The common law principle of 'duty of care' requires that each person takes reasonable care to avoid causing harm to other people.

In the workplace, employers must take reasonable care for the health and safety of their employees. Employees must take reasonable care to protect their own health and safety and the health and safety of others who may be affected by their actions.

In providing a safe system of work, the provision of standard operating procedures (SOP) is important. SOP’s are written documents developed in consultation with employees that set out the ways in which a particular work task must be performed or the way a specific piece of plant must be used to ensure the health and safety of workers.

The regular review of SOP’s is important. This will ensure that amendments are made to take into account changes in plant (new or modifications), changes in the way a task is performed or where the SOP is shown to be inadequate as a result of a near miss, work incident or an incident involving injury.

The “Occupational Health Safety and Welfare Guidelines for the Wine Industry in South Australia” is an excellent source of sample SOP’s which include layout, style and subject examples that can be used as a template for your business.  These guidelines provide employers involved in wine grape growing and/or in the production of wine and brandy with industry specific OHSW information and have been developed in conjunction with wine industry OHSW practitioners, WorkCover Corporation and SafeWork SA.

Order the guidelines and this small investment will start you on the right path to meet the required obligations and regulations.