Application
This unit of competency describes the skills and knowledge required to plan, support and contribute to work health and safety processes in an animal care environment.
This unit applies to individuals who have responsibility for maintaining and contributing to compliance of workplace health and safety as part of their role, including duty of care for other workers. They work under broad direction, take responsibility for their own work, solve routine problems and use discretion and judgement in the use of available resources.
All work must be carried out to comply with workplace procedures, in accordance with state/territory health and safety regulations, legislation and standards that apply to the workplace.
No occupational licensing, legislative or certification requirements are known to apply to this unit at the time of publication.
Elements and Performance Criteria
Elements | Performance Criteria |
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. |
1. Plan and conduct work safely | 1.1 Locate and access workplace health and safety information relevant to own work role 1.2 Plan work in accordance with workplace health and safety legislation, industry standards, codes of practice/compliance codes, and the organisation’s policies and work procedures 1.3 Identify hazards, including signs of common animal and zoonotic diseases, and report to supervisor 1.4 Address identified hazards and select risk controls prior to starting work 1.5 Report incidents and injuries in accordance with organisation policies 1.6 Undertake workplace health and safety housekeeping in work areas 1.7 Monitor own levels of stress and fatigue to ensure ability to work safely and sustainably |
2. Support others to work safely | 2.1 Provide information on safe work practices and procedures to members of the work group 2.2 Check workplace health and safety practices of less experienced members of the workgroup 2.3 Provide guidance to less experienced members of the team to support them in working safely 2.4 Provide support to members of the team to accurately record incidents and complete associated workplace documentation |
3. Contribute to work health and safety participative processes | 3.1 Raise workplace health and safety issues in line with organisation procedures within prompt timeframes 3.2 Contribute to workplace meetings, workplace inspections or other consultative activities in a constructive manner to improve safety 3.3 Encourage workgroup members to work safely 3.4 Apply knowledge of the roles and responsibilities of health and safety representatives and workplace health and safety committees |
4. Contribute to hazard identification, work health and safety risk assessment and risk control activities | 4.1 Check workplace for hazards using itemised checklists 4.2 Make contributions to risk assessments 4.3 Report identified hazards and inadequate risk controls 4.4 Provide input to develop and implement control measures, with reference to the hierarchy of risk control |
5. Participate in the control of emergency situations | 5.1 Identify emergency signals and alarms, and respond to them appropriately 5.2 Take action to control and confine emergency, accounting for the nature and scope of the emergency, within scope of role |
Foundation Skills
This section describes those language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills that are essential for performance in this unit of competency but are not explicit in the performance criteria.
Skill | Description |
Reading | Interpret organisational and legislative documentation |
Writing | Accurately complete workplace health and safety checklists and documentation |
Oral communication | Discuss workplace health and safety issues with team members and supervisor Present information using language appropriate to audience Collaborate with others to achieve joint outcomes |
Get the work done | Keep up-to-date on changes to legislation relevant to own role Sequence and schedule activities |
Sectors
Work Health and Safety (WHS)