Application
This unit of competency covers the skills and knowledge required to maintain and improve an established work health and safety (WHS) management system.
The WHS management system will already have been developed by persons with the relevant specialist knowledge and skills.
This unit of competency applies to personnel with a specialised responsibility for maintaining the WHS management system. Depending on the organisation this might be an owner, manager, team leader, WHS officer/manager, a technician with particular WHS responsibilities, or someone in a similar role. The competency applies within the area of managerial responsibility, which may be an entire organisation or department of an organisation.
The work will be carried out with the support of other team members.
Management must be aware that, while employees have WHS responsibilities, line managers are ultimately responsible, under both WHS legislation and common law duty of care, for the safety of the workplace, including ensuring that employees comply with documented work procedures. This legislation includes general WHS legislation as well as that for hazardous substances, dangerous goods and major hazard sites.
No other licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.
Elements and Performance Criteria
Elements describe the essential outcomes | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element | ||
1 | Manage WHS information in the workplace | 1.1 | Take action to ensure that requirements for WHS record keeping and reporting are implemented according to workplace procedures and legislative requirements |
1.2 | Access sources of WHS information and evaluate for application to the workplace | ||
1.3 | Collect and collate data and information to provide information to managers and stakeholders on WHS requirements, trends and risk controls |
2 | Support implementation of WHS management system | 2.1 | Determine WHS priorities in consultation with appropriate managers and stakeholders |
2.2 | Identify WHS training needs for implementation and maintenance of the WHS management system | ||
2.3 | Develop action plans taking account of priorities and training needs | ||
2.4 | Monitor achievement of action plans and update plans accordingly |
3 | Support WHS participative arrangements | 3.1 | Ensure WHS information and documentation is understandable and accessible to all |
3.2 | Promptly address WHS issues that may arise within area of authority or refer to appropriate person | ||
3.3 | Provide information about the outcomes of WHS consultation in a manner that is accessible to all |
4 | Collect data to evaluate currency of WHS management system | 4.1 | Identify, in consultation with stakeholders and, as required expert advisors, internal data and information that provides relevant and reliable information on the performance of the WHS management system |
4.2 | Conduct workplace inspections on a regular basis. | ||
4.3 | Identify workplace WHS implications of any changes to legislation | ||
4.4 | Identify any WHS implications to proposed changes to the workplace | ||
4.5 | Take action to arrange a WHS management system audit |
5 | Analyse data and information to identify areas for improvement | 5.1 | Assess compliance of WHS management system with WHS legislation |
5.2 | Analyse information collected to identify areas for improvement. | ||
5.3 | Consult with stakeholders, key personnel and, as required, WHS advisors | ||
5.4 | Document and communicate outcomes of analysis to key personnel and stakeholders in an easily understood format | ||
5.5 | Recognise limits of own expertise and seek appropriate advice |
6 | Initiate and maintain improvements | 6.1 | Determine priorities for WHS in consultation with stakeholders |
6.2 | Develop a WHS plan with responsibilities and timeframes and validate the plan with stakeholders | ||
6.3 | Identify and source resources required for implementation of plan | ||
6.4 | Monitor achievement against plan | ||
6.5 | Monitor effectiveness of modifications to WHS management system on an ongoing basis incorporating feedback from stakeholders |
Evidence of Performance
Evidence required to demonstrate competence in this unit must be relevant to and satisfy the requirements of the elements and performance criteria and include the ability to:
communicate using appropriate style and format for a range of stakeholders to:
evaluate the WHS management system
provide information on the effectiveness of the WHS management system in minimising risk
identify, plan, implement and monitor improvements
convey WHS and other complex/technical information
consult and seek input/feedback
interact with the workforce to maintain the process that comprise the WHS management system
analyse WHS data to identify areas for improvement
create and manage documentation, including:
WHS records
minutes of meetings and consultations
workplace inspection checklists, audits and reports
write clearly and unambiguously, including:
reports
policies and procedures
WHS information
develop WHS management system improvement plans
apply a quality improvement process to implement and monitor improvements
identify WHS training needs.
