How can safety and health representatives help improve safety and health?

On 31 March 2022, the Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws replaced the health and safety elements of the Mines Safety and Inspection laws. For information visit www.demirs.wa.gov.au/whs

Transitional arrangements may be in place for the compliance requirements on this page.

All health and safety notifications, forms and guidance for mining and petroleum has moved to the WorkSafe website

For updated information relating to the information on this page go to Workplace hazards

The information below has been left for historical compliance reference purposes

 

 

What is the role of safety and health representatives in consultation?

A safe workplace is more easily achieved when employers and workers talk to each other about potential problems and work together to find solutions. This is why the law requires employers to consult workers on safety and health matters.

Employers must consult and cooperate with safety and health representatives (if any) and workers about safety and health at the workplace. Safety and health representatives must also consult before issuing a provision improvement notice (PIN).

Formal consultative processes at the workplace - guideline - 761 Kb

Formal consultative processes at the workplace - guideline: This guideline provides explanatory information to employers and employees about safety and health representatives.

How can safety and health representatives contribute to incident investigations?

A safety and health representative is an invaluable source of knowledge that can help those undertaking a site investigation. Representatives bring an understanding of workplace systems, health and safety, and experience in liaising with workers and supervisors.

Representatives may also be requested by a mines inspector to assist in a departmental investigation.

For those taking part in an investigation, Investigating incidents - information sheet for safety and health representatives provides information on how an investigation is run. It describes the principles involved in conducting an investigation and provides procedural hints.

Investigating incidents - information sheet for safety and health representatives - 548 Kb

This information sheet outlines procedures and principles on how an investigation will be run in an event of an incident.

What is the purpose of provisional improvement notices (PINs)?

Only elected safety and health representatives who have completed the training to become a qualified safety and health representative can issue a provisional improvement notice (PIN).
PINs are issued at the mine where the safety and health representative works (or if elected by a group, at a mine where any member works) if he or she believes that there is a breach of the mines safety and inspection legislation and consultation has failed to resolve the issue.

The pamphlet below provides answers to the following questions:

  • What is a PIN?
  • Who can issue a PIN?
  • Is there any consultation before a PIN?
  • What must the employer do if someone is issued with a PIN?
  • What if a person misuses the power to issue?

Provisional improvement notices (PIN) – for petroleum and geothermal energy industries.

A provisional improvement notice (PIN) may be issued to the responsible person at the workplace by an elected safety and health representative.

Issue of provisional improvement notices by safety and health representatives - MSIA pamphlet - 571 Kb

This pamphlet explains what is a provisional improvement notice (PIN) and how it relates to the Mines Safety and Inspection Act.

Related information

Below is the list of documents and links that you may find useful.

Issuing a Provisional Improvement Notice - poster - 157 Kb

This poster outlines the process a qualified safety and health representative must take to issue a provisional improvement notice (PIN).

Receiving an improvement or provisional improvement notice - poster - 168 Kb

This poster provides advice on what to do when an inspector/assistant inspector issues an improvement notice, or a safety and health representative issues a provisional improvement notice (PIN).

Provisional improvement notice (PIN) for use by safety and health reps - pro forma - 147 Kb

The Provisional improvement notice (PIN) for use by safety and health reps - pro forma is provided to assist safety and health representatives.