This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to establish and maintain the work, health and safety (WHS) management system in the resources and infrastructure industries.

It applies to those who work in management roles. They are generally responsible for the outcomes of others and contribute to the development of solutions to nonroutine problems.

Licensing, legislative and certification requirements that apply to this unit can vary between states, territories and industry sectors. Users must check requirements with relevant body before applying the unit.

Note: The terms Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) and Work Health and Safety are equivalent and generally either can be used in the workplace. In jurisdictions where the National Model WHS Legislation has not been implemented RTOs are advised to contextualise the unit of competency by referring to the existing State/Territory OHS legislative requirements.

The candidate must demonstrate the ability to complete the tasks outlined in the elements, performance criteria and foundation skills of this unit, including evidence of the ability to:

establish and maintain the WHS management system on at least two occasions, including:

establishing procedures for implementing strategies and activities that eliminate or reduce risk on site

identifying possible incidents and preparing procedures for unplanned incidents

providing coaching and mentoring support to others who implement and maintain WHS systems

using effective consultative mechanisms to negotiate processes and procedures appropriate to workplace safety

explaining complex WHS information to superiors/subordinates

establishing and monitoring site training plans and training occurrences

taking a leading role in initiating action and making decisions when risk is identified and needs to be controlled

maintaining clear and concise written records and documents of WHS incident and activity outcomes

establishing WHS systems audit processes

accessing and analysing archival and historical information for auditing WHS activity

demonstrating the establishment of processes, techniques and examples of continuous improvement for WHS activity on site.

During the above, the candidate must:

locate and apply relevant legislation, documentation, policies and procedures and confirm that the work activity is compliant

implement the requirements, procedures and techniques for establishing and maintaining the WHS management system

work effectively with others to conduct establish and maintain the WHS management system in a way that meets all required outcomes

communicate clearly and concisely with others to receive and clarify work instructions.

The candidate must be able to demonstrate knowledge to complete the tasks outlined in the elements, performance criteria and foundation skills of this unit, including knowledge of:

key legislation required to establish and maintain the WHS management system

key policies, procedures and documentation required to establish and maintain the WHS management system, including:

WHS auditing procedures

duty of care principles

training design and management requirements and procedures

emergency procedures

strategic planning procedures

human resource management requirements and procedures

risk management processes and techniques

action planning methods and preparation

continuous improvement processes

principles and techniques for identifying relevant hazards and emergencies

techniques for coordinating and communicating job activities with others.

Mandatory conditions for assessment of this unit are stipulated below. The assessment must:

include access to:

personal protective equipment

equipment related to establish and maintain the WHS management system

relevant documentation

be conducted in a safe environment; and,

be assessed in the context of this sector's work environment; and,

be assessed in compliance with relevant legislation/regulation and using policies, procedures and processes directly related to the industry sector for which it is being assessed; and,

confirm consistent performance can be applied in a range of relevant workplace circumstances.

Where personal safety or environmental damage are limiting factors, assessment may occur in a simulated work environment* provided it is realistic and sufficiently rigorous to cover all aspects of this sector’s workplace performance, including environment, task skills, task management skills, contingency management skills and job role environment skills.

Assessor requirements

Assessors must be able to clearly demonstrate current and relevant industry knowledge and experience to satisfy the mandatory regulatory standards as set out in the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015/Australian Quality Training Framework mandatory requirements for assessors current at the time of assessment and any relevant licensing and certification requirements. This includes:

vocational competencies at least to the level being delivered and assessed

current industry skills directly relevant to the training and assessment being provided

current knowledge and skills in vocational training and learning that informs their training and assessment

formal relevant qualifications in training and assessment

having knowledge of and/or experience using the latest techniques and processes

possessing the required level of RII training product knowledge

having an understanding and knowledge of legislation and regulations relevant to the industry and to employment and workplaces

demonstrating the performance evidence, and knowledge evidence outlined in this unit of competency, and

the minimum years of current** work experience after competency has been obtained as specified below in an industry sector relevant to the outcomes of the unit.

It is also acceptable for the appropriately qualified assessor to work with an industry expert to conduct assessment together and for the industry expert to be involved in the assessment judgement. The industry expert must have current industry skills directly relevant to the training and assessment being provided. This means the industry subject matter expert must demonstrate skills and knowledge from the minimum years of current work experience after competency has been obtained as specified below, including time spent in roles related to the unit being assessed:

*Guidance on simulated environments has been stipulated in the Companion Volume Implementation Guide located on VETNet.

**Assessors can demonstrate current work experience through employment within industry in a role relevant to the outcomes of the unit; or, for external assessors this can be demonstrated through exposure to industry by conducting a minimum number of site assessments as determined by the relevant industry sector, across various locations.

*** While a unit of competency does not have an AQF level, where a unit is being delivered outside of a qualification the first numeric character in the unit code should be considered as the AQF indicator level for assessment purposes.

This section describes those language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills that are essential to performance but not explicit in the performance criteria.