Unit of competency Outline

Date retreived
22/07/2026 11:31 PM AWST

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Provide a safe working environment

Provide a safe working environment

Unit of competency
National Code
SIRXOHS003A
State Code
S6170
TGA Status
Replaced
DTWD Status
Replaced
Current Release Number
1.00
Current Release Date
19/02/2009
View on TGA
State Implementation and Classification
Approved Date
26/10/2011
Field of Education
061301 - Occupational Health And Safety
Original Release Date
26/10/2011
Nominal Hours
35
Description
This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to develop and implement policies and procedures relating to OHS issues. It is based on the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission (NOHSC) guidelines.
Notes
Elements and Performance Criteria
1 Develop policies to establish and maintain a safe working environment.
  • 1.1 Develop store policy and procedures based upon a commitment to OHS and with regard to relevant legislation.
  • 1.2 Clearly define and allocate OHS responsibilities and duties, and include in job descriptions and duty statements for all relevant positions.
  • 1.3 Promptly and consistently identify, seek or provide financial and human resources for the operation of the OHS system.
  • 1.4 Ensure information on the OHS system is readily accessible and clearly explained to staff.
  • 1.5 Establish procedures to identify existing and potential hazards.
  • 1.6 Establish and maintain procedures to facilitate the reporting of all safety-related incidents.
  • 1.7 Develop control measures according to the hierarchy of control.
  • 1.8 Establish systems to encourage staff members to identify and report matters likely to affect workplace safety.
2 Consult with staff.
  • 2.1 Establish and maintain appropriate consultation processes in consultation with staff according to OHS legislation and store policy.
  • 2.2 Promptly deal with and resolve issues raised through consultation according to store policy.
  • 2.3 Clearly and promptly provide information to staff on outcomes of consultation.
3 Establish and maintain a safe working environment.
  • 3.1 Establish and maintain policy and procedures to facilitate identification and prevention of hazards.
  • 3.2 Establish and maintain procedures to ensure safe handling and storage of hazardous goods.
  • 3.3 Establish and maintain procedures to ensure equipment is maintained and stored safely according to store policy.
  • 3.4 Establish and maintain procedures to ensure safe lifting or shifting and manual handling techniques are employed by staff.
  • 3.5 Establish and maintain store emergency procedures.
4 Assess risks.
  • 4.1 Assess risks presented by identified hazards according to OHS legislation and codes of practice.
  • 4.2 Develop procedure for ongoing risk assessment and integrate with systems of work and procedures.
  • 4.3 Monitor staff activities to ensure risk assessment procedure is adopted effectively.
  • 4.4 Address risk identification and assessment at planning, design and evaluation stages of workplace changes to prevent creation of new hazards.
5 Control risks.
  • 5.1 Develop measures to control assessed risks according to the hierarchy of control and implement according to store policy, OHS legislation and codes of practice.
  • 5.2 Establish and implement interim or contingency measures when control measures are not immediately practicable, until permanent control measures are implemented.
6 Establish and maintain policies for hazardous events.
  • 6.1 Identify potentially hazardous events.
  • 6.2 Develop procedures to control risks associated with hazardous events and meet legislative requirements, in consultation with appropriate emergency services.
  • 6.3 Provide appropriate information and training to all employees to enable implementation of the correct procedures in all relevant circumstances.
7 Train staff.
  • 7.1 Develop and implement OHS training program to ensure all staff are trained in OHS issues.
8 Establish and maintain record system.
  • 8.1 Establish and monitor system for maintaining OHS records to facilitate identification of patterns of occupational injury and disease according to store policy.
9 Evaluate policies and procedures.
  • 9.1 Assess effectiveness of the OHS system and related policies, procedures and programs according to store policy.
  • 9.2 Develop and implement improvements to the OHS system to ensure more effective achievement of store policy.
  • 9.3 Assess compliance with OHS legislation and codes of practice to ensure that legal OHS standards are maintained.
OHS
emergency procedures
use of technology
job roles and responsibilities
delegation.

