IEU VicTas member Peter Hayes talks about his role as a school compliance officer working across a number of Catholic primary schools in Hobart.
IE: In your view, Peter, why and how has the whole area of risk and compliance become such a significant and complex area of focus for schools?
Peter: I believe that the requirement has always been there and a lot of the work that needs to be completed now (job safety analysis and risk assessments) was carried out in the past, but the documentation was the challenge for most schools. Schools have now got to be very much on top of this – documentation and follow up. As a WHS trainer told me once, if it comes to a court battle, it’s “my pile of paperwork trumps your pile or lack of”.
IE: What in particular is driving this?
Peter: It is being driven by a combination of factors or forces: legislation, with the potential for massive fines if you get it wrong; community expectations; our insurers’ expectations; increased litigation fears; and the schools themselves wanting to be seen as model, modern schools with WHS at the forefront.
IE: What are the major issues schools have to deal with?
Peter: Apart from the monetary costs involved in implementing WHS changes, one of the other issues is the changing of attitudes of staff and students. I have had to work with staff in the past who have not really ‘believed’ in WHS.
Now, we see a clear evolution in leadership and staff from attitudes of ‘why should I do it’ to staff members with a new mindset who have a ‘why aren’t you doing it’ view of WHS.
IE: How is the area more complex and demanding?
Peter: The legislation is complex, and the Codes of Practice (CoP) are very prescriptive and easily changed by Safe Work Australia. So instead of dealing with outdated laws which have not kept up with the times, the CoPs are kept updated. The challenge is for schools to be on top of these changes at all times.
Previously the principal was responsible for everything WHS, and now there is personal liability on staff, contractors etc as well.
IE: Why is it important to have someone specialise in this area?
Peter: Schools need a specialist in this area who can provide specific advice, recommendations, etc that are in line with current legislation, judicial decisions from courts (even those overseas – refer to the recent decision on mobile phones from a court in Italy), and community expectations.
The principal carries a lot of overall responsibility in schools and is the ultimate WHS decision maker. I believe ready access to good current advice is important for them.
IE: What specific skills and knowledge do you bring to the job?
Peter: Apart from the obvious ones of knowledge of a lot of legislation and the ability to interpret it, interviewing and investigation skills are also needed as the position is required to deal with students, parents, staff (school and TCEO), police, WorkSafe etc. The position is also required on occasion to take an authorative approach with principals, business managers, staff etc to ensure that legal obligations are met.
IE: Where are you working and how did your role across the five schools come about?
Peter: I work across five schools. In 2007, the five were finding it a challenge to compile the mandatory Form 46 for submission to an independent authority to satisfy them that the schools were being maintained in accordance with the relevant legislative requirements. Each school then received funding to employ a person for one day a month, but decided to pool the funding and employ a person for five days a month to work across the five schools.
There are advantages to this model – uniformity of application of legal requirements, the five schools are not individually ‘reinventing the wheel’. For example, forms, policy docs, risk assessments are shared across the five schools (six sites). Staff are more willing to speak to me on or off the record as they see me as a member of their staff and not ‘the person’ from outside the school.