Elements and Performance Criteria

Codes of practice
Where reference is made to industry codes of practice, and/or Australian/international standards, it is expected the latest version will be used.
Standards. codes, procedures and/or enterprise requirements
Standards. codes, procedures and/or enterprise requirements may include:
Australian and international standards, such as:
AS 1678 series Emergency procedure guide - Transport
AS 1940:2004 Storage and handling of flammable and combustible liquids
AS 3780:2008 The storage and handling of corrosive substances
AS/NZS 1269 Set:2005 Occupational noise management set
AS/NZS 1337 series Eye protection
AS/NZS 2161 Set:2008 Occupational protective gloves set
AS/NZS 2210:1994 Occupational protective footwear
AS/NZS 2865 Set:2005 Safe working in a confined space set
AS/NZS 4452:1997 The storage and handling of toxic substances
AS/NZS 4501 Set:2008 Occupational clothing set
AS/NZS ISO 14000 Set:2005 Environmental management standards set
HB 9-1994 Occupational personal protection
Australian Dangerous Goods Code
Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) Codes of Practice
contractor and employee handbooks
emergency, fire and incident procedures
environmental incident procedures
hazard policies and procedures
hazardous goods manifest and substance register
maintenance schedules
manufacturer operating manuals
National Code of Practice for the labelling of workplace substances [NOHSC:2012 (1994)]
national environment protection measures
National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Guidelines
OHS national standards and codes of practice
personal protective clothing and equipment procedures
safety procedures
standard operating procedures
work instructions
Site personnel
Site personnel may include:
managers and supervisors
health and safety and other employee representatives
contractors, consultants and visitors
OHS committee members
operations personnel
external OHS agency representatives
Participative processes with site personnel and their representatives
Participative processes with site personnel and their representatives may include:
committees:
OHS
consultative
planning
employee and supervisor/manager involvement in OHS activities, such as inspections, audits and risk assessments
procedures for reporting hazards and raising and addressing OHS issues
identification of hazards
assessment of level of risk
implementation of risk control measures and review of effectiveness
injury and incident investigations
development of policies and procedures
review of OHS records and statistics
review of registers of hazardous substances and dangerous goods
audits and workplace inspections
job safety analysis
consultation with site personnel
Characteristics and composition of the workforce which have an impact on OHS and environmental management
Characteristics and composition of the workforce which have an impact on OHS and environmental management may include:
language and literacy
communication skills
cultural background
gender
workers with special needs
part time, casual or contract workers
Hazard identification processes
Hazard identification processes include:
review of hazard and incident reports
workplace inspections
pre-purchase risk assessments
review of relevant internal documentation, including material safety data sheets (MSDS), manufacturer manuals and minutes of meetings
review of legislation, codes of practice, standards and guidelines
review of publications, such as:
OHS regulators
industry bodies
journals
newsletters
Risk assessment
Risk assessment is a process that involves analysing the risk to identify factors influencing the risk and the range of potential consequences and assessing:
effectiveness of existing controls
likelihood of each consequence considering exposure and hazard level
combining these in some way to obtain a level of risk
A complete risk assessment will also include comparison of the determined risk with pre-established criteria for tolerance (or as low as reasonably achievable) and the subsequent ranking of risks requiring control
Hierarchy of control
Hierarchy of control, also referred to as the ‘safety decision hierarchy’ describes the preferred order of risk control measures from most to least preferred, that is:
elimination, or where this is not practical
substitution with a lesser hazard
isolate personnel from hazard
engineering controls
administrative controls, such as enterprise procedures and training
personal protective equipment
Information for evaluation of the OHS management system
Information for evaluation of the OHS management system may include:
hazard, incident and injury reports
site inspections
audit reports
formal and informal input of employees and contractors
OHS and environmental management requirements
OHS and environmental management requirements:
all operations must comply with enterprise OHS and environmental management requirements, which may be imposed through state/territory or federal legislation - these requirements must not be compromised at any time
all operations assume the potentially hazardous nature of samples and require standard precautions to be applied
where relevant, users should access and apply current industry understanding of infection control issued by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and State and Territory Departments of Health

Overview of assessment
Competency must be demonstrated in the ability to perform consistently at the required standard.
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
Assessors must be satisfied that the candidate can competently and consistently apply the skills covered in this unit of competency in new and different situations. Critical aspects of assessment and evidence include:
accessing and interpreting relevant sections of OHS legislation, regulations, codes of practice and updates
analysing the work environment and assessing the need for OHS interventions
consulting employees and other stakeholders on safety issues, hazard identification, risk assessment, selection and implementation of control measures and their review
raising issues related to concerns with safety of work systems and work environment through consultation with management, employees and contractors
promptly addressing OHS management issues within their area of control
developing and implementing improvements in work practices and procedures to reduce the risk of illness and injury and meet OHS legislative requirements
providing appropriate supervision, support and information in accordance with enterprise procedures
keeping OHS records complete, current and secure
communicating effectively with personnel at all levels of the organisation and OHS specialists
preparing reports for a range of target groups, including OHS committee, OHS representatives, managers and supervisors.
Context of and specific resources for assessment
This unit of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or a simulated workplace environment.
Assessment should emphasise a workplace context and procedures found in the candidate’s workplace.
This unit of competency may be assessed with units dealing with communication, supervision and training, for example:
MSS027001A Coordinate environmental management activities.
The competencies covered by this unit would be demonstrated by an individual working alone or as part of a team.
Resources may include:
relevant OHS legislation and regulations
codes of practice
enterprise procedures.
Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
review of OHS information developed by the candidate and provided to the site personnel
review of OHS records and reports prepared by the candidate
feedback from site personnel and managers regarding provision of information and the candidate’s ability to implement and monitor established OHS management systems
written and/or oral questioning to assess underpinning OHS knowledge and likely response to simulated incidents.
In all cases, practical assessment should be supported by questions to assess underpinning knowledge and those aspects of competency which are difficult to assess directly.
Where applicable, reasonable adjustment must be made to work environments and training situations to accommodate ethnicity, age, gender, demographics and disability.
The language, literacy and numeracy demands of assessment should not be greater than those required to undertake the unit of competency in a work-like environment.
Guidance information for assessment