Occupational Health & Safety Policy

Overview
Charterhouse Medical takes its responsibility for OH&S very seriously and as part of its commitment to providing a safe workplace for its employees and contractors has a number of procedures, polices checklists and response mechanisms in place.

Scope and Application
This policy is applied to all members of the Medical team

Procedure
Occupational Health & Safety
The OHS Act that relates to all work places is the NSW OHS Act2000.
http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/fullhtml/inforce/act+40+2000+FIRST+0+N
It describes the general requirements necessary to ensure a safe and healthy workplace, and is designed to reduce the number of injuries in the workplace by imposing responsibilities on individuals and corporations.

• Charterhouse Medical is committed to protecting the health and safety of all its employees while they are at work.
• Charterhouse Medical has developed a health and safety management system that is integrated with all organisational activities.
• All employees and managers have a responsibility

1. to work safely,
2. to take all reasonable care for their own health and safety,
3. to consider the health and safety of other people who may be affected by their actions.

• Charterhouse Medical will take all reasonable and practical steps to improve work safety conditions and will strive to achieve a goal of zero harm.
• Charterhouse Medical is committed to:

1. Complying with all applicable health and safety laws, regulations and standards.
2. Implementing risk management systems which; are relevant and suitable for the Organisation’s risk exposure as well as identify, promote and continuously improve health and safety performance.
3. Ensuring all managers remain directly accountable for the health, safety and welfare of their employees and provide adequate resources to assist managers in this cause.
4. Provision of appropriate Health and Safety Training to all employees.
5. Maintaining relevant policies, procedures, systems, information, training, recognition programs, and organisational structures to support and communicate effective health and safety practices.
6. Establishing clear targets and objectives on an annual basis to improve health and safety in the workplace.
7. Effectively disseminating health and safety information to all employees as part of each business unit’s consultative process this includes forums and publications.
8. Encouraging active participation, consultation and cooperation of all employees, contractors and visitors in promoting and developing measures to improve health and safety at work.

• Charterhouse Medical will actively responding to and investigating all incidents, and ensuring injured employees are returned to suitable work at the earliest possible opportunity.
• Before placing a contractor in a client's company, the relevant consultant will visit the client's premises, assess all safety issues and ensure that the workplace is a safe one with all the relevant OH&S policies and risk assessment procedures in place.
• A check on the scope of activities for any role undertaken by Charterhouse Medical’s contractors is always part of the briefing process between the client and consultant. Assessment of any OH&S risk is undertaken at this point and the role is not undertaken if any risk is identified.
• Should the scope of activity untaken by any Charterhouse Medical contractor be likely to vary during the employment period, the client must inform Charterhouse Medical of this immediately and prior to this variation. An assessment must then be undertaken in order to assess any additional OH&S issues.
• Charterhouse Medical works closely with its clients to follow a similar strategy in respect to risk assessment as prescribed by Work Cover NSW.
• Risk management is a process of well defined steps that, when taken in sequence, allow informed decisions to be made about how best to avoid or control the impact of risks.
• The Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 2001 impose obligations on all employers to implement risk management processes in all workplaces.
• Clients of Charterhouse Medical must take reasonable care to identify any foreseeable hazard that has the potential to harm the health and safety of workers, contractors or anyone else in the workplace

Pandemic Planning
Definition -A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. An influenza pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus emerges and, because there is little or no immunity in the human population, it spreads rapidly from person-to-person over a wide geographical area causing serious illness in a significant proportion of those infected. This contrasts with seasonal influenza which, for most sufferers, is a self-limiting though unpleasant illness that does not endanger life

• In response to an influenza pandemic, Charterhouse Medical has a procedure in place to follow in the event of a pandemic.
• While an influenza pandemic would have no direct effect on physical infrastructure and assets, it would have a wide range of impacts on organisations including disruptions to business operations, increased staff absenteeism and changed workplace functions.
• Identify a pandemic coordinator and/or team with defined roles and responsibilities for preparedness and response planning.
• Identify essential employees and other critical inputs (e.g. logistics) required to maintain business operations by location and function during a pandemic.
• Develop and plan for scenarios likely to result in an increase in demand services

Risk Assessment

• When a pandemic is in occurrence, Charterhouse Medical will carry out a risk assessment on it’s employees
• Where direct contact is foreseeable a risk assessment should be carried out which includes control measures as appropriate.
• The level of absenteeism due to sickness or fear of infection at work is expected to be high particularly in the initial stages of a pandemic.
• Staff shortages may result in the redeployment of staff to unfamiliar tasks or to staff working alone or remotely from another location such as from their home. These changes will create new OHS risks
• A pandemic can be expected to increase demand on remaining staff members. It is likely that the workforce will be depleted. It is important to ensure that appropriate training is given to any remaining workers who maybe required to carry out unfamiliar tasks.
• Risk assessments will need to be reviewed and new controls will be needed to take account of the reduced workforce and the change in the skills available. Pregnant workers in particular should not be substituted into inappropriate work.

Administrative Controls

• Stockpile items such as soap, tissue, alcohol hand sanitizer, alcohol wipes, cleaning supplies and recommended personal protective equipment. When stockpiling items, be aware of each product's shelf life and storage conditions
• If a person is feeling unwell with flu-like symptoms including coughing and sneezing, they should be strongly encouraged to stay at home.
• Where possible, encourage flexible work arrangements such as working from home
• Discourage staff from using others phones, desks, offices or other work tools and equipment.
• Minimize situations where groups of people are crowded together, such as in a meeting. Use e-mail, phones and text messages to communicate with each other.
• When meetings are necessary, avoid close contact by keeping a separation of at least 2 metres, where possible, and assure that there is proper ventilation in the meeting room.
• Forecast and allow for employee absences during a pandemic due to factors such as personal illness, family member illness, community containment measures and quarantines, school and/or business closures, and public transportation closures.

Social Distancing and Hygiene advice

• Allow staff to stay home when unwell with influenza-like symptoms
• Send home any staffs, who are displaying flu like symptoms at the earliest opportunity.
• Encourage staff to wash hands frequently with soap and water or use an alcohol based hand gel.
• Encourage staff to wash hands or apply alcohol gel to hands prior to touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Encourage staff to when coughing or sneezing, cover mouth and nose with disposable tissues which should be disposed of immediately.
• Encourage staff not to shake hands.
• Encourage staff not to share items such as cigarettes, glasses, cups, lipstick, toys or anything else that could be contaminated with respiratory secretions.
• Encourage staff to consult a health care provider if you have a cough and fever and follow their instructions, including taking medicine as prescribed.