Does the harmonized Work Health and Safety act adequately address the health and safety issues arising from gig work?

This essay examines whether the Work Health and Safety act adequately addresses the health and safety issues arising from gig work. It discusses the objectives of the act, the challenges faced by gig workers, and the importance of implementing strict policies for maintaining a safe working environment.

Does the harmonized Work Health and Safety act
adequately address the health and safety issues
arising from gig work?

Table of Contents
Essay................................................................................................................................................1
References........................................................................................................................................4

Essay
Work health and safety (WHS) Act refers to a set of policies and guidelines for organisations in
order to project employees, contractors, sub-contractors, outworkers, apprentices & trainees,
work experience students, volunteers and employers who perform work. It includes the legal
regulation which is helpful to protect employees and workers while performing at work place.
Meanwhile, it consist the fact that WHS Act plays an important role for setting requirements of
several aspects including incident notifications, consultation with workers, issue resolution,
inspector powers & functions and offences & penalties. Basically, it has been analysed that WHS
Act 2011 is responsible for providing a framework in terms of protecting their health, safety and
welfare of staff members. It includes the criterion of securing all those individuals who might be
get affected by the work (Ahonen and et. al., 2018). This Act has another criterion of focussing
of health and safety of general public who were at risk or may affected by work activities carried
out by an organisation. However, it has been analysed that business organisation are required to
follow WHS act in respect of ensuring health and safety of all the permanent and temporary
employees working there. It is necessary to follow the guidelines of this legislations for maintain
safe environment and vapid relevant problems in company. It is favourable to remove chance of
occurring mistake which may develop issue. Moreover, the requirements of instruments hold be
focussed and manage them at work so that safety of staff members can be ensured respectively.
In addition to this, it is essential for management authorities to evaluate risky situation and areas
to take effective steps for maintaining safe work place. It includes the slippery area due to release
of chemicals then dangerous incidents of falls may occur in which bone fractures, severe head
injury or broken bone may happen with staff. Meanwhile, every business organisation is required
to focus on requirements and guidelines provided by WHS act in regards to Health & safety to
fulfil them effectively (Reese, 2018). The WHS Act has its own specific objectives which are
helpful to maintain healthy environment of working and solve problematic situations in proper
manner. Initially, it has an aim to ensuring health, safety and welfare of staff members at work
place. Secondly, it consist the criterion of protecting non-employees against the health & safety
risks that may arise from work activities. Thirdly, it involves the focus on controlling the keeping
and use of explosive or highly inflammable or dangerous substances at work place. Overall the
use of equipment’s and handling substances should be done in such a manner that nobody will
injure or harm by it. However, it is favourable to maintain health and safety by addressing
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relevant issues at workplace arising from gig work. It is required for business organisation to
establish strict policies regarding health & safety and remain strong for it then temporary
employees and permanent workers both will follow rules effectively. It will facilitate to address
the relevant problems and reduce chance of occur such issues in institutions.
On the other hand, the health and safety issue were developed from gig work because they
perform temporarily in an organisation then they do not work in correct manner. It has been
analysed that gig workers has responsibility to perform more dangerous and risky projects which
needs extra careful attempt and safety concerns (Farr and et. al., 2019). It is observed that most
of workers who were perform under private contractors face several severe injuries who were
working in project of constructing Highway Bridge, dam etc. However, it is observed that such
daily wages workers faced difficulty and work 12 hours by working hard at risky sites towards
which special safety arrangements are must for ensuring their security. It has been identified that
some private contractors gain extra funds for safety management but they do not put it for the
same due to which many of daily wages workers face problems and severe injuries. It is
necessary for organisations to make sure that whatever amounts they are providing to contractors
for safety concerns that will be delivered to a right perform i.e. workers.
The other major problem is that gig workers work hard but they did not get correct amount of
payments and they do not have any right to question about their pay scale to their contractors. It
includes that gig workers were not much powerful to fight for their right due to not having power
of money and political support as they live in poor conditions. However, the working
environment is poor and risky for gig workers where WHS Act is not followed appropriately. It
is necessary to make an individual feel free and safe to work by providing them healthy working
environment (Oliveira, Lopes and Bana e Costa, 2018). It is observed that gig workers has
another problem that they do not have any kind of pension scheme, sick pay and parental leave
which develop difficulty for them as well as their family members. A gig worker remains poor
and manages their expenses of children with extreme difficulty. In order to improve condition of
gig workers, business organisations and government should take strong steps for improving their
quality of life.
The organisation should apply WHS Act because it is helpful to ensure health and safety of
employees by providing guidelines about severe aspects which are mentioned here. It includes
for providing and maintaining safety equipment along with safe systems of work. Basically, it
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will focus on ensuring proper use of materials by storing, handling, using and transporting the
same. It is necessary to render information, training, instructions and supervision which is
suitable for ensuring that employees are aware about instructions given by producers as well as
suppliers of equipment. Meanwhile, it has been evaluated that WHS Act provides instructions to
render safe place of employment and working environment. It is necessary to provide written
safety policy and risk assessment. Additionally, this act address the health and safety issues by
providing responsibility of employees regarding the same including to take care of themselves
and other people working with them. They should cooperate with each other and not interfere
with anything provided in the interest to health & safety.
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References
Books and journals
Ahonen, E.Q. and et. al., 2018. Health and Safety Issues for Workers in Nonstandard
Employment. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Global Public Health.
Farr, D. and et. al., 2019. Talking, listening and acting: Developing a conceptual framework to
explore'worker voice'in decisions affecting health and safety outcomes. New Zealand Journal of
Employment Relations, 44(1), p.79.
Oliveira, M.D., Lopes, D.F. and Bana e Costa, C.A., 2018. Improving occupational health and
safety risk evaluation through decision analysis. International Transactions in Operational
Research, 25(1), pp.375-403.
Reese, C.D., 2018. Occupational health and safety management: a practical approach. CRC
press.
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