Small Business Assistance Program

NECA members have the opportunity to receive up to 3 hours of free health and safety consultancy for their business from an independent consultant through the OHS consultancy program.  In previous years, the response from members for these consultancies has been overwhelming and the feedback has been extremely positive.

Any NECA member, operating in Victoria, who has 20 or less full time employees can apply for assistance under the program.

An independent safety consultant can quickly and easily give an understanding of what the legislation means and importantly how to go about managing safety in a systematic way.

They will discuss the type of work you do, the number of staff, what health and safety efforts have been done, and then have a look around the workplace to identify any safety issues that may not have been addressed. You will be provided with advice on how to manage safety, consult with your employees and what documentation you may need.

They then leave you with a Safety Action Plan which is ranked in terms of “High, Medium, and Low”. This provides you with a priority list and advice on the issues the safety consultant believes need to be addressed. They may also provide you with some printed guidance material to assist you in managing health & safety in your business.

Whilst the consultancies are managed by the WorkSafe Small Business Program the Inspection Branch of WorkSafe are not provided with any details of employers who receive assistance under this program. In addition the consultant is also bound by a confidentiality agreement and is not permitted to tell WorkSafe about any health & safety issues in your workplace.

Administratively NECA is provided with a brief document confirming they have been in the workplace and the types of issues discussed. The member is required to sign this document confirming the OHS consultancy was conducted.

If you wish to participate in the Small Business Health & Safety Assistance Program complete the application form and return it to the NECA Safety Department either by mail or fax.

If you are not a NECA member and would like to know more about this or other matters than you can click here to read about the many benefits of NECA membership. You can also call NECA on 03 9645 5533 or email NECA  with your membership enquiry and we will contact you to discuss membership.