Facilities Compliance and Safety for Workforce Accountability

Facilities Compliance and Safety for Workforce Accountability

Safe buildings are based on people who understand their roles and do them routinely every day. Facilities compliance and safety provide managers with no ambiguity about who did what, when and why. This guide provides an overview of the role of clear standards, records and checks as a means of strengthening workforce accountability.

Understanding Compliance Duties Across Facility Teams

Teams of facility workers have a lot of responsibilities. Different duties protect people, property and equipment for cleaners, maintenance personnel, security officers and supervisors. Work health and safety laws are applicable in all states of Australia, and there are various rules in different states and industries.

Managers should check with the appropriate regulatory body what their requirements are. Compliance is not a one-time project or task, nor a chore. It is a consistent practice to check, record and improve, which is practised by all people on site.

Why Duties Get Missed

Duties are frequently forgotten when they are kept in a separate memory, folder or email. Knowledge is transferred to the next person when the member of staff switches roles. This is where an unambiguous job description for every position comes in handy. New starters can learn what to expect, and supervisors can ensure nothing has been missed.

Facilities Compliance and Safety in Employee Conduct

Safe Conduct is not merely about not having accidents. It covers adherence to procedures, appropriate equipment and treating others and visitors with respect.

Conduct is explicit; staff are clear about what is expected. Supervisors have the opportunity to provide fair feedback, since the standard is written and shared.

For the most part, a straightforward code of conduct, including safe work practices, PPE and respectful behaviour, will suffice. It should NOT be handed out but should be explained in layman's terms. It is important to acknowledge as well as correct good conduct, rather than just bad conduct.

Good behaviour is rewarded and can have a positive impact on other people's behaviour. Contractors and visitors will also need to be aware of the rules. Pre-set expectations with a short induction at the entrance to the site.

Speaking Up Safely

Employers need to ensure that workers can report without blame if there is a risk or near miss. Small issues are addressed prior to them becoming significant incidents.

The manager should respond to each report, and they should make it clear to the worker what they did. This is an indication of the power of speaking up and making a difference.

Establishing Clear Workplace Responsibility Standards

Safe buildings are based on people who understand their roles and do them routinely every day. With facilities compliance and safety, there is never any confusion as to who, what, when and why. This guide gives a high-level overview of the role of clear standards, records and checks as a way to enhance the accountability of staff.

Roles need to be constantly reviewed. The content of the sites is subject to change, and a duty that was appropriate to the site last year may not be suitable for it this year.

Back-Up Owners

There has to be a backup for accountability. The named person can be on leave, but there must be a deputy in place at all times; otherwise, the task would not be completed.

Staff Training Records and Qualification Checks

With competent people, there will be accountability. Workers should be trained, hold the appropriate licences and inductions for different tasks, and their manager(s) should be able to demonstrate this. Records of training should include the course, the date, the provider and the expiry date.

If this isn't the case, then an absence of a renewal might not be noticed until an audit or incident. Certificates and Licences should be kept in a safe place. Only those who require access should have them, as per privacy requirements.

Checks Before Assignment

Before a worker is assigned to a job, a manager should ensure that the worker is qualified to perform the job. It is a quick check that will stop non-qualified employees from going into dangerous areas. Tickets and refresher courses are made available, with reminders for expiring tickets. This helps to ensure consistency of rosters and no last-minute changes.

Risk-Based Training

Training should also be reflective of the actual danger of the site. Different knowledge is required by a cleaner in a hospital ward, compared to a technician in a plant room.

WMS for Managing Employee Compliance Duties

A WMS integrates rosters, timesheets, worker records and worker credentials. There are no longer any managers reading through folders and spreadsheets to determine who is ok to work. Another aspect of a workforce management system is the connection between people and sites and shifts.

It provides information on who did what, where, for how long and on what basis. This can assist managers to make plans in advance. With a key licence that's soon to expire, they can identify the impacted shifts and plan for coverage in advance.

Built on Construction Experience

The construction industry was where WorkforceMS started, and crews travel between jobs; safety records are important. That background is an ideal fit for facility teams as well, who must also manage between sites and require reliable documentation. Audits are quickest if records are in one place.

Evidence is available on request of the client, auditor or regulator. Timesheets can also be populated with hours worked. This will ensure that pay is accurate and provide managers with a record of who was present at an incident.

Facilities Compliance and Safety During Site Inspections

Inspections ascertain the effectiveness of standards in practice. Inspections of floors and exits, signage, equipment, storage and fire safety items are conducted on a regular walk-through. Inspections should follow a checklist, ensuring that everything is taken into account.

The results can be taken down by the inspector on their mobile phone, and photos can be taken to highlight on-site problems. Timing is also important. The regular and planned checks identify the issues early, and additional checks following storms, repairs and incidents ensure that sites are safe.

Same Standard, Every Site

A checklist can be used at each location, and results will be easy to compare with the same checklist. The managers will be able to observe which sites are developing well and which need development support. Quickly provide findings to the right person.

A hazard that is identified but not communicated remains a hazard. Alerts help here. If a serious problem is identified, the supervisor can be notified immediately, and the area can be made safe and appropriate repairs made.

Documenting Hazards and Corrective Actions

Each hazard should have an up-to-date record. It should include what was discovered, where it is, how bad it is and who will correct the situation. Corrective actions must have a due date and a corrective action owner. If not, they will be lost, and the same problem may arise at the next inspection.

Any late action should be identified to a supervisor who can then intervene early to prevent any action from being missed or late. If a fix is made, evidence of the fix should be documented (ex., photo, sign-off). Then a supervisor will verify the area is safe. This closed circuit safeguards all. It demonstrates that the issue was identified, owned, solved, and verified, a key step toward accountability.

Learning From Near Misses

Near misses give clues as to where an incident could have occurred. The only way teams will be able to see patterns, however, is if they are recorded, and then they will take appropriate action before a person is injured. If the animals keep slipping when you're near one of the entrances, for instance, there is a chance that there is a leak in the pipe or it's a poor mat.

This little fix can then prevent a big injury. The workers should be familiar with the information being recorded and why this is. Clear rules – consistent with the Australian privacy law – create trust and centre on safety.

Key points to remember:

• Clear and concise job descriptions for each job.
• Ensure training and licensing are kept up to date.
• Verify skills before giving people work tasks.
• Document safety issues and owner, and due date.
• Conduct regular review of responsibilities by teams/departments.

Reviewing Safety Responsibilities Across Departments

Safety is NOT the responsibility of one team. The duties of the facilities, operations, security and/or cleaning and administration should overlap. Gaps and overlaps are identified and are addressed in regular reviews. If two teams take it upon themselves that if one team will have the time and resources to fix a hazard, then the other team will not.

There's a short meeting one can have to resolve ownership of each task. Additional care is required to be taken with shared sites. Clear boundaries and handover notes are needed when there are multiple contractors on the same building to avoid any confusion and unsafe shortcuts.

Using the Data

Reports of overdue actions, repeat hazards, and training gaps indicate which areas to focus on. These records can be next to the rosters and hours worked in a WMS.

Clear figures are important for managers to provide leaders and clients with an understanding of progress.

They also support discussions of improvement rather than blame. These reviews develop a culture of accountability and support people to fulfil their accountability. Leaders make a difference. Managers adopt the same rules as staff, and this helps to communicate to staff that safety is for everyone.

Conclusion

More people are held accountable when responsibilities are defined, records are up-to-date, and checks are performed regularly. When everyone in a facility has the same standards and evidence, it's easier to manage facility compliance and safety. Schedule a demo with WorkforceMS and witness the power of connected records for a safer environment on your sites.