National Work Safe Month

October is National Safe Work Month – a national campaign run annually by Safe Work Australia (SWA) to raise awareness of workplace health and safety (WHS).

SWA is the Australia’s national policy body responsible for WHS and Workers’ Compensation arrangements. National Safe Work Month is a time to commit to building safe and healthy workplaces for all Australians by providing resources for Australian workplaces to coordinate their own events.

The AVA is a member of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which in turn is a Member of SWA. SWA has compiled resource kits to support National Safe Work Month this year. These resources include campaign key messages, weekly themes and social media content which members can utilise.

The AVA’s Employer of Choice (EOC) program also covers Work Health and Safety. The program contains workplace strategies that can be used to address the ongoing health of employees. Strategy 12 (Health and Wellbeing) targets the specific stress overload and burnout risks that are significantly higher in the veterinary industry, and emphasises the importance of effective consultation with employees. 

Practices looking to take that extra step may wish to consider applying for EOC Accreditation. One of the key standards to achieve accreditation is to provide evidence of satisfactory Work Health and Safety (WHS) systems and processes compliant with the model Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (or Victoria’s Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004). This includes a WHS Check-List that practices may complete to see where their current systems may be lacking. A number of EOC Accredited practices, including Fletcher Veterinary Practice and Swans Veterinary Services, cited improved WHS protocols as being a positive outcome of the EOC program. To learn more, click here.

For more information about National Work Safe Month please visit Safe Work Australia.