OHS regulations
privacy legislation
Work Care or Work Cover regulations
federal, state and local health and hygiene.

new or existing staff
full-time, part-time, casual or contract
people with varying levels of language and literacy
people from a range of cultural, social and ethnic backgrounds
people with a range of job roles and responsibilities.

unguarded equipment
electricity and water
fires
chemical spills
sharp cutting tools and instruments
broken or damaged equipment or technology
damaged packing material or containers
manual handling
stress.

Reporting
manual
digital or electronic
scheduled
standardised.

elimination of hazards
substitution
isolating hazards
use of engineering controls
use of administrative controls
appropriate use of personal protective clothing and equipment.

minutes from health and safety meetings
suggestions for improvements put forward by employees
staff meetings, management meetings.

electrical equipment
chemicals
flammable goods
waste.

manual handling equipment
steps and ladders
electrical equipment including:
retail technology
cleaning equipment
food storage equipment
food warming and preparation equipment
electrical tools
hand tools
knives and scissors
manual cleaning equipment.

locating and using alarms
events likely to endanger staff or customers
sickness
accidents
fire
store evacuation
chemical spills
bomb threat
armed robbery.

conducting regular reviews of injury or accident registers
consultation processes, including discussions with employees
assessment of individual tasks and job design.

on-the-job, off-the job training or a combination of both
induction training
training for specific hazards identified in the industry
fire and emergency evacuation training
ongoing professional development training, including OHS implications.

customers and staff, equipment, premises and stock
sickness and accident reporting procedures
storage and use of flammable materials
safe lifting and manual handling procedures
store evacuation
chemical containment
first aid procedures
range of responsibilities or job description, including general duty of care of employees and employers
workplace inspection and safety audits
checking equipment prior to and during work
reporting process for and issues resolution, injury or accidents.

workplace inspection and audit reports
training records for new employees
training records for existing employees
manufacturer instructions, including MSDS maintenance records
revision of policies and procedures to ensure relevance through audits against state and territory legislation and regulations.

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

Evidence of the following is essential:

maintains, manages and applies safe working practices, including necessary resources, control measures and risk assessments, in all areas of the store, according to relevant legislation
maintains, manages and applies emergency procedures according to store policy and procedures
develops and manages store policy and procedures in regard to the consistent application by staff members of safe working practices, for the provision of services and safe use of products
establishes and maintains consultative processes in regard to OHS
allocates and manages staff responsibility for OHS guidelines
develops and implements staff training programs that relate to OHS, and health and hygiene legislation and industry codes of practice
establishes and maintains systems for maintaining OHS records
evaluates, reviews and makes recommendations for improvements with regard to store policy and procedures in OHS and store emergency procedures.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment must ensure access to:

a real or simulated work environment

relevant documentation, such as:

OHS legislation and codes of practice
store policy and procedures manuals
industry codes of practice
enterprise agreements in regard to consultative committees
staff members
emergency equipment.

Methods of assessment

A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:

observation of performance in the workplace
a role play
third-party reports from a supervisor
written or verbal questioning to assess knowledge and understanding
review of portfolios of evidence and third-party workplace reports of on-the-job performance by the candidate.

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example:

SIRXHRM001A Administer human resources policy
SIRXHRM002A Recruit and select personnel.

Assessing employability skills
Employability skills are integral to effective performance in the workplace and are broadly consistent across industry sectors. How these skills are applied varies between occupations and qualifications due to the different work functions and contexts.
Employability skills embedded in this unit should be assessed holistically in the context of the job role and with other relevant units that make up the skill set or qualification.

Replaces
State Code National Code Title Type
N0708 WRRO3B Provide a safe working environment Unit of competency
Replaced By
State Code National Code Title Type
WE001 SIRXWHS403 Provide a safe work environment Unit of competency