Assessor Resource

BSBWHS604A
Evaluate the WHS performance of organisations

Assessment tool

Version 1.0
Issue Date: May 2024


This unit focuses on evaluation of the effectiveness of an organisation’s management of WHS.

Aspects of integration with other organisational management systems, and the appropriateness of participative arrangements and WHS improvements are some components of the evaluation.

The scope of this work may include WHS performance measures and outcomes, strategies, policies, programs, procedures and the organisation’s resources.

The unit applies to people who apply advanced practical knowledge to coordinate, facilitate and maintain the WHS program in an organisation.

NOTE: The terms Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) and Work Health and Safety (WHS) are equivalent and generally either can be used in the workplace. In jurisdictions where the National Model WHS Legislation has not been implemented RTOs are advised to contextualise the unit of competency by referring to the existing State/Territory OHS legislative requirements.

This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to evaluate an organisation’s arrangements for identifying hazards, assessing and controlling risks, monitoring and improving the effectiveness of the management of work health and safety (WHS), and complying with agreed benchmarks.

You may want to include more information here about the target group and the purpose of the assessments (eg formative, summative, recognition)

Prerequisites

Not applicable.

Employability Skills

This unit contains employability skills.



Evidence Required

List the assessment methods to be used and the context and resources required for assessment. Copy and paste the relevant sections from the evidence guide below and then re-write these in plain English.

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

Evidence of the following is essential:

making a comprehensive assessment of an organisation’s WHS performance

focusing on the organisation’s strategic planning in relation to WHS

knowledge of the nature and use of information and data that provide valid and reliable results on performance of WHS management processes (including PPIs) and limitations of other types of measures.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment must ensure access to:

a workplace, including personnel involved in areas to be evaluated

organisational documentation, information and data.

Method of assessment

A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:

analysis of responses to case studies and scenarios

direct questioning combined with review of portfolios of evidence and third-party reports of onthejob performance by the candidate

demonstration of techniques used in reviewing the organisation’s WHS performance

observation of performance in role plays

observation of presentations

oral or written questioning to assess knowledge of roles and responsibilities under WHS legislation of workers, supervisors, contractors and WHS inspectors

evaluation of the organisation’s risk assessment tools and processes

evaluation and documentation of performance outcomes

review of report developed to document outcomes of evaluation of compliance.

Guidance information for assessment

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example:

BSBWHS601A Apply legislative frameworks for WHS

BSBWHS602A Facilitate WHS activities

BSBWHS603A Implement WHS risk management

BSBWHS606A Conduct a WHS audit.

Submission Requirements

List each assessment task's title, type (eg project, observation/demonstration, essay, assingnment, checklist) and due date here

Assessment task 1: [title]      Due date:

(add new lines for each of the assessment tasks)

Assessment Tasks

Copy and paste from the following data to produce each assessment task. Write these in plain English and spell out how, when and where the task is to be carried out, under what conditions, and what resources are needed. Include guidelines about how well the candidate has to perform a task for it to be judged satisfactory.

Required skills

analytical skills to:

interpret information and data

identify areas for improvement

make observations of workplace tasks and interactions between people, their activities, equipment, environment and systems

use relevant workplace information and data

communication skills to:

conduct effective formal and informal meetings

employ consultation and negotiation skills to develop plans, and to implement and monitor designated actions

prepare reports for a range of target groups, including health and safety committees, health and safety representatives, managers, supervisors, and persons conducting businesses or undertakings (PCBUs) or their officers

relate to personnel at all levels of the organisation, WHS specialists and, as required, emergency services personnel

use language appropriate to the work team and the task

information technology skills to:

access and download internal and external information and data on WHS

analyse and evaluate a range of information and data formats, including graphs, maps, matrices and technical reports

prepare reports

use a range of communication media

use electronic information and data systems to enter workplace information and data and produce graphical representation

numeracy skills to carry out simple statistical analysis, including mean, standard deviation and regression

organisational skills to manage own tasks within a timeframe

project-management skills to:

achieve continuous improvement and change in WHS matters

contribute to strategic WHS performance of the organisation

research skills to:

access relevant WHS information and data

pay attention to detail when making observations and recording outcomes

use information and data-gathering techniques, such as brainstorming, polling and interviewing.

