The new criminal rules for workplace compliance

Since 2001 all businesses come under the Criminal Code and compliance with requirements of various government departments is mandatory. Even more daunting is the fact that you are now obliged to know all the rules or be criminally liable if an accident happens as there is a presumption of guilt if companies cannot demonstrate ‘a culture of compliance’. Here are some examples.

• You are obliged to provide staff, customers and visitors with a safe environment.
• It is a criminal act to behave in way a court might decide is ‘misleading and deceptive’.
• You can be held responsible for the performance of the products you have sold or work you’ve done. Worse you can be sued (or even jailed) if someone using your product is injured or killed even though you know the product is perfectly safe when properly operated.

Four simple tips can help keep you clear of the courts and sleep soundly at night...

The most important defence in creating a safe environment is to show you took ‘timely & reasonable’ steps to avoid the possibility of an accident.  Make sure your factory, office or shop has relevant signs or stickers to warn where there is a potential risk of a fall or an accident. It works and is cheaper than lawyers and can keep you out of jail.

In you sell products that can be dangerous when not properly operated have a video made and put online so that you can demonstrate that you took reasonable steps to show the correct way to operate and maintain them.

Regularly review the various areas of risk and compliance with staff. As the owner and/or manager YOU have a duty to ensure they are fully aware of the exposure to potential criminal charges. Experience suggests a company found to commit a breach of the law may face lower penalties. Take out some form of Directors insurance, even though the cover may not be comprehensive.


It is also a good idea to have ready names of qualified business advisers that can guide you through the maze of compliance.

Where is small and medium size business most at risk? Experience suggests it is in the areas workplace health and safety, and damage to the environment. Remember correct signage and easy access to relevant information is the first step to avoid costly litigation or even worse, a tragedy that will scar you forever.




BlueCrystal Creative media & design  
Brisbane Australia,  Ph 0418 752 103  
www.bluecrystalcreative.com
Affordable and creative advertising and marketing solutions.

When getting new signage, do you consider the whole building and its environment?

How often when renewing or getting new signage for your business do you consider the whole building and its environment?   At BlueCrystal Creative we often have people coming to us, seeking new or upgraded signage for their business without even considering the building or street it's going to be seen in!

Before you start your signage review, take a photo of the outside of your building, stand and truly look what the oncoming traffic can really see.   Do plants, or other signs predominantly fill the environment, can you make out the shape of the building from the street?  Take a moment to try and view the building actually as a first time client does, OK now consider what colours in your logo pallet could be used to contrast you business against the background, in some cases by choosing one of your logo's stronger colours and repainting the entire building in just that colour, a much smaller sign can be used to even greater effect, because the whole building now acts as a logo.  You  often see this used to great effect by major chain operations, you can drive along a busy street and see the whole building painted in their corporate colour and recognise it instantly

A second advantage of using the corporate colour, is that it's  the equivalent of adding white space around the logo which in a visually confusing street can add a great deal of clarity

If you would like to find out about how to use you're building for best effect call us at BlueCrystal Creative today and ask us about the science of Business signs

BlueCrystal Creative ~
Quality signs for your small business

BlueCrystal Creative media & design  
Brisbane Australia,  Ph 0418 752 103  
www.bluecrystalcreative.com
Affordable and creative advertising and marketing solutions.