Summer 2009

Welcome to the Summer edition of Comcare's
e-newsletter, Safety Essentials.
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CEO update - Mr Paul O'Connor

Our landscape is changing with significant legislative changes announced by Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard in response to the Report of the Review of Self Insurance Arrangements under the Comcare Scheme.

The commonwealth and state jurisdictions are also currently working towards the harmonisation of workplace safety laws across Australia by 1 January 2012. This will introduce a new framework which will bring with it change and opportunity for all of us.
 

I will be launching formal and informal consultation programs with the Comcare community and am confident that over the next few years Comcare will reshape as a more resilient, more responsive, more relevant organisation in partnership with the community we serve.

See full article here.

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Comcare wins an AHRI Award

Comcare won the HR Impact Award at the 2009 Australian Human Resource Institute (AHRI) dinner held in Melbourne.

The awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of human resources and people management professionals and organisations across Australia.

This is the second year that Comcare was nominated as a finalist in the 'HR impact' category. The HR impact award recognises the performance and impact of human resources teams that deliver general human resources services across a division or organisation.

Across all the awards categories, Comcare was one of only two Australian Public Service agencies nominated as finalists.

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National OHS harmonisation update

The public consultation period for the Exposure Draft of the model OHS Act and key administrative Regulations closed on 9 November 2009. 480 submissions were received from various employers, industry bodies, unions, government agencies and individuals.

Safe Work Australia is reviewing the submissions and will make any necessary amendments to the draft model OHS Act. A final version of the model OHS Act will be submitted to the Workplace Relations Ministers' Council for agreement in December 2009.

Draft model regulations for all other matters (including matters covered in existing national OHS standards) will begin to be developed in December 2009 and released for public comment in November 2010.

More information about the model OHS laws and public submissions is available on the Safe Work Australia website.

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Assess the effectiveness of
your Health and Safety Management Arrangements (HSMAs)

Many organisations are now reaching the first scheduled review of their HSMAs, or are taking the opportunity to refine or improve these HSMAs.

Comcare has developed two questionnaires that are designed to help carry out a self assessment of the HSMAs currently in place in your organisation:

One questionnaire is for employers to determine how effective their HSMAs are, and the other questionnaire is for employees to provide their feedback about the HSMAs.
     
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Comcare's 2010 National Seminars

Workplace wellbeing - through systems, symbols and behaviours is the theme of our 2010 National Seminars that are due to be held in all major cities and some regional areas in March 2010. 

The systems of work, the symbols that are used to signal safe work practices and the behaviour of people at work are central to the health and productivity of organisations.

A good workplace safety culture is one where safety is not an adjunct to the business but is a natural part of how things are done. Through the seminars, we will aim to:

• explore contemporary communication practices in safety culture

• promote holistic approaches in which the systems, symbols and behaviours within the organisation lead to safer, healthier workplaces

• identify a range of lead indicators that enable organisations to understand and monitor safety.

Each seminar will run for a full day and participants will have the opportunity to engage in workshops and listen to presentations from speakers across the Comcare scheme.

Information on dates/locations will be available online shortly and registration will open in February 2010.

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Comcare's 2010 National Conference

Comcare's National Conference is one of the most eagerly awaited industry forums and will be held from 22-24 September at the National Convention Centre, Canberra. 

Make sure you budget for it, diarise it and bring as many colleagues as you can.

Further information will be available online soon and formal registration will open in June 2010.

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International Day of People with Disability

On 3 December, International Day of People with Disability was celebrated worldwide recognising the achievements and contributions of people with disability.

The Day brought together people with disability and the general community and aimed to:

Christmas close down

Comcare will close over the Christmas period from 12.30pm on Thursday 24 December 2009 to Friday 1 January 2010.

During this period, you will still be able to notify Comcare of OHS incidents by calling 1300 366 979.

Comcare will re-open on Monday 4 January 2009.

In short...

View Learning & Development Solutions latest training calendar

Guidance for self assessment of HSMAs - is your HSMA working for your organisation?


Comcare wins AHRI Award in the 'HR Impact' category

Comcare will close over the Christmas period from 12.30pm on Thursday 24 December 2009 to Friday 1 January 2010.

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Diary dates...

Comcare 2010 National Seminars, March 2010

Comcare's 2010 National Conference, 22 to 24 September, National Convention Centre, Canberra

2010 SRCC Safety Awards, 23 September, Great Hall, Parliament House