Report on Planning WHS Management System: GoFuel Case Study

This report analyzes the WHS management system at GoFuel Pty Ltd, a company operating six service stations with retail shops and food bars. The report assesses the current WHS policies, including daily, weekly, and yearly activities, incident reports, PPE provision, and insurance policies. It proposes a design for an effective WHS management system, considering legal frameworks like the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, and emphasizes risk management, record-keeping, and the adoption of relevant policies from acquired businesses. The report also addresses worker consultation, highlighting the importance of employee training, open consultations, suggestion boxes, and worker representation. It examines concerns raised by employees, such as inadequate training and the impact of expansion, and proposes solutions including technical training, minimizing oil spillages, and educating workers on WHS regulations. The report concludes with a sample email communicating these solutions to stakeholders.

1
Running Head: Health and Safety at Work
Health and Safety at Work
Institution
Lecturer
Student
Course
Date

2
Health and Safety at Work
Assessment Task 1: A Report on Planning WHS management system

3
Health and Safety at Work
Introduction of the Work Place
GoFuel Pty Ltd workplace consists of six service stations within which other services are
provided. These include retail shops and food bars, and there is a stockroom as well as the office
of the store manager. The working environment primarily deals with highly sensitive products
such as the fuel, gas, and oil as well as the supermarket goods, cold drinks and the hot pies; with
24-hour-a-day operations.
The company's working environment has an employee base of 60 employees, who belong to
different linguistic and cultural backgrounds, and the majority of them have a high school
education level. It is also significant to note that some of the employees have poor English
literacy which may impact on their capabilities of the service delivery.
GoFuel deals in an industry that requires a high level of safety at the workplace first for the
employees and then to the customers (Bega Valley Shire Council, 2014). Safety is a necessity
and there are certain requirements a company need to put in place to ensure they comply with
acceptable WHS measures which includes having a protected working environment, proper
cautioning procedures, safety guidelines, fire extinguishers as well as protective gears.
In the review of the information provided by the GoFuel Pty Ltd, a number of policies and
procedures can be termed as the relevant in as far as WHS is concerned:
 Activities based on a daily, weekly, and yearly basis.
 The periodic backing of the electronic data is a good sign.
 Incident summary reports.
 Provision of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
 The insurance policies are in place.
 There are first aid kits in every store and most fully stocked.

4
Health and Safety at Work
Research on the Proposed Design of WHSMS
Devising an effective WHS management system requires an extensive consideration of all the
legal frameworks that are in place (Sparq Solutions, n.d.). It makes much sense for the
management framework to consider all the available legal policies that guide all the workplace
safety measures in regard to WHS rules and regulations.
The close consideration of the available legal measures ensures the company’s continued
fulfillment of the WHS for its employees without breaching the set national standards (Safe
Work Australia, n.d.). Furthermore, it also gives the company a clean bill and prevents any
unnecessary complications in case of the employee complaints.
For instance, the Victorian WHS legal framework comprises of the latest regulations which
commenced on June of 2017 (Work Safe Victoria, n.d.). The proposed codes in relation WHS
included the hazardous manual compliance codes, dangerous substance handling code, the plant
compliance, demolition compliance and Noise compliance codes among other codes.
The Work Health and Safety Act 2011 provide a clear framework for the protection of the
welfare, health, and safety of all employees at the workplace. The WHS act provides protection
for all workers including the employees, the contractors, outworkers, volunteers and even the
work experience students among others. The Act also sets out the regulations for the notification
of the incidents, discussions with the workers, problems around the offenses and penalties,
dispute resolution and the power and functions of the inspectors (State of Queensland, 2015).
The WHS management systems for a company like GoFuel require strict measures in risk
management, starting from the provision of the protective gears for the workers and ensuring
they use them appropriately. Also, the records in every activity within the firm, from employee
information to incident and insurance records are all fundamental.

