Compliant or Not Compliant? That Is the Question

Many businesses these days are quite conscious of their need for a safe workplace. In fact there would be hardly a week would go by where you would not hear of a number of workplace incidents from either the TV, newspapers or by word of mouth.

Whilst many businesses are quite tuned in to developing safe work programs and procedures, having safety meetings, sending out newsletters and continually exposing OHS requirements to their workforce, one area in need of critical attention is that of and Due Diligence. It's a strange term for OHS, but just like buying a car, you check it out, you ensure all the boxes are ticked and it works as it should.

A significant number of businesses have most of the so called OHS boxes ticked and believe they can boldly say they are compliant to OHS legislation. While this may seem to be true, having all the "boxes" ticked and being "compliant" are two entirely different things.

You can see on a regular basis many workplaces with all the signs and appearance of OHS compliance, but quite too often see a gross failure to actually enforce OHS practices.

OHS compliance means going all the way by also ensuring the obligations we all have towards a safe workplace are actually enforced, and the documenting of the same. This means when we train our teams, we prove our due diligence by the workers signing off on full understanding of the training program and safe work processes.

It's true nobody wants to work for a business where OHS compliance is rammed down his or her throats day in and day out. If this is the case it only goes to show that businesses are not informing and training their workforce the way they should. However, that said, nobody wants to work for a business that has unsafe work practices and incident after incident. We all want to go home safe to our families each day.

Businesses must enforce OHS compliance even to the point where some workers sadly have to be disciplined or let go. In a court of law should you have to ever defend your OHS program, the only way it is done is by you proving your duty of care and "Due Diligence". This means not only do you have an OHS program in place but you prove it by enforcement.

So, ask yourself this question "Is my business really compliant"? If I had to, could I prove Duty of Care and Due Diligence? That is the question!

Stan Sykes is a business consultant and the founder of LibertyEMI and http://www.stansykesonline.org and dedicated to helping to further cultural change in the workplace and peoples lives. Stan also is the author of a number of articles that help to educate, motive and inspire (EMI) people to be their very best.

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