Application
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to evaluate the effectiveness of an organisation’s work health and safety (WHS) performance, including its hazard identification and WHS risk management arrangements, its processes for monitoring performance, and the outcomes of its WHS management arrangements. It also incorporates assessing and advising on compliance with established benchmarks and required legislation.
The unit applies to those who apply advanced practical knowledge to coordinate, facilitate and maintain the WHS program in an organisation.
NOTES
1. 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 model WHS laws have not been implemented, registered training organisations (RTOs) are advised to contextualise this unit of competency by referring to existing WHS legislative requirements.
2. The model WHS laws include the model WHS Act, model WHS Regulations and model WHS Codes of Practice. See Safe Work Australia for further information.
No licensing, legislative, or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.
Elements and Performance Criteria
ELEMENT | PERFORMANCE CRITERIA |
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. |
1. Evaluate effectiveness of organisation’s WHS hazard identification arrangements | 1.1 Identify workplace hazard identification activities and compare them with organisational WHS policies and procedures 1.2 Examine products, processes and systems to determine whether hazards of long latency and low frequency/high consequence are included and controlled 1.3 Examine products, processes and systems to determine whether risks to persons other than workers are identified and controlled 1.4 Identify organisational factors that impact on hazard identification 1.5 Review outcomes of examinations with specialist personnel, as required 1.6 Document outcomes of examination and report to required personnel according to organisational policies and procedures |
2. Evaluate effectiveness of organisation’s WHS risk management arrangements | 2.1 Evaluate appropriateness of the organisation’s risk assessment tools and processes 2.2 Assess outcomes of risk assessment processes with regard to validity, reliability and inclusion of all major WHS risks 2.3 Evaluate implemented risk controls for suitability and effectiveness in relation to the organisation’s management of WHS 2.4 Document evaluation outcomes and distribute as required according to organisational policies and procedures |
3. Evaluate effectiveness of organisation’s WHS monitoring processes | 3.1 Identify organisational processes to monitor implementation and status of WHS management 3.2 Evaluate quality of information and data obtained from monitoring processes 3.3 Review effectiveness of communication and reporting processes in relation to monitoring the management of WHS 3.4 Evaluate management’s response to issues identified by the monitoring processes 3.5 Document outcomes of evaluation of compliance and report to required personnel |
4. Assess and advise on organisation’s WHS compliance with established benchmarks and required legislation | 4.1 Identify industry benchmarks and required legislation 4.2 Undertake systematic analysis to assess WHS compliance with established benchmarks and required legislation 4.3 Identify and make recommendations to rectify WHS non 4.4 Provide advice on compliance and non 4.5 Document outcomes of compliance assessment and report to required personnel |
5. Assess outcomes of organisation’s WHS management arrangements | 5.1 Identify organisational processes to be assessed 5.2 Evaluate performance indicators, including positive performance indicators (PPIs), to determine whether they provide a true, reliable and timely measure of effectiveness of organisation’s WHS management 5.3 Compare reported performance with evidence gathered, and document differences and noted trends 5.4 Evaluate WHS performance outcomes and document them in a clear and objective manner 5.5 Determine whether arrangements for managing WHS have produced improvement in WHS management 5.6 Document outcomes of assessment and report to required personnel |
Foundation Skills
This section describes those language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills that are essential to performance but not explicit in the performance criteria.
Skill | Description |
Reading | Interprets, analyses and evaluates complex organisational texts in relation to WHS policies, procedures, systems, and management arrangements |
Writing | Documents information about performance evaluation and compliance, matching style of writing to purpose and audience Uses appropriate vocabulary, grammatical structure and organisational conventions to produce required documents |
Oral communication | Presents information, evaluation outcomes and recommendations using language appropriate to audience Uses questioning and active listening to seek clarification or confirm understanding |
Numeracy | Extracts, analyses and synthesises mathematical information in a range of workplace sources Selects from a range of mathematical and problem-solving strategies and techniques to evaluate WHS data for a range of purposes, including to identify trends Uses formal and informal oral and written mathematical language and representation to communicate about WHS risk management, evaluation and monitoring |
Navigate the world of work | Keeps up to date on changes to WHS laws or regulations relevant to own role and responsibilities, and considers their implications when negotiating, planning and undertaking work |
Interact with others | Recognises and applies the protocols governing what, with whom and how to communicate when working with specialist personnel |
Get the work done | Uses logical planning processes and an increasingly intuitive understanding of context, to identify relevant information and risks, and to identify and evaluate alternative strategies and resources Reviews WHS management using systematic and analytical processes to set criteria, gather relevant information, and identify and evaluate options against agreed criteria Applies formal problem-solving processes when identifying factors impacting on WHS, resolving complex issues in manageable parts Uses a range of digitally-based technology and applications to access and filter data, and to extract, organise, integrate and share relevant information |
Sectors
Regulation, Licensing and Risk – Work Health and Safety