Awareness of OHS rights and responsibilities : a study of members of the Finance Sector Union Commonwealth Bank Officers' Section (NSW/ACT Branch)

![CDATA[The Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000 (NSW) (OHS Act) has the goal of securing and promoting the health, safety and welfare of people at work. It creates specific and broad duties on employers to identify, eliminate or control workplace hazards. Employees also have duties to take reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and others. Whilst it is consistent in many ways with previous legislation, the new legislation presents new opportunities for employees to influence and be involved in the management of OHS at their workplace. In June/July 2003, members of the Finance Sector Union Commonwealth Bank Officers ' Section (FSU: CROS) working in the Commonwealth Bank in NSW were sent questionnaires concerning their awareness, experiences and preferences relating to occupational health, safety (OHS) and welfare. Of the 7,300 questionnaires distributed, more than 1,500 were returned representing employees in bank branches, call centres , 'internal customer' workplaces and ‘other external customer' workplaces. The survey found evidence of significant problems and challenges. In the month preceding the survey, 55% of respondents reported feeling 'compelled to work more than my ordinary hours' and 54% reported feeling ‘under pressure to take on more work than I am comfortable with '. These issues were also more prominent in this study of Commonwealth Bank respondents generally than a similar study conducted in 2002 for FSU members across the finance and insurance sector. FSU:CBOS members at the Commonwealth Bank also reported that they felt ‘under pressure to work more intensively due to staff shortages' (70% of all respondents and 80% of bank branch respondents). Stress associated with work intensification has been identified in earlier studies as an OHS issue in the Finance and Insurance sector. There is little in our study to indicate that such findings have been acted upon. Indeed, the continuing downsizing of the Commonwealth Bank in recent years, as well as the ‘decollectivist strategies' employed by the organisαtion 's management since the 1990s, suggest that senior management do not recognise that work intensification and staff shortages represent an OHS risk. The survey also investigated employees' preferences for consultation and involvement. As employees indicated in the survey that they are keen to share in the responsibility for OHS, and have expressed very clearly in the survey their desire to be consulted about OHS, the employer has the opportunity to engage employees in OHS in ways consistent with the OHS Act. Hovvever, significant change must occur before employees are ready to participate in OHS management. At this stage, there is evidence that employees lack awareness and have little knowledge of OHS legislation. Ernployees appear to exert very little influence over OHS in their workplaces. These matters will need to be addressed as a matter of urgency if managers and employees in the Commonwealth Bank are to take up their rights and responsibilities under the legislation.]]