Regulatory

The Regulatory Framework

Government or other authorities make rules to control or put something or someone in check. Therefore, every organisation, firm, industry, or institute has regulations guiding them. This is important as it helps bring about efficiency in production because they all abide by the slated rules to guide them.

The meat industry is not excluded more so as it has to do with humans’ health and safety, which is of utmost importance. Majorly, our activities involve the slaughtering, processing, packaging and also the distribution of animals. Each process involves delicate steps and is associated with several effects. Apart from curbing the dangers of consuming contaminated food commodities, there is a need to protect workers from workplace casualties with regulations.

Usually, each state has distinct laws on work and health safety and often results in cross-border situations. However, these laws have been harmonised, forming a federal uniform work and health safety legislative framework.

The federal uniform work and health safety legislative framework consist of three major parts: a model WHS Act, a WHS Act of each state and codes of practice. The model WHS Act provides a general framework of ideal and uniform laws to be domesticated by each state while the WHS Act refers to the old laws of each state on work and health safety.

However, the latter mirrors the former. The codes of practice provide the structure for enforcement while addressing salient issues. You can easily access the Model WHS Act on the safe work Australia website.

The Model WHS Act

The main purpose is to achieve uniformity and eradicate all difficulties that came with discrepancies in the states’ laws. The Act majorly protects workers by:

  • Ensuring workers are at no or minimal risk
  • Eradicating inequalities and unfairness
  • Seeking to improve on WHS practices through group formation.
  • Ensuring all WHS laws are enforced
  • Providing a sustainable framework for compliance

Codes of Practice

Codes of practice provide useful information on particular issues that touch on work and health safety standards. However, it is subject to the approval of each state before it can have a binding effect. Once approved, everyone under a duty of care in situations addressed by the code is bound by it. Nonetheless, it only addresses a few issues and not all risks. Regardless it is admissible in court, although not recognised as a law.

National Compliance and Enforcement Policy

The essence of laws lies in its power to make people yield to it. Therefore, we must consider compliance and enforcement alongside the making of the law itself. The National Compliance and enforcement policy were approved by members of Australia’s safe work in 2011 and supported by workplace relations ministers’ council.

The policy majorly outlines its aims and objectives. It also points out strategies employed to ensure compliance and enforcement. Importantly, a body is responsible for this job description separately from those that regulate or maintain them.

Each jurisdiction aligns the model WHS law with its domestic demands to ensure consistency. Also, certain states have begun implementing laws such as New South Wales, the Queensland, South Australia, and the northern territory.