What does the Health and Safety at Work Act (2015) say about worker engagement, representation and participation?

The PCBU must provide workers with reasonable opportunities to participate effectively in improving health and safety on an ongoing basis.

• In a small workplace (e.g. 5 workers) this could be having a monthly health and safety meeting with all staff.
• In larger workplaces, workers can elect health and safety representatives to represent their workgroup.
• Health and safety committees provide a forum for workers or health safety representatives to engage about health and safety.
• Workers, health and safety representatives and PCBUs (including managers) should deal with each other in good faith.

PCBUs must engage with workers about health and safety matters including identifying hazards and assessing and managing risks. If the workers are represented by a health and safety representative, the engagement must involve that representative.