South Australia: WHS consultation before workplace change
Scope and status
South Australia's June 2020 consultation code commenced on 4 June 2020. It guides businesses and public-sector duty holders on worker participation and coordination where organisations share WHS responsibilities.
What the code means
Consultation involves sharing relevant information, enabling workers to contribute before decisions, considering their views and communicating outcomes. Elected health and safety representatives must be involved where they represent affected workers. Consultation does not require agreement, but announcing a completed decision is not consultation.
As an approved code, it can inform a court's assessment of known risks and reasonably practicable precautions. Equivalent or better methods remain possible; the underlying statutory duties still apply.
Practical corrections application
For a proposed prison roster, equipment or work-system change, ask when affected shifts received risk information, how they could respond and how their concerns influenced the decision. Coordination with healthcare, maintenance and labour-hire providers matters too: shared responsibilities should not leave gaps.
Keep the proposal, risk assessment, worker submissions, HSR involvement and reasoned outcome together. This is an evidence checklist, not a finding that any particular change is unlawful.
Official source
Read the linked official PDF. Its non-commercial reproduction licence means this guide links to the original rather than reproducing it.
Comments