5
Health and Safety at Work
Relevant Policies and Procedures Adapted from Acquiring Business
The acquisition of any business entity would call for the adoption of some of the existing policies
and regulations. Therefore, GoFuel’s acquisition of ISS meant that the company had to retain and
adapt some of the regulations and procedures of the ISS.
The Smoking Policy
Given that the GoFuel acquisition of ISS involved the companies in the same industry and the
same operation line; adapting the smoking policy is a crucial step. Fuels are highly flammable,
which means that, if the smoking trends are not regulated within the working environment, then
hazardous fire incidents might be inevitable.
Alcohol and Drugs Policy
The use of alcohol and other forms of drugs influences the actions of the workers and how they
work. That is why it is a very important for the company to adopt policies that regulate the use of
drugs at the workplace to enhance safety for everyone within the work environment.
Emergency Procedures
The relevant emergency procedures that can effectively be adopted in this case by GoFuel
includes the fire emergency procedures to prevent fire incidences; the first aid procedures in case
of any injuries at the workplace, the fuel spill procedure, and the armed hold up in case of an
attack by the robbers or buglers at the workplace.
Additional, the record keeping procedure should be prioritized, which includes records of the
incidents, employee information, the insurance information, the records on the employee training
and records on the workers' compensations schemes among others. The adoption of all these
recordkeeping steps is to ensure that all the safety regulations of the employees are addressed
effectively in relation to WHS requirements.

6
Health and Safety at Work
Human, Physical and Financial Resources Required
The implementation of a WHS management system requires a combination of human, physical
and financial investment to realize its full implementation. Human resources are required and
these involve the employees, and the management (Shen et al. 2009); the physical resources like
the premises and the equipment used to implement, and most importantly, the finance, which is
the most crucial determinant of all the required resources.
This WHS management system framework would require inputs of the store managers, shift
managers and cashiers, and WHS consultant. In addition, training rooms are required for the
effective implementation. The total cost of the above-mentioned factors billed on the hourly
basis would cost at an average of $250.
Record Keeping Policy and Procedure
Records should be kept in a more defined way which addresses all the concerns and the
occurrences that happen within the working environment. These records would involve
information on the hazard reports, and the incident reports among others. The template below
represents a sample template in which most types of incidences are recorded.
Type of the Incident Total
No. The Affected Person(s) Work Days
Lost
Fuel Spill
Fire in rubbish bin
Slip on wet shop floor
Falling stock in reserve
Trip
Burns

7
Health and Safety at Work
Assessment Task 2: A Report on Managing workers’ consultation

8
Health and Safety at Work
Introduction
The successful implementation of a WHS management system framework depends on the
management’s ability to involve the workers in the decision making since they are the primary
subjects in regards to the WHS regulations. It is therefore imperative for the management to
adhere to the workers’ plights (Hussain & Ahmad, 2012; Turner, Huemann, & Keegan, 2010).
Successful firms give much attention to what the workers have to say in regards to what affects
them, and this involves having a good human resources team within the firm. The coordination
between the management and the workers will reduce unnecessary friction and the general
possibility of violating WHS regulations.
The eventual complaints by some section of the employees of GoFuel underline the company’s
need to urgently review their WHS management system. Given this is an area which directly
affects the employees; it would prove a costly mistake if the management totally ignored their
efforts to have their contributions considered.
An effective WHS management framework considers all the organizational factors that are
directly related to the worker safety measures, and in compliance with the existing set of rules,
policies and legal frameworks within the country of operation.
There are many ways the company can involve the participation of the employees in the WHS
decision making process. Their contribution, however, has to be reviewed and evaluated to
determine how effectively they can address the health and safety problems of the workers at the
workplace.
Some of the procedure to ensure employee participation in WHS decision making include
employee training, open session consultation with the management, the use of suggestion boxes,
allowing the workers elect their own representatives and addressing emerging concerns.

9
Health and Safety at Work
Employee Training
Employees at GoFuel are not effectively trained to deal with safety requirements that are set out
in the legal frameworks for WHS. This is partly because the company has not taken the
appropriate steps in offering extensive training to its employees. Therefore, employee training
would equip the employee with the ability to contribute positively to the WHS goals.
Open Session Consultations
Once in a while, open session consultation between the top management and the employees is
crucial for the involvement of all the parties in the decision making processes. It involves
allowing employees to air their views about what affects them most in relation to WHS.
The Use of Suggestion Boxes
Suggestion boxes are good ways of letting the employees air their view without necessarily
having to meet the management. The management will have a chance of reading the common
employee concerns and addressing them when necessary. The down part of this technique is that
an ignorant management may as well scuttle the raised concerns by the employees.
Allow Workers Elect their Representatives
Workers feel comfortable if they are represented with one of their own in presenting their
plights. For that reason, allowing the workers to elect their own representatives in the decision-
making processes could be a wise idea in ensuring the employee participation. It also increases
the workers’ confidence in the management.
Addressing the Workers’ Concerns
Workers at the GoFuel have had concerns over poor training and the management’s poor
reaction to their call of action and safety measures. There is a greater need for the CEO to
address these issues to ensure full worker contribution.

