Work Health and Safety (WHS) Risk Management

Running head: WHS
Risk Management
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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Assessment 1:
Answer 1.
Part a. WHS Acts:
Comcare, the Government of Australia enforces Work Health and Safety Act 2011 or
WHS Act and Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011 or WHS Regulations which aim to
establish safe and secure working environment within the companies operating in Australia to
the possible extent. The WHS laws passed by the Commonwealth Government of Australia are
also applicable in the state level. The WHS act passed by the states are enforceable on the
business organisations operating within that state. A person conducting a business or undertaking
or PCBU needs to ensure that the risks in which can tantamount to employee injuries or fatalities
should be mitigated. However, in industries like construction industry where WHS risks cannot
be totally mitigated in reality, the PCBUs concerned should ensure that the risks are minimised
to the extent possible (Comcare.gov.au. 2019).
Part b. WHS Regulations:
The page 1 of the Model Work Health and Safety Regulations mentions that WHS
regulations were formed under the Work Health and Safety 2011 to ensure safety of workers in
Australia working in risk intensive industries like construction and mining. The regulations draw
their power from section 276 and Schedule 3 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011. The
regulations outline in great detail the procedures which the PCBUs are required to comply with
while employing in their projects. For example, Division 1, Part 2.1 of Chapter 2 namely
Representation and Participation clearly mentions that employees should employ employees

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of particular projects based on their skills and competencies in ways which would ensure safety
of the employees (Safeworkaustralia.gov.au. 2019).
Part c. WHS Code of Practise:
The work health and safety codes provide guidance to employers to ensure safety of their
employees. The WHS Codes of Practice should be approved as a part of the laws in the
concerned states of Australia. The codes of practices would also be applicable to the managers in
charge of subordinates. The WHS codes of practices only consider the safety risks which
employees may face while operating and do not cover other risks like macroeconomic risks
(Safeworkaustralia.gov.au. 2019).
Answer 2.
Part a. Hazard identification process
A review of the WHS risk management policy of the Woolworths Group shows that the
hazard identification process of the business conglomerate starts right from the apex
management level and flow down the organisational hierarchy. The hazard identification process
of the business group stands on five main principles. The first principle is the policy should aim
to manage the hazards so as to create value to the organisation. The second principle mentions
that the hazard identification policy of the business conglomerate should be integrated with the
core business decisions while the third principle mentions that the risk management policies
should be adapted to the business environment in which the conglomerate operates. The hazard
identification process should be dynamic and should be aligned with the organisational changes.
The hazard identification process of the Woolworths Group as per the fourth principle should be
transparent and include all the stakeholders concerned like the management and the employees.

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The fifth principle aims to strengthen the above mentioned four policies by providing training to
the employees from time to time. The hazard identification policy should commence under the
strict supervision and monitoring of the apex management (Woolworthsgroup.com.au. 2019).
Part b. Risk assessment process:
The risk assessment process of the Woolworths Group stands on three tier system. The
first tier or line of defence involves the management board of the Woolworths Group, the
divisional heads, the risk management representatives placed in each division and the all the
employees which also include the third party contractors. The second tier of risk assessment
process of the business conglomerate consists of identification of the risks which are capable of
impacting the entire group and risk oversight functions which involves communication of the
risks and the management methods using the high-end technological structure in possession of
the business conglomerate. The third line of defence of the risk assessment process of the
Woolworth Group consist of internal audit and external audit of the outcomes of the risk
management strategies implemented.
Part c. Risk management process:
The risk management process of the Woolworth Group embraces all the business units,
divisions and external stakeholders like customers. The risk management process of the group
aims to achieve high levels of business operations by minimising risks and managing them to the
extent possible. The Group Risk Management Process of the business conglomerate clearly
mentions that the ownership of the risk management includes all employees and takes into
account all the relevant laws and legislations enacted by the Government of Australia and the
concerned state governments.