What We Do | Ashton Safety Health

Hazard Identification & Risk Management

"Hazard" means any situation or thing that has the potential to cause harm.

Effective risk management starts with hazard identification.

In consultation with the people who know and understand your business, we can help identify your workplace hazards and associated risks.

This is the starting point of any robust HSE Management System. Alongside your expertise in the work you do, a thorough, applicable and user-friendly workplace hazard & risk register can be developed.

Without initial hazard identification, you can't determine which procedures you need to have in place to control risk, nor which require the most attention or need to be prioritised. We can help you simplify your hazard identification and risk control process with thorough and customised processes. We want to know what will work for you.

Is your HSE management system achieving legal and/or best practice requirements?

We can complete a comprehensive gap analysis to identify areas requiring improvement, ensuring you comply with all relevant law, ISO or client requirements.

Gap analyses involves a site inspection, review of paperwork and discussions with key members of your team. Our experienced , personable and qualified auditors will work alongside you to improve your systems and overall workplace safety, with the ultimate aim of preventing workplace incidents.

We are passionate about developing HSE paperwork which is user-friendly, customised, legally compliant and effectively integrated into your business. We think outside the square, regularly consult with your team and implement processes effectively so they are effective.

Gap Analysis

HSE Documentation

Starting from scratch?

Implementing some good processes but don't have any of it written down?

Has business taken off and you don't have the time or resources to dedicate to HSE?

Tendering for work and have strict criteria to achieve?

Let us work alongside you in achieving your WHS and other obligations, developing documentation which is customised, user-friendly and works for you, including:

Policies
Procedures
Risk Registers
Forms and Templates
Safe Work Method Statements
WHS Management Plans
Safety Operating Procedures
Training Presentations

Our team are led by HSE-tertiary qualified consultants with strong writing and critical thinking skills, but have the ability to present your information in an easily understood way. Documents we develop for you must be suited to your workplace, industry, service offerings, employees and clients, as well as your operating system and technology available, e.g., paper-based or online.

We also have capability in Microsoft SharePoint and quality control so can help you organise your documents in the most practical, efficient and effective way.

What is a system if your people don't know or understand it?

We offer training solutions in your HSE management system and in specialised areas of health and safety.

There will be areas, or hazards at your workplace which are outside of the expertise of your people. ASHE can develop and deliver customised and interactive HSE training solutions at your workplace or online to get your team up to speed with WHS law, specialised topics, procedural requirements or recent lessons learned to assist in a healthy, safe and environmentally responsible workplace.

Without workplace training, involvement and an effective workplace WHS culture, your HSE management system will not be effective.

All training is delivered in a professional, interactive manner, by our subject matter experts.

Training

Inspections & Audits

Workplace inspections or audits can mean any of the following:

Review of documentation to assess if you're achieving the requirements of your own system (internal audit)
Review of your system to assess compliance with ISO or other standards (compliance audit)
A review of your workplace activity to ensure compliance with WHS law and internal/other requirements (workplace inspection)

Having an HSE management system along, without auditing of compliance and suitability, is not conducive to a healthy, safe and environmentally responsible workplace.

Regular workplace monitoring should be implemented to ensure personnel are adhering to safe work practices and systems, as that those systems are effective.

Our knowledge of workplace hazards across myriad industries is vast and you will benefit from our third party auditing through fresh-eyes and our specific expertise.

Our motto is "working with you" because we are here to help, not hinder. Audits and inspections are carried out and communicated in a way which is most effective for you, with practical solutions for close out of identified actions.

WHS legislation requires that workers are not exposed to harmful levels of atmospheric contaminants, hazardous chemicals, noise, etc, stipulated within nationally recognised Workplace Exposure Standards.

Are you aware of health and hygiene hazards in your workplace and requirements for monitoring and health assessments for these?

Our consultants are led by occupational hygienists and have the required understanding of health and hygiene sources, emissions and personal exposure (not to be confused with environmental exposure).

We have expertise in health and hygiene monitoring for gases, vapours, particulates and noise to identify potential personal exposures and determine what risk control measures must be implemented, providing comprehensive yet easily understood reports with practical advice for exposure management.

We can also develop required procedures and plans to document what you need to do to ensure your workers are not harmed by exposure to asbestos, silica, noise and other health hazards, including Health and Hygiene Management Plans as required by the Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety for mine sites in Western Australia.

Assessment of health and hygiene hazards should be completed on a regular basis, including when legislation requires it, and when work activity or equipment changes the effectiveness of existing risk controls.

Health & Hygiene

Hazardous Chemicals & Dangerous Goods

Chemicals, including hazardous chemicals and dangerous goods, pose special risk and have specific associated legislation which may fall outside of the general knowledge of your team, or it may be what you do - but you don't have documented processes for how you're managing their risk.

Our occupational hygienists can provide advice relating to the following, in compliance with available legislation and the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals:

Hazardous chemical storage (labelling and signage, separation and segregation, spill retention, etc)
Safe use of hazardous chemicals (ventilation, PPE, emergency response, etc)
Interpretation of safety data sheets
HAZCHEM risk assessments and safe work procedures

Unsafe management of hazardous chemicals and hazardous materials can lead to injury and illness from various routes of exposure including ingestion, inhalation and skin contact. Environmental harm can also occur via spills or fire and explosion arising from poor separation and segregation practices.

Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM) and other hazardous materials (HAZMAT) continue to exist in buildings throughout Australia, including residential, commercial and government buildings.

Our experience as approved Department of Finance Engineering and Specialist Services Panel members has seen us carry out an extraordinarily large amount of comprehensive HAZMAT assessments and provide advice relating to the management of ACM and other HAZMAT, such as lead in paint, including:

Assessment of contractor Asbestos Removal Plans and associated Safe Work Method Statements
Development of Asbestos Registers
Development of Asbestos Management Plans
Post ACM-removal clearance inspections
Provision of air monitoring during and after ACM removal
Training in asbestos-related risks

We are across all WHS law relating to asbestos and other HAZMAT management, including Codes of Practice and can provide practical advice to ensure HAZMAT related risks are understood and managed accordingly.

Hazardous Materials