Elements and Performance Criteria

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:
may include both health and safety hazards and environmental hazards
specific types of hazard will vary with the type of work, examples of which include:
safety hazards - lifting, working at heights, biomechanical, potentially harmful procedures, such as welding
health hazards - dangerous or harmful substances, risk of infection, risk of sustained injury from repetitive tasks
environmental hazards - petrochemical spillage, ground water contamination, air pollution, noise, dangerous gases, heavy or noxious metals pollution, release of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC), damage to natural or heritage precincts.

Designated personnel includes:
supervisors
managers
team leaders
management
OHS personnel
other persons authorised or nominated by the enterprise or industry to:
perform specified work
approve specified work
inspect specified work
direct specified work.

Workplace procedures may be formally documented or verbally communicated. They may a general approach or philosophy or defined procedures, such as:
identifying hazards, for example inspections
assessing risks
controlling hazards
using personal protective equipment
emergency responses
consultation and participation
reporting OHS issues
resolving OHS issues.

Controlling risks are:
typically controlled using a three steps in risk management process:
identify hazard
assess risk
implement control methods.

Job safety analysis (JSA):
includes sheets to record the steps in the risk management process - identification, assessment and control
both health and safety and environmental hazards can be documented on a JSA
a JSA should be completed for each new workplace or work-site situation.

Hazard identification:
should be a continuous process embedded in all work activities
examples of explicit identification processes include:
checking equipment or the work area before work commences and during work
workplace inspections
housekeeping
reviewing accident or incident records.

Risk assessment:
a simple scale - low, medium or high - is sufficient at this level of operation
this will be used in completing a typical JSA - the primary application of assessment
awareness of likelihood and consequence factors is sufficient.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) includes any clothing or device used to control a hazard. Examples include:
clothing - boots, gloves, overalls, protective jackets or pants
breathing apparatus - dust masks and respirators
face and head protection - helmets, goggles and face masks
radiation - radiation detectors.

OHS legislation includes:
state, territory and commonwealth OHS and environmental protection Acts, regulations and codes of practice, including regulations and codes of practice relating to hazards present in the workplace or industry
general duty of care under OHS legislation and common law
provisions relating to roles and responsibilities of health and safety representatives and/or OHS committees
provisions relating to OHS issue resolution.

Participative arrangements include:
OHS formal and informal meetings
OHS committees
other committees, for example, consultative, planning and purchasing
health and safety representatives
suggestions, requests, reports and concerns put forward by employees to management.

Environmental requirements are to include:
waste management
noise, dust and clean-up management.

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

Assessment candidates should produce evidence of the following:

demonstrated ability to recognise and report hazards to designated personnel
demonstrated ability to accurately follow workplace procedures relevant to controlling risks in the workplace
demonstrated ability to communicate.

Context of, and specific resources for assessment

Assessment of this unit requires access to:

relevant Occupational Health and Safety Acts, regulations and codes of practice
enterprise OHS policies and procedures
personal protective equipment
relevant work areas for identification of hazards and control measures.

To assess this unit, the following information and/or documents should be provided to the person being assessed:

details of the established organisational OHS system
relevant policies, procedures and programs for health, safety and the environment
information about the rights and responsibilities of the workplace parties under Occupational Health and Safety Acts, regulations and codes of practice
information on hazards and risks relevant to the workplace.

Guidance information for assessment
Access must be provided to appropriate learning and assessment support when required.
Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate, and appropriate to the verbal communication skill level, and language and literacy capacity of the candidate and the work being performed.
In all cases where practical assessment is used it will be combined with targeted questioning to assess underpinning knowledge.