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Elements and Performance Criteria

  1. Provide information to the work group
  2. Ensure others are able to implement safe work practices
  3. Implement workplace health and safety participative processes
  4. Monitor compliance with work procedures
  5. Implement hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control procedures
  6. Implement organisation procedures for maintaining workplace health and safety records
  7. Implement emergency procedures

Required Skills

Required skills

Required skills include

It is critical that the candidate demonstrate the ability to maintain workplace health and safety processes in the work context particularly in relation to the supervision of a small workgroup by

addressing their own health and safety

addressing health and safety of others who may be affected by their actions

supporting members of the workgroup who may be less experienced in the workplace in regard to workplace health and safety matters

taking initiative to address hazards and manage risks at a systemic level

In addition the candidate must be able to

communicate with personnel in the work team other work teams managers and experts advisers

conduct team meetings

relate to people from a range of social cultural and ethic backgrounds and physical and mental abilities

supervise and direct staff

take into account use and promote opportunities to address waste minimisation environmental responsibility and sustainable practice issues

use language and literacy skills to interpret workplace health and safety documentation

use technical skills to access workplace health and safety information

Required knowledge

Required knowledge includes

general duty requirements of the national Work Health and Safety model and relevant stateterritory legislation that influence regulatory requirements relevant to the particular industrytype of worksite

hazard identification procedures such as workplace inspections and review of workplace data

knowledge and understanding of guidance material including codes of practicecompliance codes relevant to the particular industrytype of work site

legislative requirements for record keeping and reporting

nature of common workplace hazards for example chemicals noise manual handling work postures underfoot hazards and moving parts of machinery

personal protective equipment requirements including use storage and maintenance

principles of risk management including the hierarchy of risk control and its application

relationship between workplace health and safety and sustainability in the workplace including the importance of maintaining safety in the workplace to establishing and maintaining environmental economic workforce and social sustainability

roles and responsibilities of health and safety representatives and workplace health and safety committees

roles and responsibilities of workers officers and Persons Conducting a Business or Undertaking PCBUs

standards and guidelines related to emergency procedures

sources of workplace health and safety information both internal and external to the workplace including Safe Work Australia and relevant stateterritory regulators

the difference between hazard and risk

workplace specific information including

designated person for raising workplace health and safety issues

hazard identification procedures relevant to the hazards in their workplace

hazards of the particular work environment

organisation procedures related to workplace health and safety including hazard incident and injury reporting hazard identification risk assessment and control consultation and participation incident investigation record keeping

potential emergency situations alarms and signals and required response

risk controls for specific hazards

work procedures related to the work of the teamwork group including use of personal protective equipment and emergency response

Evidence Required

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

To demonstrate competence in this Unit a candidate must be able to provide evidence of maintaining workplace health and safety processes in the workplace particularly in relation to the supervision of a small workgroup

Evidence gathered by an assessor to determine competence will include

written or verbal responses to scenarios and case studies

provision of workplace examples

evidence from workplace supervisor reports

portfolio of workplace documentation

Evidence of workplace performance over time must be obtained to inform a judgement of competence

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Products that could be used as evidence include

verbal and written responses to verbal written or physical scenarios

completed examples of information provided to work group risk assessments risk controls developed reports to managers reports on workplace inspections audits and emergency exercises

reports from work group members and supervisor

Processes that could be used as evidence include

how information transfer was organised and conducted

how risk assessments were conducted

how deviations from workplace procedures were addressed

Method of assessment

This Unit should be assessed together with other Units of Competence relevant to the function or work role

Guidance information for assessment

Access and equity considerations

all assessment should be applied with respect to relevant workrelated access and equity issues

competence should reflect an ability to work in a culturally diverse environment

assessors and trainers must take into account relevant access and equity issues in particular relating to factors impacting on Aboriginal andor Torres Strait Islander clients and communities

Range Statement

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.

Workplace health and safety legislation

Workplace health and safety legislation varies in different states and will include:

National Work Health and Safety Model

current relevant State/Territory workplace health and safety legislation

relevant state/territory Manual Handling Code of Conduct.

Standards

Standards include documents produced by national bodies, workplace health and safety regulators or industry bodies, that prescribe preventative action to avert occupational deaths, injuries and diseases.

Standards are of an advisory nature only, except where a law adopts the standard and thus makes it mandatory.

They may be called up as evidence in court or other enforcement action.

Codes of practice/compliance codes

Codes of practice/compliance codes are documents generally prepared to provide advice to employers and workers, of an acceptable way of achieving standards. They may:

be incorporated into regulations

not relate to a standard

be called up as evidence in court or other enforcement action.

Guidance material

Guidance material is an advisory technical document, providing detailed information for use by unions, employers, management, workplace health and safety committee members and representatives, safety officers and others requiring guidance. It

advises on 'what to do' and 'how to do it'.

has no legal standing.

Organisation policies and procedures

Organisation policies and procedures include policies and procedures underpinning the management of workplace health and safety, including:

hazard, incident and injury reporting

hazard identification, risk assessment and control

human resources policies and procedures such as harassment and grievance procedures, inductions programs, team meetings, alcohol and drug policies

consultation and participation

incident investigation

quality system documentation.

Hazard

A hazard is a source or situation with the potential for harm in terms of human injury or ill-health, damage to property, the environment, or a combination of these.