Evidence of Knowledge
Must provide evidence that demonstrates knowledge relevant to their job sufficient to fulfil their job role, including:
WHS responsibilities of employers, employees, supervisors and contractors, including duty of care responsibilities
regulatory requirements for WHS information and consultation and processes and arrangements to meet these obligations
regulatory requirements for WHS record keeping and reporting
regulatory requirements for training and licensing relevant to WHS
elements of a WHS management system and principles and practices of effective WHS management and risk control
barriers to implementation of WHS, including language and literacy, cultural diversity of workforce and workplace culture in relation to WHS
sources and types if information that provide realistic information on the performance of the WHS management system
techniques for analysing WHS data, including simple statistical analysis and graphing of trends
types of internal and external change that may impact on WHS and WHS compliance
audit and inspection processes.
Assessment Conditions
The unit should be assessed holistically and the judgement of competence based on a holistic assessment of the evidence.
The collection of performance evidence is best done from a report and/or folio of evidence drawn from:
a single project which provides sufficient evidence of the requirements of all the elements and performance criteria
multiple smaller projects which together provide sufficient evidence of the requirements of all the elements and performance criteria.
A third-party report, or similar, may be needed to testify to the work done by the individual, particularly when the project has been done as part of a project team.
Assessment should occur in operational workplace situations. Where this is not possible, or where personal safety or environmental damage are limiting factors, assessment must occur in a sufficiently rigorous simulated environment reflecting realistic operational workplace conditions. This must cover all aspects of workplace performance, including environment, task skills, task management skills, contingency management skills and job role environment skills.
Knowledge evidence may be collected concurrently with performance evidence (provided a record is kept) or through an independent process, such as workbooks, written assessments or interviews (provided a record is kept).
Assessment processes and techniques must be appropriate to the language, literacy and numeracy requirements of the work being performed and the needs of the candidate.
Conditions for assessment must include access to all tools, equipment, materials and documentation required, including relevant workplace procedures, product and manufacturing specifications associated with this unit.
Foundation skills are integral to competent performance of the unit and should not be assessed separately.
As a minimum, assessors must satisfy the Standards for Registered Training Organisations 2015 assessor requirements.
Foundation Skills
This section describes those language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills that are essential to performance.
Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.
Range Statement
This field allows for different work environments and conditions that may affect performance. Essential operating conditions that may be present (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) are included. | |
Regulatory framework | The latest version of all legislation, regulations, industry codes of practice and Australian/international standards, or the version specified by the local regulatory authority, must be used, and include one or more of the following: legislative requirements, including work health and safety (WHS) industry codes of practice and guidelines environmental regulations and guidelines Australian and other standards licence and certification requirements All operations to which this unit applies are subject to stringent health, safety and environment (HSE) requirements, which may be imposed through state/territory or federal legislation, and these must not be compromised at any time. Where there is an apparent conflict between performance criteria and HSE requirements, the HSE requirements take precedence. |
Procedures | All operations must be performed in accordance with relevant procedures. Procedures are written, verbal, visual, computer-based or in some other form, and include one or more of the following: emergency procedures work instructions standard operating procedures (SOPs) safe work method statements (SWMS) formulas/recipes batch sheets temporary instructions any similar instructions provided for the smooth running of the plant |
WHS records | WHS records include one or more of the following: hazard and incident reports logs/logs sheets inspection/start-up/shutdown checklists injury reports maintenance records |
WHS information sources | WHS information sources include one or more of the following: WHS legislation, codes of practice and Australian and International standards WHS regulators Safe Work Australia Guides industry bodies internet sites, journals and newsletters manufacturer manuals material safety data sheets (MSDS) and registers organisation WHS policies and procedures internal risk assessments, job safety analyses (JSAs) and workplace inspections internal hazard and incident reports |
Sectors
Competency Field
Work health and safety