General Workplace Safety

The General Workplace Safety SOP is a comprehensive document designed to help organizations identify and mitigate risks associated with slips, manual handling, chemical exposure, and more. It is crucial for workplaces seeking to maintain safety standards and ensure compliance with Australian legislation. This document is useful for managers, supervisors, and safety officers who are responsible for creating a safe working environment and preventing workplace incidents.

• Slips, trips, and falls from poor housekeeping → fractures, sprains
• Manual handling injuries from untrained or unassessed lifting
• Failure to identify task-specific hazards leading to incidents
• Plant-pedestrian interactions in shared zones → fatality
• Failure to report near-misses leading to escalation to incidents
• Chemical exposure from unidentified or improperly stored substances
• Fatigue, dehydration, and heat-related illness in outdoor workers
• Workplace violence or aggression

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth) — Sections 19–29 (primary duty of care); Section 38 (notifiable incidents)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Cth) — Chapter 3 General Risk and Workplace Management
• Safe Work Australia — Code of Practice: How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks
• Safe Work Australia — Code of Practice: Managing the Work Environment and Facilities
• AS/NZS ISO 45001 — Occupational health and safety management systems
• AS/NZS 4801 — Occupational health and safety management systems (legacy)
• Safe Work Australia — Guide for Conducting a Workplace Risk Assessment
• Take 5 / SLAM card and Site Induction Register (associated documents)