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Faced with the ever-increasing burden of meeting health and safety requirements is a daunting task for directors and managers. An occupational health and safety lawyer will help advise on preventative measures, legislation, and documentation.
Workplace Health and Safety laws are in place to ensure that every company and employee works in a safe environment. They carry out a range of functions that guarantee that employees are provided with a safety net. These laws also cover wages, good faith bargaining and ensuring that the company and the employees get a fair deal should unfair dismissal occur.
Occupational health and safety lawyers help businesses in both the public and private sector. Their main role is to ensure that a workplace is complying to all relevant health and safety laws. These lawyers are trained and will inform a workplace of any risks that will impact the health and safety of customers and employees in a workplace.
In Australia, an occupational health and safety lawyer can be used in all industries. If you manage a place where people are employed to work, you should consider using an occupational health and safety lawyer. Occupational health and safety doesn't just cover an employee, it covers a company should a claim be created.
Essentially, work health and safety and occupational health and safety are the same. Work health and safety was a term adopted into laws across Australian states and territories in January 2012. The aim of using this new term was to create a model law that all states and territories would base their health and safety laws on.
The focus of an occupational health and safety lawyer is empowering a workforce and ensuring that employees' wellbeing is considered. Below are some of the elements included and not included in occupational health and safety law:
An occupational health and safety lawyer can provide the following services:
Occupational health and safety laws are always changing. An occupational health and safety lawyer is trained in these laws and understands how to apply a law to your sector, or business. Because they know how to interpret laws, they can mitigate and anticipate issues related to occupational health and safety laws. They are committed to protecting your business and will take the right action should any claims be made against you.
It's generally recommended to use a lawyer when it comes to occupational health and safety. These laws require strict compliance and any type of breach could mean your company could be subject to penalties. A lawyer will have a good understanding and be trained in the process. This means they can put in place the right procedures to ensure your employees have the best health and safety protections, and that your company won't be met with any unexpected claims.
Any injury that has taken place in a workplace due to a company's failure to comply can lead to huge penalties. In the worst-case scenario, it may also lead to prosecution. A well-trained occupational health and safety lawyer can ensure that the right measures are in place. This will help prevent workplace accidents from happening, as well as aid a business in defence against possible legal action because of a workplace incident.