Required knowledge

commonwealth and state or territory WHS Acts, regulations, codes of practice, standards, guidance material and links to other relevant legislation, including industrial relations, equal employment opportunity, workers’ compensation, and rehabilitation

concept of common law duty of care

development of WHS performance assessment tools, such as PPIs

difference between common law and statutory law

ethics related to professional practice

formal and informal communication and consultation processes, and key personnel related to communication

language, literacy and cultural profile of the work team

legal liability in relation to providing advice

legislative requirements for WHS information and data, and consultation

limitations of generic hazard identification and risk assessment checklists, and risk ranking processes

methods for collecting reliable information and data, commonly encountered problems in collection, and strategies for overcoming such problems

methods for providing evidence of compliance with WHS legislation

nature and use of information and data that provide valid and reliable results on performance of WHS management processes (including PPIs) and limitations of other types of measures

nature of workplace processes (work flow, planning and control) and hazards relevant to the workplace

organisational culture as it impacts on the work team

organisational WHS policies, procedures, processes and systems

principles and practices of a systematic approach to managing WHS

principles of duty of care, including concepts of causation, foreseeability and preventability

principles of effective meetings, including agendas, action planning, chair and secretarial duties, minutes and action items

range of risk analysis and assessment techniques and tools, and their application and limitations

requirements for recordkeeping that address WHS, privacy and other relevant legislation

requirements for reporting under WHS and other relevant legislation, including obligations for notification and reporting of incidents

requirements under hazard-specific WHS legislation and codes of practice

risk management as a duty of PCBUs or their officers under WHS legislation

roles and responsibilities in relation to communication and consultation for health and safety committees, health and safety representatives, line management, workers and inspectors

sampling methodologies, application and related statistical measures

standard industry controls for a range of hazards

techniques, tools and processes for identifying and controlling health and safety hazards and risks:

hazard and risk checklists

hazard hunts

job safety analyses

manifests and registers, including for dangerous goods, hazardous chemicals and plant

safe work method statements

surveys using questionnaires, interviews and other survey techniques

workplace inspections and walk throughs.

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Hazards of long latency may include:

conditions, illnesses and other health risks that result from longer-term exposure to specific triggers and do not manifest themselves in the shortterm, such as:

chemicals

noise

psychosocial factors

radiation.

Hazards of low frequency/high consequence may include:

high impact events that may result in very serious injury, death or multiple death situations that occur rarely, such as:

building collapses

explosions

fires.

Persons other than workers may include:

contractors

customers/clients

neighbourhood or local community members

visitors.

Organisational factors may include:

authority

geographical spread of sites

nature of hazards and level of risk

other management systems requiring interface or integration with management of WHS

participatory arrangements

reporting structure

roster and shift arrangements

supervision structure

workforce structure, such as:

contractors

cultural diversity

labour hire

part-time and casual workers

workplace culture, including industrial relations and safety culture.

Specialist personnel may include:

external consultants specialising in specific areas of WHS, such as:

ergonomics

occupational health

occupational hygiene

psychology

safety engineering

toxicology

specialist staff within government agencies offering assistance in specialist or problem areas within WHS.

Benchmarks may include:

industry-specific standards

organisation’s business plan

specific legislation

WHS management system standards.

WHS legislation may include:

Acts

regulations

codes of practice.

Key personnel and stakeholders may include:

board/committee of management and shareholders

customers/clients

management, persons in control of the workplace, and supervisors

workers and other parties across a range of levels and roles, including health and safety representatives, and health and safety committee members.

Copy and paste from the following performance criteria to create an observation checklist for each task. When you have finished writing your assessment tool every one of these must have been addressed, preferably several times in a variety of contexts. To ensure this occurs download the assessment matrix for the unit; enter each assessment task as a column header and place check marks against each performance criteria that task addresses.

Observation Checklist

Tasks to be observed according to workplace/college/TAFE policy and procedures, relevant legislation and Codes of Practice Yes No Comments/feedback
Identify workplace hazard identification activities and compare them with organisational WHS policies and procedures 
Examine products, processes and systems to determine whether hazards of long latency and low frequency/high consequence are included and minimised 
Examine products, processes and systems to determine whether risks to persons other than workers are identified and minimised 
Identify organisational factors that impact on WHS 
Review outcomes of examinations with specialist personnel, if required 
Evaluate appropriateness of the organisation’s risk assessment tools and processes 
Assess outcomes of risk-assessment processes with regard to validity, reliability and inclusion of all major WHS risks 
Evaluate risk controls for suitability and effectiveness in relation to the organisation’s management of WHS 
Identify organisational processes to monitor the implementation and status of its WHS management 
Evaluate the quality of information and data obtained from the monitoring processes 
Evaluate management’s response to issues identified by the monitoring processes 
Evaluate performance indicators, including positive performance indicators (PPIs), to determine whether they provide a true, reliable and timely measure of the effectiveness of the organisation’s WHS management 
Compare reported performance with evidence gathered and document the differences 
Evaluate WHS performance outcomes and document them in a clear and objective manner 
Determine whether arrangements for managing WHS have produced improvement in WHS risk management 
Undertake systematic analysis to identify areas of WHS compliance and noncompliance with agreed benchmarks 
Provide advice on compliance with WHS legislation with regard to the organisation’s arrangements for managing WHS 
Document outcomes of evaluation of compliance and report to key personnel and stakeholders 

Forms

Assessment Cover Sheet

BSBWHS604A - Evaluate the WHS performance of organisations
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