Elements and Performance Criteria

Appropriate personnel may include
health and safety representatives
managers
OHS personnel
other persons including emergency service personnel, authorised or nominated by the enterprise or industry to:
approve specified work
direct specified work/functions
inspect specified work
perform specified work/functions.

Company requirements may include
counselling/disciplinary processes
maintenance of plant and equipment
purchasing of supplies and equipment
work procedures and work instructions.

Contributions may include
behaviour that contributes to a safe workplace
listening to ideas and opinions of others in the work group
sharing opinions, views, knowledge and skills.

Control risks may include actions such as
administrative controls
application of the hierarchy of control, namely:
elimination of the risk
substitution controls
engineering controls
administrative controls including training
personal protective equipment.

Emergency procedures may include
accident/incident reporting
chemical containment
evacuations
following instructions from authorised or designated personnel during hazardous events
provision of First Aid.

Hazardous events may include
accidents (including motor vehicle accidents)
bomb threats
chemical spills
fires and explosions
inhalation of dangerous substances
natural disasters
violent incidents e.g. armed robberies.

Hazards may include
associated with electrical or mechanical faults of plant and/or equipment
blocked exits
environmental
ergonomic
obstructive
reliance on low-order control measures to reduce worker risk instead of controlling the hazard itself
slippery or uneven floors
unlabelled chemicals and substances
untidy or noisy work areas.

Identifying hazards and assessing risks may include activities such as
audits
checking work area and/or equipment before and during work
housekeeping
identifying employee concerns
job and work system assessment
maintenance of plant and equipment
purchasing of supplies and equipment e.g. review of material safety data sheets and manufacturer/supplier information
reviews of OHS records including registers of hazardous substances, dangerous goods, etc
workplace inspections.

Information may be
about hazards and risk management procedures
about the nature of work, tasks and procedures
as part of providing direct supervision e.g. to inexperienced workers
for the induction of new workers
to assist in work tasks
to communicate legislation and codes of practice e.g. relating to hazards in the work area.

OHS legislation may include
general duty of care under OHS legislation and common law
provisions relating to OHS issue resolution
provisions relating to roles and responsibilities of health and safety representatives and/or OHS committees
regulations and codes of practice including regulations and codes of practice relating to hazards present in the workplace or industry
requirements for provision of OHS information and training
requirements for the maintenance and confidentiality of records of occupational injury and disease
state/territory/Commonwealth OHS Acts.

OHS training needs may include
emergency and evacuation training
induction training
specific hazard training
specific task or equipment training
training as part of broader programs e.g. equipment operation.

Participative arrangements may include
formal and informal meetings of-
OHS committees
other committees e.g. consultative, planning and purchasing
health and safety representatives
suggestions, requests, reports and concerns put forward by employees to management.

Readily accessible refers to information that
conforms to the principles of plain English
caters for individual language and literacy levels
is openly available.

Training may include
coaching/mentoring
off-the-job training
on-the-job training
presenting and promoting the benefits of a safe workplace
providing encouragement
providing feedback and clarifying points where necessary.

Work group members may include
contractors authorised by the enterprise to perform specified work/functions
employees under direct supervision
entry-level trainees
full-time, part-time or casual employees
trainee supervisors or trainee team leaders.

Workplace procedures may include
assessing and controlling risks
consultation and participation arrangements for employees
emergency response
housekeeping
incident investigation
OHS issue resolution
OHS record keeping
OHS training and assessment
providing OHS information
reporting OHS issues
safe operating procedures or instructions that cover but are not limited to:
awareness of electrical hazards
confined space procedures
First Aid
safe use of tools and equipment
use of personal protective equipment
working safely around electrical wiring, cables, and overhead powerlines
specific hazards
workplace safety inspections.

Critical aspects of competency
Identify and encourage compliance with OHS legal requirements within a work group.
Apply organisational requirements and work procedures to OHS within a work group.
Share information to a work group on workplace procedures pertaining to health and safety in a readily accessible manner.
Apply a consultative and open approach to the identification of hazards within the work group and ensure unresolved issues are referred to designated personnel.
Identify and assist with meeting the OHS training needs of the work group.

Knowledge needed to achieve the performance criteria
Knowledge and understanding are essential to apply this unit in the workplace, to transfer the skills to other contexts, and to deal with unplanned events. The knowledge requirements for this unit are listed below.
Provisions of OHS Acts, regulations and codes of practice relevant to the workplace including legal responsibilities of employers, employees and other parties with legal responsibilities.
Principles and practices of effective OHS management including risk management.
Organisational OHS management systems, policies and procedures.
Procedures for identifying hazards, assessing risks and controlling risks in the work environment.
Procedures and policies related to hazard management.
Access and equity principles in order to accept and respect individual differences within the composition of the work group.

Specific skills needed to achieve the performance criteria

To achieve the performance criteria, some complementary skills are required. These relate to the ability to:


apply literacy and language skills to:

understand and comply with work procedures
identify and report hazards
interpret site safety plan
read and comprehend product instructions
identify training needs of work group
analyse hazards, assess risks and evaluate risk control measures
coach and mentor in order to provide support to work group
be culturally sensitive.

Other units of competency that could be assessed with this unit
Competency in this unit will underpin competency in other aspects of the candidate's role in managing their work tasks.
This unit could be assessed on its own or in combination with other competencies relevant to the job function.

Resources required to assess this unit

The candidate and the assessor should have access to the appropriate documentation and resources normally utilised in the workplace. This includes access to the following:

OHS Acts, regulations and codes of practice relevant to the workplace
manuals and relevant documentation outlining occupational health and safety policies and procedures
a suitable work area, or a simulated workplace environment, that allows for identification of hazards, risk assessment and risk control measures
assessment documentation forms and record books.

Gaining evidence to assess this unit
For valid and reliable assessment of this unit, the competency should be demonstrated over a period of time and be observed by the assessor (or assessment team working together to conduct the assessment). The competency is to be demonstrated in a range of situations, which may include customer/workplace interruptions and involvement in related activities normally experienced in the workplace.

When assessing candidates, assessment techniques that allow a collection of evidence from relevant workplace experience should be used. Assessment against this unit may involve the following:

continuous assessment in the workplace (observation), or a setting that simulates the conditions of a workplace (simulation), taking into account the range of variables affecting performance
self-assessment of performance on the same terms as those described above
interviews and/or provision of learning activities to check underpinning knowledge requirements
supplementary evidence that may be obtained from relevant authenticated correspondence or reports from immediate supervisors or line managers.
Performance and assessment of this unit must be carried out within the relevant requirements of the legislative and industry framework and as set out in organisational OHS policies and procedures.

Communicating ideas and information
Measure information against legislative and organisational requirements through observation and discussion with the work group. (2)

Collecting analysing and organising information
Disseminate relevant information to work group members through discussion. (2)

Planning and organising activities
Organise work group tasks according to safe work practices with regard to the legislative and organisational framework. (2)

Working with others and in teams
Apply teamwork principles in collaborative and consultative ways that contribute to a safe work environment. (2)

Using mathematical ideas and techniques
Design work scheduling using established formulae for the work group. (1)

Solving problems
Apply problem-solving skills to hazard identification and risk assessment. (2)

Using technology
Enter and access safety information via electronic equipment. (1)