Page 6119 - Week 14 - Thursday, 8 December 2011
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- offering some long term boarding (eight kennels) for dogs owned by people unable to take primary care due to illness, domestic violence or institutionalisation.
Indoor air quality
Mr Corbell (in reply to a supplementary question by Ms Le Couteur on Thursday, 27 October 2011): The Office of Regulatory Services has not undertaken any public awareness campaigns on indoor air quality and the public health impacts of indoor air quality. WorkSafe ACT is the regulator of work health and safety. Under section 21 of the Work Safety Act 2008 (the Act), a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) has a duty to ensure work safety by managing risk.
In determining if a PCBU has taken all reasonably practicable steps to meet their duties under the Act, WorkSafe ACT would expect a risk assessment to have been completed in relation to their business/undertaking and appropriate controls implemented to eliminate or minimise identified risks. Such risks might include risks to health posed by the quality of air indoors.
The Work Safety Regulation 2009 includes provisions relating to atmosphere and ventilation and the National Exposure Standard for Atmospheric Contaminants in the Occupational Environment has been adopted in the ACT as a Code of Practice approved under the Act. Approved Codes of Practice offer practical examples of good practice. They give advice on how to comply with the law by, for example, providing a guide to what is ‘reasonably practicable’ in particular circumstances.
WorkSafe ACT would expect a PCBU to consider, depending on identified risks, regular air monitoring to ensure the occupational environment accords with the requirements of the legislation and the Code of Practice.
WorkSafe ACT would consider a public awareness campaign on indoor air quality if there were to be a significant increase in reported risks relating to indoor air quality across workplaces in the ACT. At this point however, this is not a matter of priority for WorkSafe ACT based on identified health and safety risks to workers in the ACT.
Bushfires—preparation
Mr Corbell (in reply to a supplementary question by Mr Smyth on Thursday, 27 October 2011): The report identified a total of 472 Rural Fire Service roles to meet peak scenario requirements during the bushfire season. This number incorporates:
• Operational Management roles (134);
• Technical Respondent roles (282);
• Aviation roles (14);
• Planning roles (39); and
• Logistics roles (3).
Of the 472 roles identified, 282 roles are volunteer specific (Technical Respondent roles), however volunteers could take on other roles if and when required dependant on operational requirements.
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