Forest Operations > Organisational Requirements > Chain of Responsibility

Chain of Responsibility

In all workplaces there is a chain of responsibility, and everyone in the workplace is a part of the chain and is required to take steps to prevent any breaches of safety on the worksite.

In the forest industry the chain of responsibility is not only the people that are directly involved in the daily operations, but also the land and forest owners, contractors (self-employed people), haulage companies, machine designers and suppliers (see Table 3 below).

 

Role	Responsibility
Land Owner	Build and maintain roads. Provide details about known hazards.
Forest Owner	Choose contractors who meet requirements. Make certain everyone has safe access to the work area. Determine the most suitable harvesting method. Allot coupes to contractors. Create emergency procedures. Develop traffic management plans. Inspect and supervise contractor systems.
Employers and Contractors	Provide correctly maintained machines. Acquire licenses and certificates. Oversee work practices. Obtain safety and environmental information about coupe/work areas. Verify work procedures. Supply personal protective equipment. Provide training to employees.
Machine designer, manufacturer, supplier	Supply and deliver machines. Make available information about safe use of machines. Present users with information about OHS hazards
Employee	Understand and comply with safe working procedures. Attend training. Do not place themselves or others at risk of injury or harm. Comply with coupe/harvest plans.

Table 3

Self Help Activity 4, Committee Structures

Download the activity by clicking the icon above. When completed please submit via the LMS or directly to your trainer.

Chain of Command

A chain of command (see Table 4) is the order that instructions/directions are given in the workplace.

The management team makes the decisions and instructs your supervisor who tells you what you are required to do.

The chain of command should work both ways, not only from management to you but you should also be able to talk to your supervisor and raise any issues to be addressed by management.

Failure to follow the chain of command can lead to unsafe practices or time wasting.

You could be told to do something that goes against your supervisors previous instructions which could put you and others working around you at risk.

Table 4