New research released this week indicates that many Australian businesses aren’t meeting WHS responsibilities.
A survey, conducted by WHS audit and training organisation SAI Global, showed that 52% of employers don’t send employees home when they’re sick with an illness that may impact other workers.
A third of employees felt that their workplace lacks training, and 42% admitted to feeling stressed due to work overload or tight timeframes.
Further, 11% of respondents said that their workplaces had no WHS policies, while an additional 11% said that the WHS policy in their workplace was not enforced.
These figures indicate direct contradictions of WHS legislation, which states that employers have a duty to ensure the health and safety of their workforce, and limit risk to others.
Workplace safety spokesperson Rod Beath, from SAI Global, explained that employers have a primary duty of care when it comes to the health and safety of their workers.
“However, our research shows that many employers are not meeting these basic responsibilities,” Mr Beath said.
Mr Beath also explained that employee health and mental wellbeing are central to WHS legislative requirements, but also something businesses should be actively striving for.