Public sector agencies preparing their annual report must include data on workplace health, safety and injury management performance and commitment to support the Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy 2012-2022, and National Strategic Plan for Asbestos Awareness and Management 2019-2023.
Annual reporting guidelines
See Annual report guidelines 2023/24 for all reporting requirements.
Note: Instructions for public sector agencies to report annually on their work health, safety, and injury management performance were previously provided in PSC Circular 2018/03. In 2020, PSC requested rationalisation of Commissioner Circulars and consequently this circular has been revoked, and the reporting requirements are provided here.
Annual reporting for 2023/24
Agency resources, agencies are required to report quantitative performance data in the 2023/24 annual report, as shown in the template for 2022/2023 performance reporting, and progress in achieving the relevant targets of the National Strategic Plan for Asbestos Awareness and Management 2019-2023.
For enquiries, email publicsectorWHS@dmirs.wa.gov.au
Performance reporting
Report performance against the following targets:
| Indicator | Target |
|---|---|
| Number of fatalities | Zero (0) |
| Lost time injury and disease (LTI/D) incidence rate | Zero (0) or 10% improvement on the previous three (3) years |
| Lost time injury and disease (LTI/D) severity rate | Zero (0) or 10% improvement on the previous three (3) years |
| Percentage of injured workers returned to work within (i) 13 weeks and (ii) 26 weeks | Greater than or equal to 80% return to work within 26 weeks |
| Percentage of managers and supervisors trained in work health and safety injury management responsibilities | Greater than or equal to 80% |
Template for performance reporting
The table below will assist agencies to meet their quantitative reporting requirements and support consistency in reporting.
| Measures | Results - Base year * | Results - Prior year | Results - Current reporting year | Targets | Comments about targets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of fatalities | X.XX | X.XX | X.XX | 0 | … |
| Lost time injury and disease incidence rate | X.XX | X.XX | X.XX | 0 or 10% reduction in incidence rate | … ** |
| Lost time injury and severity rate | X.XX | X.XX | X.XX | 0 or 10% reduction in severity rate | … ** |
| Percentage of injured workers returned to work (i) within 13 weeks | X.XX | X.XX | X.XX | Actual target to be stated | … |
| Percentage of injured workers returned to work (ii) within 26 weeks | X.XX | X.XX | X.XX | Greater than or equal to 80% | … |
| Percentage of managers trained in work health and safety injury management responsibilities, including refresher training within 3 years | X.XX | X.XX | X.XX | Greater than or equal to 80% | … |
* The performance reporting examines a three-year trend and, as such, the comparison base year is to be two years prior to the current reporting year.
** Comment on agency performance over the three-year period.
Qualitative requirements
While agencies may choose to report on usual qualitative measures, it is not a requirement for 2023/24. Qualitative measures include:
- a statement of the agency’s commitment to workplace health, safety and injury management, with an emphasis on executive commitment
- a description of the formal mechanism for consultation with employees on workplace health and safety matters
- a statement of compliance with injury management requirements of the Workers’ Compensation and Injury Management Act 1981, including the development of return to work plans
- a statement confirming that an assessment of the workplace health and safety management system has been completed (within the past five years or sooner, depending on the risk profile of the agency) using a recognised assessment tool
- a report of the percentage of agreed actions completed following assessment of the workplace health and safety management system
Agencies may choose to provide other information such as:
- an overview of the agency’s occupational safety and health, and injury management systems — for amalgamated departments, this could include the status of systems consolidation
- new activities or initiatives for the year
- awards
- critical incidents
- prosecutions
- incident, accident and lost time injury and disease trends
- number of elected safety and health representatives trained
- frequency of Safety and Health Committee meetings.
National Strategic Plan for Asbestos Awareness and Management 2019-2023
The National Strategic Plan for Asbestos Awareness and Management 2019-2023 is consistent with the Western Australian Government policy on occupational safety and health.
On 9 November 2020, the Western Australian Government endorsed targets one to seven (targets eight and nine are Federal targets) of the National Strategic Plan for Asbestos Awareness and Management 2019-2023, which aims to eliminate asbestos-related diseases in Australia by preventing exposure to asbestos fibres.
Each State and local government department, agency, authority and government enterprise is required to report on its progress in achieving Western Australia’s targets.
Reporting progress in achieving the relevant targets of the National Strategic Plan for Asbestos Awareness and Management 2019-2023
Agencies may include an overview of activities relating to:
- identifying and assessing the risks associated with asbestos-containing material from within government owned and controlled buildings, land and infrastructure
- developing and maintaining plans for the risk-based management of asbestos-containing materials, which includes removal where required
- asbestos compliance and enforcement (such as improvement notice, prohibition notice, prosecution action etc.)
- asbestos awareness, including training, publications and guidance materials.
Agencies may choose to report on other aspects of their asbestos management strategy.
