WorkSafe Victoria has released a new industry strategy to improve health and safety outcomes for health care and social assistance workers.
Executive Director of Health and Safety at WorkSafe Victoria, Julie Nielsen said the WorkSafe’s Health Care and Social Assistance (HCSA) Industry Strategy 2020-23 aimed to drive industry-wide cultural change to make workplaces healthier and safer, reduce injuries and illness, and improve support for injured workers.
“Health care and social assistance work can be physically and emotionally challenging and there needs to be a greater understanding that making the health and safety of workers a priority will ultimately lead to better quality care for patients and clients,” Ms Nielsen said.
“Putting workers’ health and safety at the forefront will also lead to more sustainable organisations and service delivery,” she said.
Ms Nielsen said the Strategy would specifically focus on high risk sectors, hospital, residential care and home-based care.
She said the Strategy also focused on issues which caused the most harm, hazardous manual handling, fatigue and occupational violence and aggression.
“Navigating these hazards is not simply part of the job,” she said.
“It will require a collective effort to embed a positive culture and prevention-led approach in every health care and social assistance workplace, but the industry’s rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates this is achievable.”
Ms Nielsen said WorkSafe had been working with key industry stakeholders to implement integrated programs and initiatives focused on workers in the highest risk sectors and workplaces.
WorkSafe Victoria’s new 18-page Industry Strategy can be accessed at this PS News link.
