Elements and Performance Criteria

Range description
Work is carried out in accordance with company procedures, regulatory and licensing requirements, legislative requirements and industrial awards and agreements. Legislative requirements include State/Territory/Commonwealth occupational health and safety Acts and regulations, including regulations and codes of practice relating to hazards present in the workplace. They also include general duty of care under occupational health and safety legislation and common law
Company procedures may include job-related SOPs and OHS-specific procedures. Examples of OHS procedures include consultation and participation, emergency response, response to specific hazards, incident investigation, risk assessment, reporting arrangements and issue resolution procedures
Workplace information may include OHS system and related documentation including policies and procedures, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), information on hazards and the work process, hazard alerts, safety signs and symbols, labels, Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) and manufacturers' advice. Technical advice may include codes of practice and industry standards
Work responsibilities include responsibility for modelling appropriate OHS policies and procedures and may include formal or informal responsibility for providing a support role to others in the work area
Safe work procedures relate to the work area which may include special requirements covered by the issuing of permits
Employee and employer rights and responsibilities are those established by legislation and reflected in company policies and procedures
Hazards, near misses, injuries and illnesses relate to own job and work area
OHS incidents include near misses, injuries, illnesses and property damage
Hazards found in the work area can include but are not limited to:
noise
confined spaces
working with steam and hot services/product
airborne particulates
handling hazardous substances
working with and near moving equipment/load shifting equipment
stress
broken or damaged equipment or materials
slip, trip and fall hazards
manual handling
working with 240V power supply
poor ventilation
working in exposed weather conditions
working with combustible materials
Where safety hazards include work conditions covered by National Occupational Health and Safety Commission and/or state health and safety authorities, the assessment criteria and methods prescribed by these authorities must also be met
Consultation would typically involve discussing issues, considering and responding to feedback on issues including but not limited to identification of hazards, assessment of risk level, hazard control options, injury and accident investigation, development and/or review of safe work procedures and proposed changes to the work environment that may impact on risk
The operator at this level may not have direct responsibility for overseeing the training/development of team members. At a minimum they must be able to identify development needs of others in the work area and refer this information to the relevant personnel
The operator at this level may not have responsibility for independently assessing risks and determining the effectiveness of control measures. However, they would be expected to observe day-to-day effectiveness and participate in assessment and review processes
Responsibilities at this level may include facilitating consultation processes within level of responsibility
Record keeping complies with legal and OHS program requirements

Ability to:
Access, interpret and communicate information about OHS and related procedures to others in the work area. This requires demonstration of two-way communication including active listening and constructive response to feedback
Provide access to and maintain current OHS information in the work area. This typically includes Standard Operating Procedures and/or safe work procedures. It may also include relevant signage and permits to work where relevant
Model safe work policies and procedures in own work
Identify OHS hazards and controls relevant to work processes and practices in the work area
Support others to follow OHS procedures. This involves ensuring that all personnel in the work area receive the information required, that they have met the necessary competency/regulatory and licensing requirements to carry out their work responsibilities and they are equipped with the relevant personal protective clothing and equipment. This may apply to both company employees and subcontractors
Identify, report and/or address OHS training and development needs of others in the work area
Regularly inspect the work area to identify OHS hazards
Report and take action to remove or control hazards according to workplace procedure and level of responsibility
Ensure that appropriate and timely action is taken in response to emergencies
Participate in investigations of non-compliance and risk assessment processes
Participate in consultation processes to improve OHS in the workplace
Respond to OHS hazard identification and incidents in an appropriate and timely way
Review practice and procedures to implement recommendations arising from risk assessments and/or improvement proposals within level of responsibility. This may include collection and analysis of OHS records, reviewing operating procedures and communicating changes to others in the work area
Support return to work arrangements in the work area within level of responsibility
Ensure that housekeeping standards are maintained and that equipment is safe to operate
Ensure that OHS records and documentation is accurate, complete and timely

May include ability to:

Issue and maintain supplies of personal protective clothing and/or equipment as required by work role
Issue work permits
Facilitate consultation processes
Lead incident investigations

Knowledge of:
Roles and responsibilities associated with duty of care. This includes company and personal duty of care
Legislation relating to OHS responsibilities. This requires an understanding of the main provisions of national and state health and safety legislation, regulations and codes of practice. This includes OHS rights and responsibilities and codes of practice related to consultation, safe workplace, workers compensation and return to work

The system for managing OHS in the workplace. This includes an understanding of:

site layout including emergency exits
signage, symbols and signals relating to OHS
location, use and meaning of safety alarms and responses required
specific programs to manage OHS
the role of operating and safety procedures, incident reporting and investigation processes
requirements and procedures for reporting OHS hazards and incidents including injuries, illness and near misses
training arrangements
structure and role of consultative processes
sources of information on workplace health and safety
OHS personnel including managers, representatives, emergency wardens, first aid officers and internal and external auditors where appropriate
Principles of risk management including hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control according to hierarchy of control
The personal protective and emergency clothing and/or equipment requirements of work roles in the work area and procedures for fitting, using, storing and ordering clothing and/or equipment as required
Purpose, application and limitations of protective clothing and equipment
Common types of injuries relevant to work tasks, likely causes and control options
Hazards and control measures in place in the work area. This requires an understanding of safe work requirements relevant to the work area, including lock out/tag out and isolation procedures
Health and safety resources and advice relating to typical hazards and control methods relevant to the work area. This includes an awareness of relevant technical advice and support
Work functions carried out in the work area that are covered by special training requirements such as for entry to confined spaces, hot work, working at heights
The role of consultation in supporting OHS program implementation
Appropriate communication skills and techniques to convey health and safety information to others in the workplace
Emergency response system, procedures and personnel
Return to work responsibilities and procedures
Auditing arrangements, roles and responsibilities as they relate to own work responsibilities. This may include an understanding of internal and external audit processes
Documentation system and procedures. This includes record keeping to meet both company and legal requirements, procedures for developing and/or reviewing workplace procedures, and document control systems used in the workplace
Purpose of OHS records and an understanding of how this information is used to support the management of OHS in the workplace

May include knowledge of:

Procedures for managing supplies of personal protective clothing and/or equipment as required by work role
Facilitation and consultation techniques
Handling and storage requirements of hazardous goods used in the work area
Work permit system and procedures. This includes an understanding of procedures, responsibilities for issuing, functions covered by a permit to work, and how long a permit is valid once issued.

Relationship with other standards
Pre-requisite units
There are no pre-requisites for this unit.
Co-assessment of related units

This unit should be assessed together with other units of competence relevant to the function or work role. In addition, the following optional or ancillary units may be relevant:

PMAPER300A Issue work permits
PMBOHS204B Apply emergency/incident procedures
FDFOPTPIP3A Participate in improvement processes
FDFOPTTG3A Lead work teams and groups
BSBCMN405A Analyse and present research information

Resources required for assessment

Assessment must occur in a real or simulated workplace where the assessee has access to:

OHS legislation, codes, policy, system and procedures
Work area or system in which OHS policies and procedures are to be monitored
Standard operating procedures and related advice on specific safe work practices
Advice on hazards and control procedures relevant to work area
Work tasks and related equipment to which OHS procedures are to be applied
Personal protective clothing and equipment as required
Emergency and/or evacuation procedures for the potential range of hazards
Competency records and workplace training arrangements
Consultative forums relating to OHS
Storage areas for hazardous goods as required
OHS reporting systems and requirements
Manual handling equipment as required

Assessment requirements
For information on how to assess this competency standard and who can assess, refer to the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package.