Consultation and Communications Process

Preamble

ACI Global ensures all its employees including its learners, graduates and professionals and their sponsoring organisations are involved in any changes to circumstances which may impact on their Health and Wellbing.

As an international educational institution, we are committed to embrace not just our own Corporate Social Responsibility but also of our organisational clients and their participating learners and their professionals to the ongoing Accelerating Continuous Improvement (ACI) to become the desired level of achievers.

Individual Learners, Graduates, Professionals and those with special needs, are afforded the same level of commitment.

Governing Policy

At ACI Global, our aim is to be proactive in the continuing Health and Wellbeing of our staff, learners, graduates and professional and their sponsoring organisations through its governing policy's of:

• Quality Assurance Policy;
• Educational Operational Management System/Integrated Busines Management System;
• Communications Policy;
• Impartiality Policy;
• Code of Conduct Policy;
• Privacy Policy;
• Digital Information Security Framework;

Through effective, meaningful, open and transparent processes ACI Global aims to ensure the ongoing Health and Wellbing of employees from all sectors of Industry. Effective and timely two-way communication is integral to this partnership.

Purpose

These processes describe ACI Gloabl's Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) consultation and communication arrangements.

Requirement to Consult

Under OHS/WHS legislation, ACI Global must consult, as far as is reasonably practicable, workers and others who carry out work for and are involved within the ACI Global Academy and who are, or are likely to be, directly affected by an occupational work health and safety matter.

ACI Global must also consult, cooperate with and coordinate activities, so far as is reasonably practicable, with all other Interested Parties who have a occupational work health or safety duty in relation to the same matter, including Sponsoring organisations of individual learners, graduates and professionals undertaking professional services and work involving the ongoing capability and professional development of learners, graduates and professionals.

Where an health and safety representatives may have been elected, they must be included in any consultation that affects or is likely to affect, the occupational health and safety of learners including thoses with special needs of their workgroup (with or without the involvement of staff directly). Where it is reasonably practicable to do so, consultation should include learners who are directly affected by a occupational and health and safety issue.

When to Consult

Consultation is required when

• identifying hazards, assessing risks, deciding on measures to control risks and reviewing the effectiveness of the risk controls;
• revising and developing OHS plans, policies, procedures and work practices;
• investigating incidents/accidents
• planning a new courses or programs
• making decisions about the adequacy of facilities for the welfare of workers and others in the workplace during face to face learning
• changes proposed to work systems such as shift work rosters, work procedures or the work environment;
• organisational structurethe workplace, alterations to existing classroom setups for face to face learning;
• repairs and modifications to plant/equipment, for both tradional face to face training facilities and or e-learning tools.

Consultation mechanisms

OHS/WHS consultation mechanisms with employees and provision of information to learners, graduates, professionals and their sponsoring organisations and other duty holders include the Academy Leadership Team, health and safety representatives, health and safety risk management, incident and accident reporting, general information sharing and specific OHS/WHS procedures.

Consultation with workers: The primary mechanism for consultation on occupational health and safety matters is direct dialogue between facilitators and mentors and the learners including thoes of special needs under their supervision.

Hazard, Incident and accident reporting: All hazards, incidents and accidents involving Academy employees (faciltators/mentors), learners, and visitors (face to face classroom) must be reported, investigated and recorded in accordance with the ACI Global's Accident, Incident and Hazard Reporting and Investigation Processes.

OHS/WHS management: Throughout the risk management process the Managing Director, leadership team and facilitators and mentors must consult, so far as is reasonably practicable, workers and health and safety representatives in the work area and, where relevant, learners, graduates and other interested parties (sponsoring organisations) who may have a shared responsibility for work health and safety.

Communication and Information sharing methods: Communication methods need to be tailored to the audience and wherever possible, should be structured to seek feedback or comment.Health and safety should be included on the agenda for Academy employees to allow discussion of these issues at a range of levels and forums.Information about health and safety issues should be circulated via email or posted on the Academy website, including:

• publicising new or changed OHS/WHS policies, procedures and programmes
• consulting the Academy community during the development of policies and procedures; and
• alerting the Academy community to health and safety hazards.

Occupational Health and safety information that is posted on the ACI Global website or within the Academy must be approved by the Managing Director.

Consulting, co-operating and co-ordinating with other Interested Parties: The Academy must consult, coordinate and co-operate with other interested parties, including sponsoring organisations, agents, and their workers on shared OHS/WHS matters. The method(s) of consultation used by the Academy with other Interested Parties on OHS/WHS matters vary depending on the circumstances and should be agreed to by the parties. Options to consult in these situations include but are not limited to:

• raising the issue with the relevant academy or other Interested party contact;
• induction or orientation meetings;
• periodic performance review meetings which include OHS/WHS as an agenda item
• toolbox talks or similar meetings
• focus or steering groups.

Where academy staff and learners including special needs learns, graduates or professionals are to undertake work, including observational assessments to ensure capability, at workplaces under the control or management of another interested party (Sponsoring Organisation), the ACI Academy has a duty to consult the Interested party to ensure:

• as far as is reasonably practicable, a safe workplace for Lerners and their assigned mentors
• and that Academy staff, students and the other interested parties are aware of the OHS/WHS legislative safety requirements for each party.

Resolving health and safety issues: When an issue is resolved, details of the issue and the resolution must be set out in a written agreement if any party to the issue requires this.

Responsibilities

Managing Director Ensure that:

• effective methods of communication and consultation are established and used within the ACI Global Academy;
• health and safety information is made available to workers, students and others in the workplace.

Facilators and Mentors Ensure that:

• Academy staff and learners, graduates and professionals are aware of OHS/WHS communication and consultation requirements;
• health and safety issues are discussed regularly at meetings.