Unit Title
HLTWHS004 – Manage work health and safety
Unit Purpose
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to establish, maintain and evaluate work health and safety (WHS) policies, procedures and programs in the relevant work area, according to WHS legislative requirements. This unit applies to workers who have responsibility for WHS as part of their role, including workers with obligations under WHS legislation, Persons Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBUs), or their Officers (as defined by relevant legislation).
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this unit.
Content
Section 1: Establishing WHS Practices
Section 2: Facilitating Consultation, Cooperation and Communication
Section 3: Monitoring Compliance with Risk Control Processes
Section 4: Evaluating and Maintaining WHS
Resources/Readings
Readings A – L are located in the associated HLTWHS004 Readings section of the module.
Suggested Hours
Although everyone will work at their own pace, we suggest you allow approximately 40 hours to complete this unit competently, including assessment activities.
Time Frame
The recommended time frame this unit is 4 weeks.
Assessment
This unit will be assessed by completing the HLTWHS004 Assessment and an associated work placement.
How to Use This Module
This module contains all of the information that you need to complete the assessment tasks associated with this unit. You must read through all of the information provided (both the module and associated readings) before attempting the assessment tasks.
Throughout this module there are a few coloured boxes used to help you. These include:
Tip
This is used to indicate the presence of tips or additional instructions that may assist you as you work through this module. They are designed to help you expand your knowledge and skills and deepen your understanding of how concepts and practices are applied in workplaces.
Reading
You will find these throughout the module. They indicate that a particular Reading contains additional information on the topic that is being discussed at that point.
Self Reflection
This indicates a self-reflection question. You are not required to submit answers to these questions. They are designed to get you thinking more about the topic and to consider key points in order to aid your understanding.
Upon completion of this unit, you should be able to:
| Element | Performance Criteria |
|---|---|
| 1. Establish work health and safety practices | 1.1 Access and interpret legislation, regulations, code of conduct and workplace policies and procedures for WHS 1.2 Develop procedures for ongoing hazard identification, and assessment and control of associated risks 1.3 Ensure risk controls and hazard-specific procedures are consistent with the hierarchy of control and are monitored to support compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements 1.4 Identify requirements for expert WHS advice, and request this advice as required |
| 2. Facilitate consultation, cooperation and communication | 2.1 Develop and provide consultative WHS activities to provide advice in relation to work health and safety issues 2.2 Monitor processes for ensuring that workers have an opportunity to contribute feedback on health and safety issues 2.3 Document outcomes of consultation and communicate to workers 2.4 Develop and implement processes to ensure that responsibilities and duties are documented and accountability processes are in place 2.5 Implement and monitor training programs to ensure identified WHS training requirements are addressed, including induction process |
| 3. Monitor compliance with risk control processes | 3.1 Develop WHS record-keeping policies and procedures and provide information to workers 3.2 Monitor hazard, incident and injury reporting processes to meet legislative requirements and to inform future prevention strategies 3.3 Evaluate WHS record-keeping policies and procedures for compliance with legislative requirements |
| 4. Evaluate and maintain WHS | 4.1 Determine WHS priorities in consultation with work group 4.2 Develop a WHS action plan taking account of priorities and training needs 4.3 Identify potential barriers to improvement 4.4 Establish processes to monitor achievement against the plan and update plans as required |
Knowledge Evidence
The candidate must demonstrate knowledge of:
- state/territory legislation and how it impacts on workplace regulations, codes of practice and industry standards, including:
- state/territory WHS authorities
- rights and responsibilities of persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs), officers and workers, including duty of care
- legislative requirements for record-keeping and reporting
- due diligence and general duty requirements
- regulatory requirements relevant to the particular industry/type of work site
- legislative requirements for consultation
- hazardous manual tasks
- infection control
- hazards common to the work environment and strategies for minimisation
- requirements for WHS policies, including:
- hazard, incident and injury reporting
- hazard identification, risk assessment and control
- human resources policies and procedures
- consultation and participation
- incident investigation and record-keeping
- quality system documentation
- designated person/s for raising issues
- workplace support services
- use of personal protective equipment (PPE)
- emergency procedures
- principles of hazard and risk management, including:
- risk analysis
- hazard identification procedures
- hierarchy of control and its application
- principles of risk assessment
- examples of health and safety benchmarks
- principles of safe design processes
Performance Evidence
The candidate must show evidence of the ability to complete tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage tasks and manage contingencies in the context of the job role. There must be demonstrated evidence that the candidate has completed the following tasks at least once in line with state/territory WHS regulations, relevant codes of practice and workplace procedures:
- conducted a workplace risk assessment and recorded the results, including:
- identification of hazards and potential hazards
- risk assessment
- evaluation of policy/procedure in line with state/territory legislation and industry guidelines
- development of risk controls and measures
- conducted the following consultative activities with at least two workers:
- information session about workplace policies and procedures, including demonstration of personal protective equipment (PPE) where required for the job role
- consultative discussion regarding outcomes of a workplace risk assessment, including risk controls and measures developed as part of the risk assessment process
- monitored workplace compliance with WHS procedures
- developed a WHS action plan, including strategies for monitoring and review
- coordinated workplace procedures for a simulated emergency situation.
In this unit you will learn how to establish, maintain, and evaluate work health and safety (WHS) practices and management within your organisation in order to ensure that they comply with WHS legislative requirements.
Overview of Sections
Section 1: Establishing WHS Practices
This section of the Study Guide provides an overview of WHS legislative requirements including the responsibilities and accountabilities of each individual within the workplace. You will also learn about common WHS practices for the identification, assessment, and control of hazards within the workplace.
Section 2: Facilitating Consultation, Cooperation and Communication
In this section of the Study Guide you will learn about the legislative requirements for WHS consultation and how organisations can comply with these requirements. You will also learn about the importance of WHS training programs and WHS induction processes.
Section 3: Monitoring Compliance with Risk Control Processes
In this section of the Study Guide you will learn about the legislative requirements relating to WHS record-keeping and how to develop and evaluate such practices in your organisation to ensure compliance. You will also learn to monitor your organisation’s hazard, incident, and injury reporting processes and make use of the data gathered from these processes.
Section 4: Evaluating and Maintaining WHS
In this section of the Study Guide you will learn how to evaluate and maintain organisational WHS practices. Specifically, you will learn how to develop a WHS action plan in order to improve the WHS practices in your organisation and monitor and update the plan as required.
