• Section 1 - Purpose
• Section 2 - Scope
• Section 3 - Policy
• Policy Statement
• Principles
• Section 4 - Responsibility and Accountability
• Section 5 - Definitions

Section 1 - Purpose

(1) Melbourne Polytechnic (the Institute) recognises its obligations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic) and is committed to providing and maintaining a healthy and safe working environment for the prevention of work-related injury and ill health.

(2) The purpose of this Policy is to affirm this commitment and to outline the principles of how it will be met.

Section 2 - Scope

(3) This Policy:

1. Applies to all employees and students of Melbourne Polytechnic, any independent contractor and any employee of any independent contractor engaged by Melbourne Polytechnic.
2. Is developed in adherence to, and compliance with, the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic) the Workplace Injury Rehabilitation & CompensationAct 2013 (Vic) and accompanying regulations.

Section 3 - Policy

Policy Statement

(4) Melbourne Polytechnic commits, so far as reasonably practicable to providing work and learning environments that are safe and without risks to the health, safety and wellbeing of all students, employees, independent contractors and their employees and visitors.

Principles

(5) Nil

(6) Melbourne Polytechnic’s Health, Safety and Wellbeing Management System (HSWMS) sets out how this Policy is to be implemented. 

Section 4 - Responsibility and Accountability

(7) For details regarding responsibilities and accountabilities in the context of health, safety and wellbeing at Melbourne Polytechnic, please refer to the HSW Standard: HSW Roles, Responsibilities and Accountabilities. This standard is considered an extension of the HSW Policy and therefore carries the same importance and authority with regards to HSW responsibility and accountability.

Section 5 - Definitions

(8) For the purpose of this Policy, the following definitions and acronyms apply:

1. Employee: A person who has a contract of employment or a contract of education with Melbourne Polytechnic.
2. Hazard: A situation or thing which has potential to cause harm to a person.
3. HSW: Health, safety and wellbeing (aka occupational health and safety).
4. HSWMS: The management system used to establish health, safety and wellbeing policies and objectives and the processes to achieve those objectives.
5. Near Miss: is an incident which did not result in property damage, injury or illness but which has the potential to result in one or more of these outcomes.
6. Notifiable incident: Incidents that must be reported to WorkSafe Victoria or Energy Safe Victoria due to their outcomes or potential outcomes (e.g. death of an employee. hospitalisation of an employee, immediate medical treatment for serious lacerations or electric shock).
7. Risk :The possibility that harm (death, injury, or illness) might occur when a person is exposed to a hazard.