Consulting , cooperating and coordinating activities with other duty holders
WHS Act section 46 Duty to consult with other duty holders
A PCBU must consult , cooperate and coordinate activities with all other persons who have a work health or safety duty in relation to the same matter , so far as is reasonably practicable .
Where there is more than one PCBU involved in work being carried out at the same location , each duty holder should exchange information to find out who is doing what task and work together in a cooperative and coordinated way , so risks are eliminated or minimised so far as is reasonably practicable .
An example of when multiple duty holders may need to consult , cooperate and coordinate is during installation of an engineered stone kitchen bench top in a home . During the installation , multiple PCBUs may carry out activities on the same site , such as electricians , plumbers , or cabinetmakers . They each have a duty to protect the health and safety of workers and other persons at the workplace and must therefore consult , cooperate and coordinate activities to ensure each person is made aware of what the others are doing , to identify the hazards and risks and decide who is best placed to take action to control the risks .
Duty holders ’ work activities may overlap and interact at times . When they share a duty , for example a duty in relation to the health and safety of the same worker or workers , or are involved in the same work , they will be required to consult , cooperate and coordinate activities with each other so far as is reasonably practicable .
See the Code of Practice : Work health and safety consultation , cooperation and coordination for guidance on consultation .
Providing information , training , instruction and supervision
WHS Act section 19 Primary duty of care WHS Regulation clause 39 Provision of information , training and instruction
The WHS Act requires that a PCBU ensures , so far as is reasonably practicable , the provision of any information , training , instruction and supervision that is necessary to protect all persons from risks to their health and safety arising from work with engineered stone that is carried out as part of the conduct of the business or undertaking .
A PCBU must ensure that information , training and instruction provided to a worker are suitable and adequate and have regard to :
− the nature of the work carried out by the worker − the nature of the risks associated with the work at the time the information , training and instruction is provided , and − the control measures implemented .
A PCBU must also ensure , so far as is reasonably practicable , that information , training and instruction are provided in a way that is readily understandable by any person to whom it is provided . A PCBU should consider any special requirements of the workers , for example ,
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