Elements and Performance Criteria

RANGE STATEMENT

The Range Statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Add any 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.


WHS legislation varies in different states and will include:
National Work Health and Safety Model
Current relevant State/territory WHS legislation
Relevant state/territory Manual Handling Code of Conduct


Standards include:
Documents produced by national bodies, WHS regulators or industry bodies, that prescribe preventative action to avert occupational deaths, injuries and diseases
Standards are of an advisory nature only, except where a law adopts the standard and thus makes it mandatory
They may be called up as evidence in court or other enforcement action


Codes of practice/compliance codes are:
Documents generally prepared to provide advice to employers and workers, of an acceptable way of achieving standards
Codes of practice/compliance codes may:
be incorporated into regulations
not relate to a standard
be called up as evidence in court or other enforcement action


Guidance material:
Is an advisory technical document, providing detailed information for use by unions, officers, PCBUs, health and safety committee members and representatives, safety officers and others requiring guidance
Advises on ‘what to do’ and ‘how to do it’
Has no legal standing


Organisation policies and procedures include:
Policies and procedures underpinning the management of WHS including:
hazard, incident and injury reporting
hazard identification, risk assessment and control
human resources policies and procedures such as harassment and grievance procedures, induction programs, team meetings, alcohol and drug policies
consultation and participation
incident investigation
quality system documentation


A hazard is:
A source or situation with the potential for harm in terms of human injury or ill-health, damage to property, the environment, or a combination of these


Common workplace hazards (from Safe Work Australia Work Health And Safety - Risks Code of Practice) include:

Manual tasks - Overexertion or repetitive movement can cause muscular strain
Gravity - Falling objects, falls, slips and trips of people can cause fractures, bruises, lacerations, dislocations, concussion, permanent injuries or death
Electricity - Potential ignition source. Exposure to live electrical wires can cause shock, burns or death from electrocution
Machinery and equipment - Being hit by moving vehicles, or being caught by moving parts of machinery can cause fractures, bruises, lacerations, dislocations, permanent injuries or death
Hazardous chemicals - Chemicals (such as acids, hydrocarbons, heavy metals) and dusts (such as asbestos and silica) can cause respiratory illnesses, cancers or dermatitis
Extreme temperatures - Heat can cause burns, heat stroke or fatigue. Cold can cause hypothermia or frost bite
Noise - Exposure to loud noise can cause permanent hearing damage
Radiation - Ultra violet, welding arc flashes, micro waves and lasers can cause burns, cancer or blindness
Biological - Micro-organisms can cause hepatitis, legionnaires’ disease, Q fever, HIV/AIDS or allergies
Psychosocial hazards - Effects of work-related stress, bullying, violence and work-related fatigue


Risk:
In relation to any hazard, means the probability and consequences of injury, illness or damage resulting from exposure to a hazard


Risk assessments involve analysing a hazard to:
Identify factors influencing the risk and the range of potential consequences:
effectiveness of existing controls
likelihood of each consequence considering exposure and hazard level
And combining these in some way to obtain a level of risk


Risk controls include:
The devices and methods to, where practicable, eliminate the hazard or, where this is not practicable, minimise the risk associated with the hazard


Examples of risks requiring management in a direct client care work environment may include:
Worker fatigue or burnout requiring appropriate supervision and stress management
Injury or damage resulting from violent or aggressive behaviour, requiring strategies to defuse or avoid behaviours of concern
Risks relating to working in client’s homes, requiring appropriate worker education and associated strategies
Fire in client’s homes requiring workers to provide basic information on home fire safety


Personal protective equipment (PPE) includes:
Equipment worn by a person to provide protection from hazards, by providing a physical barrier between the person and the hazard and may include:
head protection
face and eye protection
respiratory protection
hearing protection
hand protection
clothing and footwear


Work procedures include:
Standard operating procedures
Batch specifications
Operator or manufacturer manuals
Procedures for selecting, fitting, using and maintaining personal protective equipment.


