Safety on site

We’ve collated a summary of Southern Ports’ Health, Safety, Environment, Security and Heritage requirements for contractors. 

This handbook covers:

• Relative legislative requirements 

• Code of practices and standards

• Key site hazards and requirements

• Security 

• Contractor’s responsibilities for the safety of its workers 

• Safe systems of work

• Risk management 

• Training and competencies 

• Communication

• Emergency management and incident reporting

• Operational and planning control details

• Environmental controls 

We support an ‘I see it, I manage it’ approach to Work, Health, Safety, Environment and Security, and encourage all contractors and visitors to do the same. 

We empower our people to seek opportunities for continual improvement through: 

• field leadership engagements – an opportunity to be out in the field observing and engaging with a work group on hazards and exposures. This assists to recognise and increase positive conditions and behaviours, address any at risk conditions and behaviours, and reduce exposures. 

• critical control verifications – identifying critical controls for significant risks and verifying controls are in place and are working in the field. 

• stop work authority – empowers individuals to take personal responsibility to make decisions about work safety giving them the ability to stop work if they believe the task will endanger anyone, or if the task or work conditions are unsafe.

We also maintain a ‘just culture’ where if an incident was to occur, the question asked after is ‘what went wrong?’ rather than ‘who caused the problem?

An incident is any undesirable, unplanned event which results (or may result) in an injury or damage to people, plant, equipment or property. 

Immediately report to your Southern Ports Representative any of the following occur: 

• Injury 
• Incident 
• Hazards 
• Near miss 
• Damage 
• Environmental incidents, pollution, or spills. 

Your contract details specific incident reporting requirements above the below instructions. 

All incidents require: 

• Completion of a Southern Ports incident report. 

• Investigation in accordance with the potential or actual risk and as directed by the Southern Ports Representative or Port Health and Safety team. 

The Contractor is responsible for: 

• Reporting and recording hazards, near misses, incidents and injuries that occur on the worksite. 

• Immediate report of Incidents to the Southern Ports Representative and Port Health and Safety team. 

• Protecting the incident scene from being disturbed until authorised by the Southern Ports Health Safety and Security Manager or their representative.

We encourage everyone attending site to be familiar with our Emergency Procedures. 

In the unlikely event of an emergency, keep calm and: 

• Identify the location of the nearest Emergency Exit or Muster Point in the work area. 

• Identify the nearest Assembly Area. 

• Follow all instructions by Wardens. 

• Contractors must not return to the building or work area until instructed to by Wardens or Fire and Emergency Services Authority. 

• Contractors must report immediately all matters which may affect the safety and health of people who may be involved in or affected by a life-threatening emergency by dialling 000 and contacting Port Security. 

• Emergency exits and routes leading to them and away from them must be kept free from obstructions at all times.
  

According to Worksafe WA, the concept of fitness for work is broad and deals with the relationship between a worker and their ability to do their role in the job safely and competently. This goes beyond qualifications and experience – fitness for work deals with ‘individual’ factors such as the effect of:

• fatigue

• alcohol and/or other drug use

• dehydration

• medical fitness (if required for a specific role)

• mental health and wellbeing