OHS which stands for Occupational Health and Safety and WHS which is for Work Health and Safety are widely used concepts. No doubt, both are related to the health and safety of workers. But are they synonymous or is there a sharp difference between OHS and WHS? The answer is ‘they are the same’! WHS was in fact coined later to use in place of OHS. Both the terms relate to the same thing i.e. organisations assuring the protection of their workers from job-related risks or accidents. Why are there two separate terms and what do they mean? This blog is going to explain that for you.
The term WHS emerged as a new term for OHS in the year 2012 when new regulations for workplace health and safety (i.e., WHS Laws) were introduced in almost all states and territories of Australia. Before that, different OHS laws were practised by the states or territories. Therefore, the main purpose was to harmonise all the laws across the country and bring a common set of WHS regulations for all organisations. This also helped organisations to bring consistency in their health and safety management practices by complying with the established laws and regulations.
WHS regulations are a set of obligations for every employer in Australia which includes codes of practices, broad responsibilities, compliance requirements, and specific safety conditions to maintain at the workplaces. Meeting those regulations improves the welfare of workers, boosts productivity, and builds their organisation’s reputation. The key regulations are related to:
• Provision of safe workplaces and premises
• Methodical approach for identification of workplace hazards and addressing them
• Safety protocols, toolkits, and equipment for the workers
• Documentation of the health and safety policy, practices, and management system
• Training the workers on how to fulfil their responsibilities regarding workplace safety
• Induction of the new workers on policies and practices
• Periodic assessment of risks and implementation of corrective and preventive actions (CAPA)
• Providing adequate compensation to workers including health insurances
At the same time, the workers too are required to fulfil certain responsibilities to ensure their own safety which are:
• Sincerely following the given health and safety instructions
• Using all the protective equipment, safety gear, etc. properly
• Not misusing any equipment provided for their safety
• Not intentionally putting themselves or any other co-workers at risks
Ensuring WHS is a legal necessity for every organisation. You need a strong, well-planned WHS management system implemented in your organisation to meet all the obligations. It also provides numerous benefits to your business in the short and long term.
• Help workers to concentrate and perform better which improves your business’s productivity
• Reduced costs of accidental hazards or injuries
• Minimisation of downtime due to occupational hazards or incidents
• Reduced cost of the workers’ compensations such as insurance claims
• Reduction in absenteeism and fewer disruptions in the operations
• Increase in employee turnover and reduced costs of acquiring new resources
• Better recognition in the industry due to compliance with WHS regulations which provides a competitive edge
• Increase in the interests of suppliers, contractors, etc. to work with your organisation
Meeting WHS regulations ensure that your organisation has an appropriate management system in place to address the employees’ safety and health concerns when they are at work. It can also save costs and increases the profitability of your organisation in many ways.
Whether an organisation uses the term WHS or OHS to define their approach for workplace health and safety, the implications are the same. But, to make employees and other stakeholders believe that your organisation complies with the legally established WHS regulations, you need to use the former term. WHS is the preferred terminology here even though the meaning of both stands the same. Though the reason for such preference is still not clear, it is probably because of the word ‘work’ used in WHS. It is easily understandable by the employees, customers, investors, suppliers, contractors, etc. that your company is focused on ensuring safety at work. Also, it makes the WHS terminology shorter which is simple to pronounce and write than OHS which is occupational health and safety.
Clearly, there is no practical difference between OHS and WHS except that the later term is more widely used across Australia. Both refer to the responsibilities of an organisation to maintain the safety of its employees at the worksite. So, what an organisation needs to emphasise is meeting the federal regulations with a strong management system and make their workplace safe and hygienic for the staff.
If you need any help on your WHS or OHS management system, Compliancehelp can help you. For more information or consultation on workplace health and safety, reach for your team.
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