OHS critical to recruitment

Recruiters must push clients to address OHS or risk losing their workforce, according to Bill Scales, chairman of the Australian Safety and Compensation Council (ASCC).

A speaker at the Recruiting and Consulting Services Association (RCSA) Annual President's Dinner on 23 June, Scales used the event to urge recruiters to extend their roles to discuss OHS with companies in a bid to motivate and retain the contemporary workforce.

His address "“ Occupational Health and Safety and the Changing Environment "“ suggested that today's knowledge-based workers would not tolerate an unsafe or unsupportive workplace.

"The contemporary workforce, assisted by a range of new technologies, has forced us to think again about how we retain this new wave of highly educated and independent job seekers," Scales said.

The recruiters were told that in light of rising skills shortages in some industries, OHS could be a factor in whether a company attracts and retains key staff.

"It is up to recruiters to remind their clients of the importance of health and safety as the very best workers will not put up with working in an unsafe environment and will want to know the health and safety status of an organisation," Scales said.

CEO at the RCSA, Julie Mills told Safety Solutions that this is an issue that recruiters have always taken seriously. "What is happening now is that governments and regulators are recognising the importance of this sector and therefore its responsibilities."

Mills said clients are increasingly seeing the value of working in positive relationships with onhire and temporary labour suppliers to provide the best workplace for all those on site.

"How this is managed differs between companies and roles, but anything that ensures many sets of eyes are reviewing safety is seen as a positive step to a safer and healthier workplace," she concluded.

Wendy Cramer, Editor