The legislative functions of the Office of the Federal Safety Commissioner (OFSC) are delivered efficiently and effectively, including by promoting work health and safety in relation to building work and implementing the Work Health and Safety Accreditation Scheme.

This performance measure was achieved.

4.4.1, 4.4.2 and 4.4.3 The OFSC conducts an annual census to gauge its effectiveness and efficiency in delivering legislative functions. All current accredited companies under the Work Health and Safety Accreditation Scheme nominate one primary reporting contact. All primary reporting contacts are sent the census by email. Companies have one month to submit their census response. All responses are anonymous. The 2019 and 2020 censuses were conducted using an online survey platform.

The results of the 2020 census found that:

• 96% of respondents were happy with the service provided (compared with 97% in 2019–20)
• 97% of respondents reported guidance material was readily available and 88% reported the material was clear and easy to understand
• 93% of respondents reported they had achieved better safety performance as a result of accreditation (the same result as in 2019–20)
• 95% of respondents indicated that the department had improved overall industry safety.

4.4.4 The workflow systems of the OFSC show that all applications for accreditation during 2020–21 were assessed and applicants were contacted within 10 working days of application receipt, the same result we achieved in 2019–20. We use this target as a proxy measure for efficiency. Assessment of applications is based on satisfactory completion of the accreditation application form, which is submitted by companies seeking accreditation through the OFSC website.

4.4.5 The pandemic affected the delivery of our audit program. However, changes to our delivery approach enabled us to achieve and exceed the target. Changes included prioritising the use of locally based safety officers, using virtual technology and desktop reviews in appropriate circumstances and improved consultation with accredited companies to identify viable audit sites. A total of 489 audits were completed against the target of 450. This is the largest number of audits completed under the Work Health Safety Accreditation Scheme in a 12-month period.