Nominated Work Health and Safety Roles
There are four WHS roles within each parliamentarian’s Commonwealth-funded office:
- WHS Site Officer
- First Aid Officer
- Emergency Officer
- Deputy Emergency Officer.
These roles assist parliamentarians, MOP(S) Act employees, the PWSS and Finance to meet their duties under the WHS Act.
For roles and responsibilities for each WHS role see related resources.
The following table sets out which WHS roles are required in each of the parliamentarians’ offices.
| WHS role | Offices outside of Commonwealth Parliament Offices and Parliament House | Parliament House Office | Offices within Commonwealth Parliament Offices | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electorate Office(s) | Ministerial Office | Capital city office | |||
| WHS Site Officer | Required | Required | Required | Required Only in ministerial wing or where an employee is permanently located in an office | Required |
| First Aid Officer | Required | Required | Required | Not required Function performed by DPS through nurses’ station & security guards | Required |
| Emergency Officer | Required | Required | Required | Not required Function performed by DPS | Required |
| Deputy Emergency Officer | Required | Required | Required | Not required Function performed by DPS | Required |
Nominations
As noted above, in line with the Enterprise Agreement, there are four nominated WHS roles within each parliamentarian’s Commonwealth-funded office.
If you are interested in nominating yourself for one of these positions, please complete and submit the Corporate Responsibility Roles nomination Form.
Training
Training is provided to MOP(S) Act employees who are nominated for each WHS role. PWSS’ will contact nominated employees and provide details on offered training. Further details are available on the Nominated WHS roles – Specific training page.
MOP(S) Act employees nominated to perform these roles should ensure that they complete their required training as soon as practicable and carry out the duties and obligations of their role.
Corporate Responsibility Allowance
WHS Site Officers, First Aid Officers and Emergency Officers will receive a Corporate Responsibility Allowance in line with the Commonwealth Members of Parliament Staff Enterprise Agreement 2024-27 once they have completed their training.
Work health and safety and first aid supplies
Items on the work health and safety and first aid supply list should be ordered directly through the contracted office requisites and stationery provider. Emergency Officers can order hard hats via the contracted office requisites and stationery provider.
Officer Duties under the WHS Act
A WHS Officer in a parliamentarian’s office, such as a WHS Site Officer, First Aid Officer or Emergency Officer, is unlikely to be an officer for the purposes of the WHS Act, unless they participate in making decisions within their office in another capacity (for example, as a Chief of Staff).