Occupational health and safety: a NSW hospital experience.

This paper outlines the experience of the establishment of an Occupational Health and Safety Committee at the Canterbury Hospital and Area Health Service and its achievements over the past two years. As a priority the committee members reviewed and refined safety reporting systems. The committee also considered the need to complement retrospective reporting with a proactive hazard prevention program. A system of departmental inspections was introduced in order to meet this perceived need. Following identification of hazards, education programmes and control strategies were developed to minimise risks. These strategies included some very innovative approaches to perennial problems.