HR/Work Health Safety

The churches of Christ in NSW & ACT believes that the way we care for our ministry teams, volunteers, members and visitors is an expression of the love of God.

Wherever people connect with us in our church properties or wider ministry spaces they should feel confident that they are in a safe and caring environment. At churches of Christ in NSW & ACT we can demonstrate our care for others by planning for, and addressing, those issues which may be harmful.

Protecting people from harm and injury

As a senior church leader, you have a legal duty of care to protect people from harm and injury. Ultimately, you are expected to do all that is reasonably practicable to ensure the health and safety of staff, volunteers and visitors including:

• Providing safe equipment
• Providing safe facilities and meeting spaces
• Establishing safe work systems and processes
• Training employees and volunteers in safe work practices
• Providing support to help staff and volunteers maintain physical and mental health
• Complying with legislative regulations under the Workplace Health and Safety Act 2011

Local church WHS policy

To support our local churches, we have developed a WHS Policy Rules and Guidelines template that has basic some tools you can use to create a safe and healthy church environment.

This easy-to-follow guide can be easily adapted to your local church needs. We’ve also provided some guidance on how to use the policy template.

WHS areas covered in the template include:

• Risk management
• Manual handling
• WHS Training
• Security, fire and other emergencies
• First aid
• Accident and incident investigation

While every effort has been made to develop these guidelines in line with WHS legislation, you should seek specialist advice if you’re unsure about your WHS responsibilities.