Work Health and Safety Policy

Purpose. This policy states the commitment of CAQA Torque Automotive to providing a safe workshop, yard, parts warehouse and office for workers, apprentices, contractors and customers, and sets out how safety responsibilities are shared.

1.Purpose and scope

This policy applies to every site, every worker, every apprentice, every contractor and every visitor. It covers the service workshop, the tyre and alignment centre, the hybrid and electric vehicle bay, the parts warehouse, the sales yard and the offices. It is the parent document for all safe work procedures in the Torque document library.

2.Policy statement

Torque will provide and maintain a working environment that is safe and without risks to health so far as is reasonably practicable. The business will identify hazards, assess risks and apply controls in the order of the hierarchy of control. Managers will consult workers before changes that affect their safety and will act on hazard reports and incident findings within agreed timeframes.

3.Responsibilities

Every person at Torque holds safety duties under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011. The dealer principal is accountable for resourcing the safety system. Department managers must apply the procedures in their areas and must stop unsafe work. Workers must follow procedures, use the equipment provided and report hazards and incidents.

• Dealer principal: approves this policy and reviews safety performance monthly
• Managers and supervisors: induct, train and supervise their teams
• WHS and Quality Coordinator: maintains the register, inspections and audits
• Workers and apprentices: follow safe work procedures and report hazards
• Contractors: comply with site rules and the contractor induction

4.Key workshop hazards

The principal hazards in the business are vehicle hoists and lifting equipment, high-voltage systems in hybrid and electric vehicles, moving vehicles in the yard and workshop, manual handling of tyres, batteries and parts, hazardous substances including fuels, solvents, coolant and refrigerants, compressed air, hot components and noise. Each hazard has a documented control in a procedure and is checked during monthly inspections.

5.Reporting and consultation

All injuries, near misses, hazards and property damage must be reported to a supervisor before the end of the shift and entered in the Incident and Hazard Register within 24 hours. Torque will hold a toolbox talk every month and a health and safety committee meeting every quarter. Notifiable incidents will be reported to WorkSafe Victoria by the WHS and Quality Coordinator or the dealer principal.

6.Training and competence

No worker will operate a hoist, tyre changer, wheel balancer, welding equipment or refrigerant recovery unit without documented training. Only technicians who hold the high-voltage competency recorded in the training matrix will depower or work on hybrid or electric vehicles. Apprentices will work under direct supervision until the supervising technician signs off each task on the repair order.

7.Review

This policy will be reviewed every twelve months, after any notifiable incident, and after any change to legislation or to the sites and services of the business. The dealer principal approves each revision and the WHS and Quality Coordinator communicates it at the next toolbox talk.