health and safety
- ensuring the health of our workers and the conditions of our workplaces are monitored to prevent injury and illness
These commitments require the active participation of all Wesley Mission workers.
Wesley Mission’s Senior Leadership Team shall:
- provide the necessary resources, direction and leadership to implement the objectives of this policy
- acquire and maintain an up-to-date knowledge of the health and safety risks associated with Wesley Mission operations
- provide the necessary resources and processes to eliminate or minimise risks to health and safety from Wesley Mission operations, including processes for receiving and considering information regarding incidents, hazards and risks, and for responding in a timely way to that information
- establish health and safety objectives for their Departments, and be accountable for the health and safety performance of their Departments
- foster continuous improvement in health and safety performance by integrating work health and safety risk management principles into operational and strategic decision-making processes
Each of our Managers and Coordinators shall:
- establish and maintain safe and healthy workplaces, safe systems of work, and ensure equipment and substances are safely used
- identify, assess and control hazards in our workplaces and arising from our work activities
- consult with workers to enable them to effectively contribute to the making of decisions affecting their health, safety and welfare at work
- provide instruction, training, information and supervision to ensure the health and safety of workers
Each Wesley Mission Worker shall:
- take reasonable care for their own health and safety
- take reasonable care that their acts and omissions do not adversely affect the health and safety of others
- comply with any reasonable instruction to ensure Wesley Mission meets its work health and safety obligations
- work in accordance with established safe systems of work, including undertaking training as necessary to ensure their health and safety
- promptly report all hazards, incidents and injuries
- contribute to consultative arrangements for health and safety
Wesley Mission has developed a work health and safety programme to help implement the objectives of this policy. All workers and others are required to comply with this policy, Wesley Mission’s work health and safety programme, and relevant work health and safety legislation, codes of practice and standards.
Return to Work Policy and Program
Policy
Our mission is honouring God, serving people and building hope. We are committed to ensuring the health, safety and welfare of our workers and others in our workplaces. We are also committed to supporting injured workers through the provision of workers’ compensation benefits and our Return to Work program.
Program
Notification of injury
All incidents, including worker injuries, must be reported to the appropriate supervisor as soon as possible. A Wesley Mission incident report must be completed and forwarded to the WH&S & Injury Management department within 24 hours of the incident.
First Aid, medical treatment, and making a claim for Workers’ Compensation
Injured workers will be offered First Aid or assisted with off-site medical treatment as required. If off-site medical treatment is required, the injured worker must seek attention from a doctor or hospital. The injured worker must obtain a WorkCover NSW certificate of capacity from the nominated treating doctor. The injured worker must then submit a completed Worker’s Injury Claim Form and the WorkCover NSW certificate of capacity to their supervisor as soon as possible. Any ongoing medical treatment must be determined and authorised by the nominated treating doctor on the WorkCover NSW certificate of capacity.
Early contact with injured workers and their doctor
Wesley Mission will make contact with the injured worker and their nominated treating doctor as soon as practicable after an incident occurs. We will ensure the return to work process begins as soon as possible after an injury occurs, in a manner consistent with the workers capacity for work.
Provision of suitable duties
Wesley Mission is committed to ensuring that early return to work of injured workers is a normal practice and expectation. Wesley Mission’s policy is to offer suitable duties to partially incapacitated workers, including those still receiving medical treatment.
Role of the Return to Work Coordinator
Wesley Mission has appointed and trained Return to Work Coordinators to assist injured workers to return to work as soon as possible. The Return to Work Coordinator will work with an injured worker, their nominated treating doctor, Allianz Insurance, Wesley Mission Managers and Supervisors to identify suitable duties. They will then develop, implement and monitor return to work activities. If an injured worker cannot return to their pre-injury duties, the Return to Work Coordinator will assist in the redeployment of the worker (either internally or externally). All return to work information concerning an injured worker is confidential. Translating and interpreting services will be provided to non-English speaking workers.
Role of an Accredited Rehabilitation Provider
Rehabilitation providers are accredited by WorkCover NSW to provide injured workers with specific rehabilitation services to assist them with returning to work. An injured worker may choose to engage the services of an Accredited Rehabilitation Provider at any stage of the return to work process. The Return to Work Coordinator may also suggest the use of an Accredited Rehabilitation Provider.
Return to Work will not disadvantage injured workers
Wesley Mission is committed to ensuring that participation in a Return to Work Plan will not, of itself, disadvantage an injured worker. Injured workers are permitted to access personal leave benefits as per their contract of employment as well as relevant award provisions while waiting for their Workers’ Compensation claim to be determined. If the worker’s claim for Workers’ Compensation is accepted, their personal leave will be reinstated.
Arrangements for resolving disputes
All efforts will be made to resolve disagreements about the Return to Work Program, Return to Work Procedures and Return to Work Plans through discussions with affected parties including Allianz our workers compensation insurer in a spirit of cooperation. If necessary, advice and help can be sought from the WorkCover NSW Claims Assistance Service or the NSW Workers’ Compensation Commission.
All efforts will also be made to resolve disagreements in relation to work capacity decisions made by Allianz our workers compensation insurer with all affected parties in a spirit of cooperation. If necessary, advice and help can be sought from the WorkCover Independent Review Officer.
Administration and consultation
The Return to Work Policy and Program has been developed in consultation with H&S committees and WH&S representatives throughout Wesley Mission, and coordinates with Allianz Australia’s Injury Management Program. Wesley Mission has developed Workers’ Compensation and Return to Work Procedures to help implement the objectives of this Policy and Program. All workers are required to comply with Wesley Mission’s Return to Work Policy and Program, Procedures, and with relevant workers compensation and injury management legislation. Workers will be informed of their rights and responsibilities for workers’ compensation and return to work through:
- Wesley Mission procedures
- induction and on the job training
- consultation with H&S representatives
- regular meetings between Return to Work Coordinators, injured workers and their supervisors
- display of this policy in all workplaces and on the Wesley Mission intranet
This policy and program will be reviewed every two years, in consultation with workers and their representatives.
Quality policy
Wesley Mission is part of the Uniting Church in Australia. The balance of word and deed is central to Wesley Mission, as we provide support and services for people with a range of complex social problems from homelessness, drug and alcohol addiction, childhood abuse to family breakdown, unemployment, disability and social isolation.
Our work is as diverse as the needs we face, so we shape our programs and activities to support those in need effectively - wherever they are.
In delivering these services we recognise that the disciplines of quality, health, safety, environment and risk management are primary responsibilities of employees and managers and are key to achieving our mission.
We are deeply committed to serve in an ethical, caring, and Christian way.
We embrace the responsibility for quality practice in everything we do.
We believe it takes love, faith and courage to engage in the lives of those in need.
To achieve our purpose, we will:
- work in partnership with the people we serve, clients and donors
- encourage, educate and empower all our employees to engage in quality improvement, risk management programs and innovation, through teamwork
- develop and document objectives and targets for our core activities and communicate them
- commit to conform to relevant industry standards as well as regulatory requirements
- measure and regularly review our performance across our core activities, ensuring that we continue to improve in all we do
The provision of a quality service is the responsibility of every employee, and we expect each person working for our organisation to embrace organisational values and objectives and to commit to the minimisation of risks and continuous improvement.
Wesley Mission Sydney Executive Management endorses, regularly reviews and promotes this quality policy through active participation in risk management and quality improvement activities and leadership by example.
February 2012