Definitions part 1
Show moreCommitment to work health and safety and injury management
This should outline the agency’s work health and safety and injury management approach. In particular, this should include executive-level commitment, and how this is demonstrated to staff by the senior executive.
This section may also include details on policies and how they are communicated and implemented in the agency, and outline the agency’s annual strategic goals and targets for work health and safety and injury management performance.
Formal mechanism for consultation with employees on work health and safety and health and injury management matters
This should briefly outline what consultation takes place between the senior executives, managers, employees, health and safety representative and contractors, including the process for communicating this mechanism to employees.
Compliance with the injury management requirements of the Workers’ Compensation and Injury Management Act 1981, including the development of return-to-work plans
This should confirm the agency has a documented injury management system in accordance with the Workers’ Compensation and Injury Management Act 1981 and outline how it is made available to employees. It should also confirm that return-to-work programs are developed in accordance with this Act.
Assessment of work health and safety management system
This should outline the assessment of the work health and safety system that has been completed using a recognised assessment tool, such as WorkSafe Plan; SafetyMAP (Safety Management Achievement Program); Australian Standard AS/NZS 4801:2001 Occupational health and safety management systems; or other recognised assessment tool compliant with AS/NZS 4801:2001.
Agencies are required to conduct the assessment within the previous five years or sooner depending on the risk profile of the agency. If no assessment was undertaken during the year, the agency should report the year of the last assessment, the tool used and progress towards completing the agreed actions (percentage of actions completed) arising from the assessment.
Note: A work health and safety management system is a documented and verifiable set of plans, actions and procedures that can assist both management and employees to clearly identify their work health and safety responsibilities and manage them in an organised manner.
Definitions part 2
Show moreFatalities
The definition is aligned with that of the Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy 2012-2022.
The fatalities to be reported relate to people who died from injuries that arose through work-related activity. This includes fatalities resulting from an injury sustained in the course of a work activity (worker fatalities) and as a result of someone else’s work activity (bystander fatalities).
The scope of this definition includes all persons:
- who were fatally injured, and
- whose injuries resulted from work activity or exposures, and
- whose injuries occurred in an incident that took place in Western Australia or its coastal waters.
It also includes all persons who died:
- while working including unpaid volunteers and family workers, and persons undertaking work experience within Western Australia or its coastal waters or travelling for work (worker fatalities), or
- as a result of someone else’s work activity (bystander fatalities).
The definition excludes those who died:
- of iatrogenic injuries, where the worker died due to medical intervention such as medical examination or treatment
- due to natural causes such as heart attacks and strokes, except where a work-related injury was the direct cause of the heart attack or stroke
- as a result of diseases, such as cancers
- by self-inflicted injuries (suicide)
- while the worker was commuting to or from work (commuter fatalities), and
- as a result of criminal activity.
The data should be reported by the date of death.
Lost time injury and disease (LTI/D) incidence rate
This is the number of lost time injury and disease claims lodged where one day or shift or more was lost from work. The number of employees is the agency’s full-time equivalent (FTE) figure. The number of LTI/Ds is divided by the number of employees, then multiplied by 100.
Data should be reported by the date the claim was lodged, and include those compensated fatalities where one day or shift or more was lost from work.
Claims that are lodged in the period but pended should be included in your numbers.
Lost time injury and disease (LTI/D) severity rate
This is a measure of incident or accident prevention and the effectiveness of injury management.
The severity rate is the number of severe lost time injuries and diseases (actual or estimated 60 days or more lost from work) divided by the number of LTI/D claims multiplied by 100.
Only compensated fatalities where 60 days or shifts or more was lost are included. Data should be reported by the date the claim was lodged.
Injury management and return to work
The success and effectiveness of the agency’s injury management practices in facilitating a sustainable return-to-work outcomes for injured workers is measured using the percentage of injured workers (lost time claims) who returned to work within (i) 13 weeks and (ii) 26 weeks. The data is extracted for a specified period covering 12 months. For this measure, calendar year data is suggested to ensure that the claims reported are more than 26 weeks old.
(i) the number of the injured workers who returned to work to full hours and full duties (of a real job) on or before 13 weeks is divided by the number of LTI/Ds reported, then multiplied by 100.
(ii) the number of the injured workers who returned to work to full hours and full duties (of a real job) on or before 26 weeks is divided by the number of LTI/Ds reported, then multiplied by 100.
Agencies are required to report the percentage result for (i) 13 weeks and (ii) 26 weeks, with performance against the 80 per cent target relating only to (ii) 26 weeks.
Managers and supervisors trained in work health and safety and injury management responsibilities
This is reported as the percentage of managers with current training in their responsibilities for work health and safety and injury management. Manager includes anyone who supervises staff. The frequency of refresher training is at the discretion of the agency, however it should be at least every three years or sooner if the risk profile of the agency or work areas changes significantly, or when there are legislative changes.