Hazard identification is:
The process of identifying sources of harm and may be required:
at design or pre purchase of equipment and materials
at commissioning or pre-implementation of new processes or practices
before new forms of work and organisation of work are implemented
before changes are made to workplace, equipment, work processes or work arrangements
as part of planning major tasks or activities, such as equipment shutdowns
following an incident report
when new knowledge becomes available
at regular intervals during normal operations
prior to disposal of equipment, buildings or materials


Reporting processes include:
Hazards reports
Maintenance requests and reports
Reports on completion of inspections
Incident reports
Reports of non-compliance with work procedures
Reporting on progress of action plans


WHS housekeeping practices address items such as:
Workplace cleanliness and tidiness
Unobstructed walkways and emergency exits
Underfoot conditions
Work space around equipment and machinery
Functioning services such as lighting, air flow and ventilation, emergency lighting
Storage areas including manual handling issues, storage, personal protective equipment
Signage


Residual risk is:
The risk which remains after controls have been implemented


Hierarchy of risk control (from Safe Work Australia Work Health And Safety - Risks Code of Practice) includes:
The ranking of ways control risks ranked from the highest level of protection and reliability to the lowest, including:
Level 1 controls
Eliminate hazards
Level 2 controls
Substitute the hazard with something safer
Isolate the hazard from people
Use engineering controls
Level 3 controls
Use administrative controls
Use personal protective equipment (PPE)


Expert advice can be obtained from:
Persons either internal or external to the organisation including:
safety professionals
ergonomists
employee assistance and workplace counselling services
occupational hygienists
audiologists
safety engineers
toxicologists
occupational health professionals
Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs)
Health and Safety committees (HSCs)

Other persons providing specific technical knowledge or expertise in areas related to WHS including:
risk managers
health professionals
injury management advisors
legal practitioners with experience in WHS
engineers (e.g. design, acoustic, mechanical, civil)
security and emergency response personnel
workplace trainers and assessors
maintenance and trade persons


WHS records may include:
Hazard, incident and investigation reports
Workplace inspection reports
Incident investigation reports
First aid records
Minutes of meetings
Job Safety Analyses (JSAs) and risk assessments
Safety Data Sheet (SDS) and registers
Employees handbooks
Plant and equipment operation records including those relevant to registered plant
Maintenance and testing reports
Training records
Environmental monitoring records
Health surveillance records


Legislative requirements for record keeping include those specified under:
WHS legislation for:
serious incident and injury reporting
registered plant
hazardous substances and dangerous goods
environmental monitoring
health surveillance
Privacy legislation


Emergencies may include any abnormal or sudden event that requires immediate action such as:
Serious injury events
Events requiring evacuation
Fires and explosions
Hazardous substance and chemical spills
Explosion and bomb alerts
Security emergencies, such as armed robberies, intruders and disturbed persons
Internal emergencies, such as loss of power or water supply and structural collapse
External emergencies and natural disasters, such as flood, storm and traffic accident impacting on the organisation


Emergency equipment is equipment required as part of the emergency response by the organisation and includes:
First aid equipment
Eye wash shower or portable eye washes
Fire extinguishers and equipment
Communication equipment
Evacuation alarms
Evacuation equipment, especially that for disabled persons
Torches
Items of clothing such as coloured hats and vests


Incidents include:
Any event that has caused or has the potential for injury, ill-health or damage

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the Performance Criteria, Required Skills and Knowledge, the Range Statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package.

Critical aspects of assessment:
The individual being assessed must provide evidence of specified essential knowledge as well as skills
Evidence gathered by an assessor to determine competence will include:
written or verbal responses to scenarios and case studies
provision of workplace examples
evidence from workplace supervisor reports
portfolio of workplace documentation
Evidence of performance over time must be obtained to inform a judgement of competence


Products that could be used as evidence include:
Verbal and written responses to verbal, written or physical scenarios
Completed examples of information provided to work group, risk assessments, risk controls developed, reports to managers, reports on workplace inspections, audits, emergency exercises
Reports from work group members, supervisor


Processes that could be used as evidence include:
How information transfer was organised and conducted
How risk assessments were conducted
How deviations from workplace procedures were addressed


Access and equity considerations:
All workers in the health industry should be aware of access and equity issues in relation to their own area of work
All workers should develop their ability to work in a culturally diverse environment
In recognition of particular health issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, workers should be aware of cultural, historical and current issues impacting on health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Assessors and trainers must take into account relevant access and equity issues, in particular relating to factors impacting on health of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients and communities


Related units:
Assessment of this unit should address and build on the content of related unit:
HLTWHS300A Contribute to WHS processes