Appropriate Use of Vehicle and Work Equipment Policy

Overview

ReGen Strategic and its associated entities (the Company) is committed to providing a safe working environment that protects its workers from injury.

The Company will act in accordance with this policy in relation to the appropriate use of vehicle and/or work equipment.

This Policy should be read in conjunction with the Company’s Health and Safety Policy.

This policy:

explains the concepts of appropriate use of vehicle and work equipment
confirms the Company’s approach to ensuring its working environment is safe and protects workers from injury,
outlines what behaviour is expected of employees, and
sets out the steps that can be taken if a worker considers that this policy has been breached.

Scope of this policy

This policy applies to all workers of the Company.

In this policy, a ‘worker’ of the Company means any person who carries out work in any capacity for the Company, including work as:

an employee
a manager
an employee of a labour hire company who has been assigned to work in the Company (i.e. a ‘temp’)
an apprentice or trainee
a student gaining work experience, or
a volunteer.

Workers engaged by the Company must comply with this policy at all times in the course of their engagement by the Company. However, this policy does not form part of any person’s contract with the Company, or create any enforceable rights or entitlements for them.

Failure to comply with this policy is likely to lead to the Company taking disciplinary action against a Worker, which may include termination of the Worker’s engagement by the Company.

Workplace

For the purposes of this policy, ‘workplace’ means:

all workplaces and places where people carry out work activities of the Company
wherever employees or agents of the Company are performing the duties of their engagement, and
wherever employees or agents of the Company are engaging in other activities during the course of their engagement or which are related to or in connection with their engagement with the Company.

The Company’s workplace therefore extends outside the facility to work activities including but not limited to activities undertaken at work-related social events and functions, and other events such as:

conferences
business and field trips
training programs, and
business or client functions,

whether or not these occur during or outside of normal business hours.

Workers must comply with this policy at all times in the course of their engagement by the Company. However, this policy does not form part of any Worker’s contract with the Company or create any enforceable rights or entitlements for them

Vehicle

Vehicles are defined as any cars provided by the Company.

Work equipment

Work equipment is defined as any machinery, appliance, apparatus, tool or installation for use at work.

Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of everyone covered by this policy to ensure:

they familiarise themselves with the terms of this policy
their conduct is in line with this policy, and
they take appropriate action in line with the policy process as outlined below, if they believe safety standards are not adhered to and breaches may be occurring.

Without in any way limiting the other provisions of this policy, all managers must:

ensure they familiarise themselves with the terms of this policy and their responsibilities in relation to it
conduct themselves in accordance with the terms of this policy
ensure they deal with any matter raised with them under this policy in accordance with its terms
take appropriate action to prevent conduct in the workplace that may be in breach of this policy, and
take immediate action to stop conduct in breach of this policy if they consider it is occurring.

Appropriate use of vehicles and equipment

Workers are expected to operate vehicles and/or equipment safely and not put themselves or others at risk.

Workers driving a vehicle and/or using equipment should take the responsibility of seeing that the vehicle is maintained in the best possible condition. Workers should report needed repairs to the Managing Director.

Equipment should only be used for the purpose for which it is intended and in the prescribed way in accordance with relevant user manuals.

Duties of the Company’s managers

The Company’s managers will:

eliminate risks to health and safety so far as is reasonably practicable
if it is not reasonably practicable to eliminate risks to health and safety, reduce those risks so far as is reasonably practicable
consult with Workers about matters that may affect their health and safety in the workplace
take prompt action to address any safety hazards
follow, implement and provide leadership on WHS policies in their workplace
maintain up to date records in relation to WHS for their workplace
ensure risk assessments are conducted where required
report WHS incidents, and
otherwise, take reasonable steps to ensure the Company meets its responsibilities under WHS legislation.

Duties of Workers

All workers must:

take reasonable care for their own health and safety
take reasonable care that their acts or omissions do not adversely affect the health and safety of other persons
comply, so far as a Worker is reasonably able, with any reasonable instruction that is given by the Company about health and safety matters to allow the person to comply with this Act, and
co-operate with any reasonable policy or procedure of the Company relating to health or safety.

Without limiting your obligations, this means you have a responsibility to:

report any incident or hazards at work to Managing Director and Executive Chairman, as soon as possible
report any injuries or illnesses you suffer at work, as soon as possible
carry out your roles and responsibilities in a safe manner
obey any reasonable instruction aimed at protecting your health, safety and welfare while at work
use any equipment provided to protect your health and safety while at work e.g. ergonomic aids, trolleys for moving equipment such as computers, etc.
consider and provide feedback on any matters which may affect your health, safety and welfare
ensure that you are not affected by alcohol or another drug (including effects of prescribed medication) which could endanger your own safety and others around you, and
take reasonable care to ensure that your personal work environment as well as the general work environment is appropriately maintained and safe.

Additional Responsibilities:

It is every worker’s responsibility to:

carry out a visual safety check before using any equipment
use the equipment in accordance with the Company’s and the manufacturer’s instructions
not use equipment they are unfamiliar with until they have received or obtained the appropriate instruction
only use equipment for its intended use
not use faulty equipment
report any faults promptly
remove faulty equipment from use, label it as faulty and ensure it is not returned to use until it has been repaired or replaced
not alter the specification of equipment, or repair, or attempt to repair, faulty equipment, and
report any incident, injury or near miss occurrence when operating work equipment.

Accident Reporting

In the event of an accident, the worker should first check on the safety and welfare of all persons involved and seek immediate medical attention should it be required for themselves or others. If possible, move the vehicle to a safe location out of the way of traffic.

Drivers must notify their supervisor/manager as soon as possible of the accident and report the extent of the injuries and property damage involved.

Inspection and Maintenance

Workers should carry out a visual check of any equipment before it is used and report any deficiencies immediately to their supervisor. This must include a more in depth visual inspection of any equipment that is used infrequently.

Workers are required to check for faults, any break in the integrity of the equipment such as rough or sharp edges, faulty mechanisms that may trap fingers, noises not consistent with the normal operating sounds etc.

Equipment should be included in the routine workplace inspection schedule.

Certain equipment must be inspected and maintained or repaired by a competent person and records kept.

Compliance with this policy

All employees must ensure that while driving to and from the Workplace or using equipment at the Workplace, they do not engage in:

careless or reckless driving
driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs
using equipment while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or
conducting any unsafe manoeuvres that put themselves or others at risk.

Conduct by employees found to be in breach of this policy may be considered either misconduct or serious misconduct, either of which exposes a person to disciplinary action, up to and possibly including termination of a person’s employment or engagement.