10
Health and Safety at Work
Reviews of the Summary of the Consultation Meetings with the Workers
Through the several consultative meetings with a section of the employees, there are a number of
open concerns expressed by the employees. These concerns also explained the impact of
expansion has had on the GoFuel company after buying the ISS stores.
The meeting with Amanda Kaisig, the flagship store Manager revealed the struggles GoFuel is
facing in addressing WHS requirements. Amanda outlined that the fuel spills could have a very
damaging outcome on the environmental report of the company. Secondly, she is concerned by
the rising burns and lack of procedures to train workers on how to use the ovens. Then lastly, she
is doubtful of GoFuel's capacity to handle the expanded premises which include the bought ISS
stores. These sentiments were further confirmed by Pat Lee, the worker representative formerly
at ISS store. He outlines lack of technical training for the employees, poor morale from the team
and the general unawareness of the WHS legal frameworks by most employees.
Possible Solutions
The effective implementation of the GoFuel’s WHS management system would require a
complete address on the pertinent issues affecting the company by the management. The
company, therefore, needs to urgently come up with quick solutions in offering technical training
to the employees as well as addressing the worker safety problems.
The company should develop a training program to equip the workers with the required technical
skills. Secondly, GoFuel should, by all means, minimize on the oil spillages as this may
negatively impact on their environmental responsibility. Then finally, given that most of the
workers do not have basic knowledge about legal WHS measures at the workplace, the company
should take the responsibility of educating and inform them about legal parameters that guide
their operations as it is their right to know and exercise those regulations.

11
Health and Safety at Work
An Email Communicating Solutions
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Solutions to the Raised Concerns
The Team,
Following your effective and elaborate expression of the problems that majorly touch on the
employee training and other WHS legal frameworks; I’m glad to inform you about my proposed
solutions to the raised concerns ailing the GoFuel company in regards to WHS requirements:
1. The company should undertake, on a serious note, a very intensive worker training on the
technical matters starting with the machine operations and basic safety measures to
minimize the frequent injuries during the working process.
2. Secondly, there should be urgent mechanisms that should address the spillages of oil, as
this would negatively impact on the company’s image, in regards to the environmental
responsibilities.
3. Thirdly, after noting that most of the employees do not understand what entails of WHS
as far as their work safety is concerned, it is in the best interest of the company to inform
them about these legal frameworks, as they have the right to understand and exercise.
The three outlined remedies are generalized as the main sensitive issues and concerns affecting
the company. However, I advise that the company to further carry out extensive analysis and
provide solutions where possible to every aspect of their WHS management system.
Best Regards,
WHS Consultant.
References

12
Health and Safety at Work
Bega Valley Shire Council. (2014). Work Health & Safety Management. Procedure 5.05.1.
Hussain, M., & Ahmad, M. (2012). Mostly Discussed Research areas in Human Resource
Management (HRM) – A Literature Review. International Journal of Economics and
Management Sciences, 10-17.
Safe Work Australia. (n.d.). Model WHS Laws. Available at:
https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/law-and-regulation/model-whs-laws
Shen, J., Chanda, A., D'Netto, B., & Monga, M. (2009). Managing diversity through human
resource management: an international perspective and conceptual framework. The
International Journal of Human Resource Management.
Sparq Solutions. (n.d.). Work Health and Safety Management System. 0819 SPARQ. Available
at: https://www.sparq.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/41348/0819-SPARQ-Work-
Health-and-Safety-Management-System.pdf
State of Queensland. (2015). Guide to the Work Health and Safety Act 2011. Queensland
Government.
Turner, R., Huemann, M., & Keegan. (2010). .A Human resource management in the project-
oriented organization: Employee well-being and ethical treatment. International Journal of
Project Management.
Work Safe Victoria. (n.d.). Compliance codes review. Available at:
http://consultation.worksafe.vic.gov.au/Compliance-Codes