Risk Assessment & Procedures

Risk Assessment & Procedures

Risk Assessment

You must have a completed 'Health and Safety Risk Assessment', documented with evidence that it has been reviewed and updated annually.

This assessment must show the hazards and clear risk mitigation/control measures in place. It must also include a register to report all incidents, accidents and near misses.

You are responsible for providing 'Health & Safety Training' to your employees.

Even if you are a sole operator, this applies to you, as you must consider your own health and safety as well as growers, visitors or the general public.

Health & Safety Policy

You must also have a health and safety policy which covers the activities you and your employees are involved in. It must:

  • Describe the organisational structure, identifying the job functions and responsibilities of those employees whose activities affect food safety

  • Identify the person who is responsible for your workers’ health, safety , food safety and welfare. This person is also knows as the RGSP “Responsible for GRASP”.

    • A Person conducting a business or undertaking ('PCBU') in control of the risk holds the primary duty of care to ensure the health and safety of every person of the contracting company on orchard, as far as reasonably practicable

  • Include procedures/rules that are specific to your contracting activities undertaken as identified in your health & safety risk assessment

    • The procedures/rules must be up-to-date and detail any activity-specific risks as identified in the Health and Safety Risk Assessment.

    • They must include contingency plans for workers to be able to remove themselves from the area

  • Include “Accident and Emergency Procedures”, including appropriate signage

    • This should include your contact person, up-to-date list of emergency contact numbers, nearest available phone, how to contact medical services, location of first aid and how to report accidents and dangerous incidents.

    • Orchard signs and potential hazard signs are clearly displayed and in visible locations for workers

  • Demonstrate that accidents/incidents have been reviewed and corrective actions put in place

  • Be reviewed annually signed by the PCBU and RGSP.

You must be able to demonstrate that you communicate health and safety requirements to your workers. This can be achieved by holding regular meetings with your workers to discuss relevant health and safety issues.

Health & Safety Training

Health and Safety training must be conducted with all your employees. You will be required to demonstrate that you have provided training. Your records need to detail:

  • Date

  • Training topic

  • Name of trainer

  • Name of trainee

  • Date

  • Trainee's signature indicating they have completed the training

If there is any dangerous equipment, or if special licences are required for any vehicles (e.g. forklifts), these must be held on file too. This does not apply if there is no such equipment or vehicles used in the contracting operation.

If any equipment or machinery is used, there must be operating procedures or training manuals available to demonstrate that workers know how to use it.

If vehicles are used for the transport of workers on-orchard, they must be safe for use and have a current Warrant of Fitness.

First Aid

There must always be someone with a first aid certificate present on the orchard when work is being carried out.

A first aid kit is must be available whenever on-orchard activities are carried out and easily accessible to workers where they are working. 

NOTE:

For more details, including all principles and criteria, please refer to the “Am I Ready?” checklist.