Revised June 2018

Purpose

To establish work health and safety policy and guidelines for Valley FM Members, Presenters, Board Members, Contractors and Visitors to the station to ensure a safe environment that aims to prevent harm exists for all.

Principles

Valley FM is committed to continuously improving the management and standards of occupational health and safety. We strive to protect the health and safety of our volunteers and visitors by:

  • Ensuring that work place health and safety is an integral part of VFM that ranks equally with all other activities of the Association
  • Providing and maintaining, as far as reasonably practicable, a healthy and safe environment with safe systems of work within Valley FM premises and when undertaking prescribed activities away from the station (e.g. outdoor broadcasts)
  • Ensuring support for each individual’s contribution to improving work place health and safety through consultation, information, instruction, training and supervision wherever possible.

Responsibilities

Work place health and safety is both an individual and a shared responsibility. Every Valley FM volunteer or visitor is responsible for ensuring that tasks and activities are undertaken in a safe manner in accordance with current safety procedures, standards and legislative requirements.

Valley FM acknowledges the contribution of volunteers who hold responsibilities for work place health and safety. Board members receive information and support to fulfil their roles/responsibilities in enabling Valley FM to meet its duty of care obligations.

Valley FM’s President and Board Members are designated as Responsible Officers under the ACT Work Health and Safety Act 2011. It must be noted that the Act is designed for workers in a paid workforce. Although this is not the case at Valley FM the station adheres to the Act as if it was written for volunteers in a not-for-profit organization. Responsible Officers:

  • Ensure that VFM meets its responsibilities under Section 8 of the ACT Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and the ACT Workplace Health and Safety Regulations 2011
  • Provide leadership in the creation of a safety culture by ensuring effective resourcing and implementation of VFM’s health and safety policy and procedures, and
  • Ensure that there is appropriate planning, development, implementation and monitoring of work safety programs designed specifically to meet station needs.

Policies and Procedures

Valley FM’s work safety program focuses on the prevention of injury and diseases using a risk management model that incorporates the anticipation, identification, evaluation and control of safety and health hazards. This policy details a number of hazard management protocols that are relevant to occupants of both the station and at outside broadcasts:

  • Electrical Safety: health and safety information relating to electrical hazards
  • Manual Handling: aimed at reducing potential / actual injuries arising from manual handling or lifting heavy items
  • Smoking: Valley FM is a non-smoking organisation and smoking cannot occur within a five metre exclusion zone from all windows and the entrance door, and
  • Diseases: minimising the spread of colds, influenza and any other contagious ailment.

Hazards

The identification of hazards is a core element of Valley FM’s workplace safety program. Hazard alerts relate to specific issues that may not be covered by specific policy or procedure such as:

  • The risk of electrocution (from exposed cables or placing hands in the enclosed compartment under the announcer’s desk), or
  • Injury sustained from using dangerous or unsafe furniture.

Individuals

All Valley FM members are non-paid volunteers who are not physically located on the Valley FM premises at all times. Accordingly, while responsibility for workplace health and safety at Valley FM is a prime function of the Board, each presenter, member and visitor has a parallel responsibility to ensure that his or her own activities are conducive to good health and safety by:

  • Taking personal action to eliminate, avoid or minimize hazards
  • Bringing to the attention of the Board any unsafe situation
  • Complying with all policies, procedures and instructions
  • Making proper use of all safety devices
  • Seeking information and advice where necessary before doing any mew or unfamiliar tasks
  • Maintaining dress standards appropriate or required for work being done
  • Being familiar with emergency and evacuation procedures and the location and use of emergency equipment, and
  • Using Valley FM’s notification process to the Board to notify of hazards, incidents, accidents, injuries or exposures.

Notification

Notification of any accident, hazard or near miss must be reported to the President and Valley FM Board. Hazard and near miss reporting aims at early detection and correction. The Board must be notified of accidents and dangerous occurrences within four (4) hours for any personal injury, incapacity or dangerous occurrence. For every injury, exposure or dangerous occurrence that occurs, the Board must ensure that an Incident Notification Form is completed and submitted as soon as possible.

First Aid

A first aid kit is located in the cupboard under the sink at the end of the Foyer area. The first aid kit must be reviewed for currency of inclusions at least annually. Any item out-of-date or used must be replaced as soon as possible.

There are no first aid officers therefore the first thing to do is to call for medical assistance by dialing 000 (for mobile phone users there is an Australian application that can be downloaded free called Emergency+ which can take you directly to the Police, SES or Emergency if you keep it nearby. It also automatically maps your location from the phone when a call is activated).

Fire and Evacuation

There is no designated Chief Fire Warden at VFM as there are no permanent staff.

A fire blanket is hanging in the hallway. Any use of the fire blanket or any fire must be reported immediately to the Board.

A fire extinguisher is located on the wall near the main entrance/exit door. It is serviced periodically by the ACT Fire Brigade and must not be interfered with for any reason other than to extinguish an actual fire. Any use of the fire extinguisher must be reported to the Board as soon as possible.

Compliance

The Board is responsible for the development, implementation, operation and review of this policy. Compliance with the policy is also the responsibility of all members.

Legislative Framework
Work Health and Safety Act (ACT 2011)
Workplace Health and Safety Regulations (ACT 2011)