Common workplace hazards (from Safe Work Australia Work Health and Safety Risks - Code of Practice) include:

manual tasks - overexertion or repetitive movement can cause muscular strain

gravity - falling objects, falls, slips and trips of people can cause fractures, bruises, lacerations, dislocations, concussion, permanent injuries or death

electricity - potential ignition source. Exposure to live electrical wires can cause shock, burns or death from electrocution

machinery and equipment - being hit by moving vehicles, or being caught by moving parts of machinery can cause fractures, bruises, lacerations, dislocations, permanent injuries or death

hazardous chemicals - chemicals (such as acids, hydrocarbons, heavy metals) and dusts (such as asbestos and silica) can cause respiratory illnesses, cancers or dermatitis

extreme temperatures - heat can cause burns, heat stroke or fatigue. Cold can cause hypothermia or frost bite

noise - exposure to loud noise can cause permanent hearing damage

radiation - ultra violet, welding arc flashes, micro waves and lasers can cause burns, cancer or blindness

biological - micro-organisms can cause hepatitis, legionnaires’ disease, Q fever, HIV/AIDS or allergies

psychosocial hazards - effects of work-related stress, bullying, violence and work-related fatigue.

Examples of hazards in an animal care environment may include:

animal bites, envenomation, kicks, scratches or crush injuries

biological hazardous waste

bodily fluids

chemicals and medicines

sharps

zoonotic and exotic disease possibilities.

Risk

Risk in relation to any hazard means the probability and consequences of injury, illness or damage resulting from exposure to a hazard.

Risk assessments

Risk assessments involve analysing a hazard to identify factors influencing the risk and the range of potential consequences:

effectiveness of existing controls

likelihood of each consequence considering exposure and hazard level

And combining these in some way to obtain a level of risk.

Risk controls

Risk controls include the devices and methods to, where practicable, eliminate the hazard or, where this is not practicable, minimise the risk associated with the hazard.

Personal protective equipment

Personal protective equipment includes equipment worn by a person to provide protection from hazards, by providing a physical barrier between the person and the hazard and may include:

head protection

face and eye protection

respiratory protection

hearing protection

hand protection

clothing and footwear.

Work procedures

Work procedures include:

batch specifications

operator or manufacturer manuals

procedures for selecting, fitting, using and maintaining personal protective equipment

standard operating procedures.

Hazard identification

Hazards identification is the process of identifying sources of harm, and may be required:

before new forms of work and organisation of work are implemented

before changes are made to workplace, equipment, work processes or work arrangements

as part of planning major tasks or activities, such as equipment shutdowns

following an incident report

when new knowledge becomes available

at regular intervals during normal operations

prior to disposal of equipment, or materials.

Reporting procedures

Reporting procedures include:

hazards reports

incident reports

maintenance requests and reports

reports on completion of inspections

reports of non-compliance with work procedures

reporting on progress of action plans.

Workplace health and safety housekeeping practices

Workplace health and safety housekeeping practices address items such as:

functioning services, such as lighting, air flow and ventilation, emergency lighting

storage areas, including manual handling issues, storage, personal protective equipment

signage

underfoot conditions

unobstructed walkways and emergency exits

work space around equipment and machinery

workplace cleanliness and tidiness.

Residual risk

Residual risk is the risk which remains after controls have been implemented.

Hierarchy of risk control

Hierarchy of risk control (from Safe Work Australia Work Health and Safety Risks - Code of Practice) includes:

Level 1 controls

eliminate hazards

Level 2 controls

substitute the hazard with something safer

isolate the hazard from people

use engineering controls

Level 3 controls

use administrative controls

use personal protective equipment (PPE).

Expert advice

Expert advice can be obtained from persons either internal or external to the organisation including:

audiologists

ergonomists

employee assistance and workplace counselling services

occupational health professionals

occupational hygienists

health and safety representatives

workplace health and safety committees

safety engineers

safety professionals

toxicologists

Expert advice may also be obtained from other persons providing specific technical knowledge or expertise in areas related to workplace health and safety including:

engineers (e.g. design, acoustic, mechanical, civil)

health professionals

injury management advisors

legal practitioners with experience in workplace health and safety

maintenance and trade persons

regulatory bodies

risk managers

security and emergency response personnel

workplace trainers and assessors.

Workplace health and safety records

Workplace health and safety records may include:

employees handbooks

environmental monitoring records

first aid records

hazard, incident and investigation reports

health surveillance records

job safety analyses (JSAs), safe work method statements and risk assessments

maintenance and testing reports

material safety data sheets (MSDSs) and registers

minutes of meetings

plant and equipment operation records, including those relevant to registered plant

training records

workplace inspection reports.

Legislative

Legislative requirements for record keeping include those specified under workplace health and safety legislation for:

serious incident and injury reporting

registered plant

hazardous substances and dangerous goods

environmental monitoring

health surveillance

Privacy legislation.

Emergencies

Emergencies may include any abnormal or sudden event that requires immediate action, such as:

serious injury events

events requiring evacuation

explosion and bomb alerts

external emergencies and natural disasters, such as flood, storm and traffic accident impacting on the organisation

fires and explosions

hazardous substance and chemical spills

internal emergencies, such as loss of power or water supply and structural collapse

security emergencies, such as armed robberies, intruders and disturbed persons.

Emergency equipment

Emergency equipment is equipment required as part of the emergency response by the organisation and includes:

communication equipment

evacuation alarms

evacuation equipment, especially that for disabled persons

eye wash shower or portable eye washes

fire extinguishers and equipment

first aid equipment

items of clothing, such as coloured hats and vests

torches.