Your Right to a Safe Work for the Dole Activity

Risk assessments must be conducted and recorded for every Work for the Dole Place and for each job seeker placed in a Work for the Dole Place.

The risk assessment:

• Place: must identify any work health and safety concerns with the potential Work for the Dole Place and must be completed by the party (Coordinator or Provider) that secures the Work for the Dole Place. It must also include the Assessment Checklist (Place)
• Job seeker: must identify if the Work for the Dole Place is suitable for the relevant job seeker/s and must be completed by the Provider.

The Coordinator (or the Provider where it has sourced the Place) must conduct a risk assessment (Place). The risk assessment (Place) must identify and record any work health and safety issues and any other concerns at the site or premises where a job seeker will undertake the activity (in accordance with the Deed)—for example, any hazards or risks that may cause harm, such as:

• physical (noise, heat, cold, dust, step/stairs, slippery surfaces)
• chemical (acids, poisons, asbestos, flammable substances)
• biological (radiation, lead)
• psychological, arising from fatigue, shift-work (mental tiredness) and bullying, and
• work that is inherently dangerous (working with electricity, heavy machinery, at heights or requiring formal competency/operator tickets).

The risk assessment (Place) must also identify/include:

• whether the Host Organisation and Competent Person are satisfied that the Host Organisation has adequate work health and safety processes in place to deliver the activity safely
• all steps and measures that will be put in place to mitigate any identified issues and concerns
• any training, including work health and safety training, required to be undertaken by the job seeker to conduct the activity task(s) safely at commencement and for the duration of the activity

• whether any specific personal protection equipment and clothing is required for the job seeker to participate safely in the activity and if this material will be provided by the Host Organisation or will need to be arranged by the Provider
• whether the activity will involve close proximity to Children, the elderly or other vulnerable cohorts and whether relevant checks should be undertaken
• the Supervision arrangements, such as the level (that is, ratio and frequency) of Supervision that will be provided to the job seeker and the experience, skills and knowledge of the Supervisor(s)
• whether the Host Organisation and Competent Person are satisfied that the Host Organisation is compliant with legislative and regulatory obligations imposed on it in relation to work health and safety
• confirmation that the Host Organisation is satisfied it has current and appropriate insurance to cover any risks associated with the Work for the Dole Place (see Insurance below)
• whether there are appropriate facilities (access to drinking water and toilets) that will be available to the job seeker for the duration of the activity, and
• any other reason(s) that it would otherwise not be appropriate for the potential Work for the Dole Place to proceed, including:

                o  if the activity falls within the scope of clause 108.1                         and/or any exclusions listed in this Guideline, and

                o  any work health and safety issues that could not be                       reasonably and appropriately managed.

The Coordinator (or the Provider where it has sourced the Place) must complete the Assessment Checklist (Place).

A copy of the Assessment Checklist (Place) is available here

The risk assessment (Place) must include the completed Assessment Checklist (Place) and be uploaded on to the Department’s IT System.

The Department’s IT System will only display the latest version of the risk assessment (Place) that is uploaded. In cases where changes to a risk assessment (Place) have been made, the Coordinator (or Lead Provider) must:

• maintain Records of all risk assessments (Place) they have undertaken, and
• provide these Records to the Department upon request.

Providers must, in accordance with the Deed, undertake a risk assessment (job seeker) for each individual job seeker participating in a Work for the Dole Place. The risk assessment (job seeker)must ensure that the Work for the Dole Place is suitable and safe for job seeker(s) being referred as per the Deed. That is, the job seeker(s) must be provided with all things necessary to undertake their Work for the Dole Place safely, including but not limited to appropriate and adequate:

• training and Supervision,
  
• personal protection equipment and clothing,
  
• on-site facilities (access to drinking water and toilet), and
  
• information on processes for reporting any work health and safety issues and any other concerns, including escalation to the Provider if required.
  
• In addition, the Provider must ensure that any checks that are required have been completed (for example, National Police Checks and/or Working with Vulnerable People Checks—see Checks below).

In assessing the suitability of Work for the Dole Places, the Provider must take into consideration the job seeker’s personal circumstances such as working capabilities and capacity and whether the level of Supervision provided will be adequate. In addition, the Provider must, if applicable, discuss with the Lead Provider/Host Organisation the personal circumstance of the job seeker to determine whether they can be accommodated and whether the Work for the Dole place will be suitable.

Providers must keep a record of each risk assessment (job seeker) conducted and provide these to the Department upon request.

Providers and Coordinators must ensure that job seekers will be adequately and appropriately supervised at all times. In addition, for activities involving vulnerable cohorts, Supervision must be continuous.* 

Providers and Coordinators should carefully consider the appropriate ratio of Supervisor(s) to job seekers, depending on how many job seekers there are and the nature of the Activities, to ensure the health, welfare and safety of job seekers and members of the public.

As part of sourcing Work for the Dole activities, Coordinators must discuss with Host Organisations to ensure that they are aware that all Supervisors must:

• be fit and proper persons to be involved in the activities,
• have a high level of skill/knowledge, training and/or experience in:

             o the part of the activity in which they are engaged, and

             o working with, training and supervising persons in such                     activities,

• have relevant work health and safety training, and
• have checks as specified in the Deed and have met any additional statutory requirements before being given responsibility for supervising job seekers.

Providers must ensure that Supervisors on all Work for the Dole activities meet the above requirements.

*Note: ‘Continuous Supervision’ means that a job seeker must be in the Supervisor’s line of sight at all times while undertaking the activity.

In order to minimise risk to people from vulnerable cohorts or to the job seeker by involvement in a Work for the Dole activity involving vulnerable cohorts, Coordinators and Providers must apply the principles set out below when determining the suitability of a Work for the Dole activity and/or the placement of a job seeker:

• Providers must exercise care and judgment when placing job seekers in Activities that involve vulnerable cohorts to ensure a suitable match. In particular, Coordinators and Providers shouldconsult with Host Organisations regarding the characteristics they are seeking in participants for their activities when assessing the suitability of a job seeker for a Place

• Providers and Coordinators must always ensure there is continuous*, adequate and appropriate Supervision of the job seeker in an activity which involves vulnerable cohorts. They must ensure that all relevant checks have been undertaken based on the type of checks required for employees of the Host Organisation and any other checks the Provider deems appropriate. (See Exclusions and exceptions below for a list of excluded Activities).

Vulnerable Cohorts include:

• Children (under 18 years of age)
•  Vulnerable Youth
• the elderly
• the homeless
• people with disability
• people with mental illness
• migrants who do not speak English
• refuge residents (including men and women), and
• any other cohort that the Provider or the Department identifies as vulnerable.

*Note: ‘Continuous Supervision’ means that a job seeker must be in the Supervisor’s line of sight at all times while undertaking the Activity.

As part of conducting the risk assessment (Place), the Coordinator (or Provider where it has sourced the Place) must confirm that the Host Organisation is satisfied it has current and appropriate insurance to cover any risks associated with the Work for the Dole Place— for example, public and product liability insurance and motor vehicle insurance—noting that the type of insurance that is required may differ depending on the type of task(s) being undertaken.

The Department purchases personal accident insurance and public and product liability insurance to cover job seekers who undertake Work for the Dole activities. However, these policies have exclusions that include some railway operations, underwater activities, including swimming, and underground activities as well as other high-risk activities.

The risk assessment (Place) must identify whether the Work for the Dole Place meets the requirements of the Department’s insurance policies purchased for job seekers or if the activity task(s) fall within any of the insurance policies exclusions, noting that the Provider may need to seek approval and purchase or fund additional insurance, as outlined in the Activity Management Guideline.