CORPORATE OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY POLICY

General Statement of Intent

The Operations Manager of Consolidated Landscape Services, as the employers representative, is committed to taking all reasonable steps to provide a duty of care to all employees and others aimed at keeping them free from injury and ill health. This duty of care will be discharged through the continued provision, of safe equipment, safe places of work and safe systems of work.

The health, safety and welfare of employees is recognised as being of primary importance. Occupational health & safety factors will be taken into account when determining all operational matters. Occupational health & safety is to be ranked equally with all other considerations.

Policy Aims

Through the implementation of this policy, Consolidated Landscape Services aims to ensure, so far as is reasonably practical, that all employees & others are safe from injury & risks to health while at work. This will be achieved by adopting a practice of risk assessment together with reviews & audits of safety management systems. Commitment to these fundamental principles will ensure continuous improvement of the Company's health, safety & welfare systems & practices.

By adopting this policy, Consolidated Landscape Services seeks to achieve and maintain:
A safe and healthy workplace established through a hierarchical approach to risk control
Safe systems of work
Safe tools, machinery and equipment
Substances stored, dispensed, handled and disposed of in a safe manner
Information, instruction, training and supervision necessary to ensure that employees and others are safe from injury and risks to health
Consultation with employees on all issues which may effect health and safety at work
Effective injury and illness reporting, recording, investigation and analysis
Effective claims management of all work related injuries
Effective rehabilitation of employees who suffer work related injuries and illnesses.

Strategies

Consolidated Landscape Services acknowledges the need to manage occupational health, safety welfare, claims management and rehabilitation through effective policy development, programs and action plans aimed at developing and operating appropriate control systems. The aims of the policy will be achieved by the implementation of the following strategies:

Compliance with legislation, standards and relevant codes of practice
Development and dissemination of clear occupational health, safety and welfare roles and responsibilities for all parties
Establishment of mechanisms to facilitate continuing consultation between employer and employee representatives on occupational health, safety, welfare, claims management and rehabilitation matters
Development and implementation of safety management systems
Improvement of key competencies of managers, supervisors and employees through appropriate training, instruction and information
Control of hazards and risks by the application of standardised risk assessment processes
Establishment of processes that support the active involvement of employees in health and safety.

Operations Manager

The Operations Manager, under the Occupational Health Safety and Welfare Act 1986, assumes the responsibilities of the employer to provide a healthy and safe system of work for Consolidated Landscape Services employees and others.

The Operations Manager will ensure that adequate resources are made available to meet occupational health safety and welfare aims and objectives. The Operations Manager will also ensure that Consolidated Landscape Services is appropriately structured to put this policy into effect and that all levels of management are given the responsibilities and delegated authority necessary to ensure its success.

The Operations Manager will ensure that all levels of management are responsible for the successful implementation of occupational health, safety and welfare policy and programs in the worksites and activities over which they exercise control.

Responsible Officer

The Operations Manager, Mr. Gary Millington, is the nominated Responsible Officer as required by Section 61 of the Occupational Health Safety and Welfare Act 1986. The Responsible Officer is required by statute to take reasonable steps to ensure compliance by Consolidated Landscape Services with its obligations under the Act. The Responsible Officer will ensure that the allocation of suitable resources are available to meet the OHS&W aims and objectives. All staff will actively assist the Responsible Officer to practically implement the requirements prescribed by legislation.

The Operations Manager will also undertake the day to day coordination of Consolidated Landscape Services's occupational health safety and welfare program.

The Operations Manager is a resource person who can provide advice and assistance regarding occupational health, safety and welfare related issues as well as the implementation of Consolidated Landscape Services's policies and programs.

Managers and Supervisors

Managers and supervisors are responsible for the health safety and welfare of employees they supervise and for members of the public, contractors or others who are in their area of operation. In particular, managers and supervisors are responsible for:-

Implementing Consolidated Landscape Services's occupational health and safety policy and programs for which specific roles and responsibilities will be assigned and communicated
Day to day management of health safety and welfare issues within their area of responsibility
Ensuring that agreed mechanisms for consultation are followed regarding issues which may effect the health, safety and welfare of any employee.

Employees

Employees shall take reasonable care to:
Follow safe and healthy work practices consistent with the extent of their control over or influence on working conditions and methods
Take action that is within their competence to report or make recommendations to higher level to avoid, eliminate or minimise hazard exposures
Avoid adversely affecting their own health and safety or the health and safety of any other person through any deliberate act of omission or commission at work
Ensure that they are not by the consumption of alcohol or a drug; in such a state as to endanger their own safety at work, or the safety of any other person at work
Make proper use of available safeguards, safety devices and personal protective equipment
Comply with any reasonable instruction from an employer or an employer's designated delegate in relation to health or safety at work
Not interfere with or incite or cause another person to interfere with, remove, displace or render less effective any safeguard, safety device, personal protective equipment or other appliance or work system provided, except when necessary as part of an employer approved maintenance, repair or emergency procedure
Assist management, health and safety representatives, accident investigators or workplace inspectors in addressing health and safety issues
Report accidents, injuries and near miss incidents to relevant supervisor / manager and health and safety representative as soon as practicable
Actively support the consultative process.

Personnel at all levels of the organisation assigned responsibilities under this policy will be held accountable for their diligent execution. Periodic reviews and audits of workplaces will monitor performance.

Consultation

Consolidated Landscape Services will encourage consultation and cooperation on health and safety issues between employees, contractors, suppliers, clients, independent experts, volunteers and any other person affected by the actions of the organisation.

The Operations Manager will assure that employees are consulted on all issues, which may reasonably affect their health and safety at work. Employees are encouraged to approach their local supervisor with any occupational health and safety concerns, which they may have. Managers and supervisors are to enter into meaningful consultation with employees over worksite health and safety issues.

Consolidated Landscape Services supports the principle of health and safety representatives as outlined in the Occupational Health Safety and Welfare Act 1986, however to date, there has been no request from an election to take place.

Consolidated Landscape Services also supports the principle of an occupational health safety and welfare committee. An OHS committee provides an alternative forum for consultation. Such a committee, once constituted, should meet regularly once every month or more often as required. Copies of the minutes of these meetings shall be prominently displayed on appropriate notice boards throughout the Company.

This committee shall assist in the resolution of issues and the formulation, review and dissemination of health, safety and welfare policies, and procedures, practices and programs that are to be followed at Consolidated Landscape Services.

Employees have a key role in forwarding issues, ideas and suggestions to the committee to aid in the continuous improvement of health and safety processes.

This policy is to be implemented through policy endorsements, procedures and arrangements established under Consolidated Landscape Services's health and safety program. The occupational health and safety program has been designed to provide a structured approach to the implementation of workplace health safety and welfare initiatives that flow from this policy. This may include supporting policies that address specific issues. A policy will be developed where there is a need for the organisation to adopt a formalised course of action to address significant and / or recurring issues in a standardised way.

Monitoring

Implementation of this policy and the health and safety program will be monitored by the Operations Manager.

Policy Review

This health and safety policy will be reviewed annually in consultation with employees using established consultative mechanisms, and revised as necessary to keep it up to date with changes in legislation, circumstances and / or organisational change.

Dissemination of Policy

A copy of this policy will be provided to each employee and a copy placed on prominent display on appropriate notice boards throughout the Company. The intent of this policy will be explained to every employee.

Policy Implementation Date: 2000

Date of last Policy Review:

Date of next Policy Review: 30/6/2001