The range statement relates to the Unit of Competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. 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) may also be included. |
Workplace health and safety legislation | Workplace health and safety legislation varies in different states and will include: National Work Health and Safety Model current relevant State/Territory workplace health and safety legislation relevant state/territory Manual Handling Code of Conduct. |
Standards | Standards include documents produced by national bodies, workplace health and safety 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 | Codes of practice/compliance codes are documents generally prepared to provide advice to employers and workers, of an acceptable way of achieving standards. They may: be incorporated into regulations not relate to a standard be called up as evidence in court or other enforcement action. |
Guidance material | Guidance material is an advisory technical document, providing detailed information for use by unions, employers, management, workplace health and safety committee members and representatives, safety officers and others requiring guidance. It advises on 'what to do' and 'how to do it'. has no legal standing. |
Organisation policies and procedures | Organisation policies and procedures include policies and procedures underpinning the management of workplace health and safety, including: hazard, incident and injury reporting hazard identification, risk assessment and control human resources policies and procedures such as harassment and grievance procedures, inductions programs, team meetings, alcohol and drug policies consultation and participation incident investigation quality system documentation. |
Hazard | 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. Examples of hazards in an animal care environment may include: animal bites, envenomation, kicks, scratches or crush injuries biological hazardous waste bodily fluids chemicals and medicines sharps zoonotic and exotic disease possibilities. |
Risk | Risk in relation to any hazard means the probability and consequences of injury, illness or damage resulting from exposure to a hazard. |
Risk assessments | 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 | 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. |
Personal protective equipment | Personal protective equipment 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 | Work procedures include: batch specifications operator or manufacturer manuals procedures for selecting, fitting, using and maintaining personal protective equipment standard operating procedures. |
Hazard identification | Hazards identification is the process of identifying sources of harm, and may be required: 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, or materials. |
Reporting procedures | Reporting procedures include: hazards reports incident reports maintenance requests and reports reports on completion of inspections reports of non-compliance with work procedures reporting on progress of action plans. |
Workplace health and safety housekeeping practices | Workplace health and safety housekeeping practices address items such as: functioning services, such as lighting, air flow and ventilation, emergency lighting storage areas, including manual handling issues, storage, personal protective equipment signage underfoot conditions unobstructed walkways and emergency exits work space around equipment and machinery workplace cleanliness and tidiness. |
Residual risk | Residual risk is the risk which remains after controls have been implemented. |
Hierarchy of risk control | Hierarchy of risk control (from Safe Work Australia Work Health and Safety Risks - Code of Practice) includes: 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 | Expert advice can be obtained from persons either internal or external to the organisation including: audiologists ergonomists employee assistance and workplace counselling services occupational health professionals occupational hygienists health and safety representatives workplace health and safety committees safety engineers safety professionals toxicologists Expert advice may also be obtained from other persons providing specific technical knowledge or expertise in areas related to workplace health and safety including: engineers (e.g. design, acoustic, mechanical, civil) health professionals injury management advisors legal practitioners with experience in workplace health and safety maintenance and trade persons regulatory bodies risk managers security and emergency response personnel workplace trainers and assessors. |
Workplace health and safety records | Workplace health and safety records may include: employees handbooks environmental monitoring records first aid records hazard, incident and investigation reports health surveillance records job safety analyses (JSAs), safe work method statements and risk assessments maintenance and testing reports material safety data sheets (MSDSs) and registers minutes of meetings plant and equipment operation records, including those relevant to registered plant training records workplace inspection reports. |
Legislative | Legislative requirements for record keeping include those specified under workplace health and safety legislation for: serious incident and injury reporting registered plant hazardous substances and dangerous goods environmental monitoring health surveillance Privacy legislation. |
Emergencies | Emergencies may include any abnormal or sudden event that requires immediate action, such as: serious injury events events requiring evacuation explosion and bomb alerts external emergencies and natural disasters, such as flood, storm and traffic accident impacting on the organisation fires and explosions hazardous substance and chemical spills internal emergencies, such as loss of power or water supply and structural collapse security emergencies, such as armed robberies, intruders and disturbed persons. |
Emergency equipment | Emergency equipment is equipment required as part of the emergency response by the organisation and includes: communication equipment evacuation alarms evacuation equipment, especially that for disabled persons eye wash shower or portable eye washes fire extinguishers and equipment first aid equipment items of clothing, such as coloured hats and vests torches. |