HLTWHS004 Manage work health and safety - Final assessment PDF

Preview

Summary

Download HLTWHS004 Manage work health and safety - Final assessment PDF

Description

HLTWHS004 Manage work health and safety Final assessments Part A 1. Explain how state/territory legislation impacts workplace regulations, codes of practice and industry standards, including WHS authorities. The state/territory legislation provides an outline for how the workplace regulations, codes of conduct and industry standards will: - Improve safety outcomes in the workplace. - Reduce compliance costs for organisations. - Protect the health and safety of employees. - Improve effectiveness for each states regulator. The WHS Act must be passed by the Parliament in each state and territory for it to be legally binding. Each state and territory has a regulator in authority for enabling and imposing WHS legislation in their area. 2. Explain how state/territory legislation impacts the rights and responsibilities of persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs), officers and workers, including duty of care. The WHS Act states that a PCBU must ensure the reasonable health and safety of: - Employees whose actions are influenced or directed by the PCBU - Workers who are engaged or caused to be involved by the PCBU - Other people who could be put at jeopardy from activities carried out by or for the PCBU 3. Explain how state/territory legislation impacts due diligence requirements. Due diligence is the reasonable actions that a worker exercises to protect the health, safety and welfare of themselves and the people around them. Due diligence requires employees to comprehend and undertake their legal duties, regularly evaluate the workplace risks and hazards, and take all rational safety measures with respect to those risks. Due diligence requires workers to have current knowledge relevant to WHS matters, access to suitable WHS resources to control and eliminate risk, familiarity of the workplace and the threats and risks related and appropriate procedures to comply with any duty requirements (e.g. measures to receive and respond to information about hazards, incidents and risks). 4. Explain how state/territory legislation impacts general duty requirements. General duty requirements apply to every person working in community services. General duty refers to duties that the WHS Act has implemented upon individuals to protect their own safety at work, the wellbeing of others at the workplace and the safety of anyone else who may be harmed as a consequence of that work. General duties are allocated to people who are in a position to regulate the source of the risk and must be performed with due diligence, also known as reasonable care. The objective of general duties is to avoid any death, injury or illness that may arise from movements in the work environment. 5. Provide two examples of regulatory requirements that relate to the community services work environment. - Risk management processes - Duties in high risk areas and hazardous manual tasks

1

Lena Ngoun

HLTWHS004 Manage work health and safety 6. Explain WHS policy requirements regarding designated person/s for raising issues. An employee has a duty of care to report any workplace matter directly to their manager. The worker may raise a workplace issue with management through their work health and safety representative (HSR) where appropriate. If a worker is nominated by associates of their work group to be their HSR, the worker will gain increased duties. This person will be required to promote the flow of information about health and safety between the PCBU and the workers. 7. How does state/territory legislation affect performing hazardous manual tasks in a community services environment? Provide two characteristics of a hazardous manual task. Workers need to follow correct risk management procedures and implement the recommendations indicated in the Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice to control the risks related to hazardous manual tasks. If a manual task holds a high force or heavy load, the Model Code of Practice states that the risk must be assessed and controlled. Two characteristics of a hazardous manual task include sustained or awkward postures and repetitive force or movement. 8. Explain how WHS policies should address hazard identification, risk assessment and control. WHS policies relating to hazard identification, risk assessment and control should indicate the roles and responsibilities each worker has in contributing to a safe work environment. The policies should offer clear guidelines about the duties, consultation and documentation mandatory for each process regarding: - Assessing risks - Reviewing control measures - Identifying hazards - Controlling risks 9. Outline the principles of hazard and risk management regarding risk analysis in community services work environments. - A risk assessment should be carried out to determine the possibility that the hazard may result in injury, harm or damage once the hazard has been identified. - The higher the possibility and/or seriousness of injury or illness taking place due to a hazard, the higher the need to manage the risk related with that risk. - Risk analysis occurs at all phases of the hazard and risk management process. Risk analysis is a advantageous tool that can be utilised to prioritise the order to manage hazards as the community services environment has many threats that need to be addressed. 10. Outline two hazard identification procedures according to the principles of hazard and risk management. - Analysing work processes - Conducting a safety audit or workplace inspection 11. Provide an example of how you would apply Level 2 of the hierarchy of control to control a hazard in a community services environment. The whole office was painted after hours and the paint is solvent-based, triggering irritation, headaches and allergies among employees and service users. Level 2 Controls Substitution: Use less hazardous materials such as water-based paint. 2

Lena Ngoun

HLTWHS004 Manage work health and safety Isolation: Separate the employees and service-users from the office or relocate them elsewhere. Engineering controls: Use a large fan to offer some circulation of air and balance the paint fumes. 12. In the principles of risk assessment, what is evaluated? - The possible outcomes of the risk. - The likelihood of the possible outcomes that will occur. - The probable consequences if those outcomes appear. 13. Provide two examples of health and safety benchmarks in a community services work setting. - Work Health and Safety Consultation, Co-operation and Co-ordination Code of Practice - Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 14. Explain how state/territory legislation impacts infection control in a community services environment. According to WHS legislation, all WHS policies need to include a risk management plan that can be constantly implemented across all extents of the workplace. The infection control process should cover a risk-management structure that outlines the basic fundamentals of infection prevention and control, including hand hygiene which is applied broadly in a community service environment. 15. Explain how WHS policies should address workplace support services. WHS policies provide detailed information about the roles and responsibilities of the PCBU to deliver WHS related advice. The PCBU has an obligation to employ or involve a qualified person, where reasonably practical to act as a resource to the HSC, HSR and workers as required if situations occur that require expert WHS advice. A HSR can request the contribution of an expert to assist in performing their HSR roles and responsibilities at any time they consider necessary. Contingent on the nature of the WHS knowledge required, the appointed regulatory body can also act as a suitable workplace support service. You may also locate valuable WHS support service tools and resources on the relevant regulator’s website. 16. Explain how WHS policies should address consultation and participation. - Under WHS legislation, WHS policies should ensure that workplaces implement and make available procedures, processes and actions to deliver and collect WHS information. - The policies should ensure that WHS advice is delivered by a process that permits the sharing of information and an approach for participation and presenting feedback. - The policies should construct a consultation framework that ensures information delivery is efficient and is not reliant on a person. 17. Why are WHS policies and procedures required to address human resources? Give two examples. The WHS legislation sets that workers are given reasonable opportunities to partake in WHS matters which requires the WHS policies and procedures to address human resources. Two examples include: - Ensuring that processes are practical within the workplace to allow workers to provide valuable feedback. 3

Lena Ngoun

HLTWHS004 Manage work health and safety -

Ensuring the feedback methods take into consideration the requirements of the workers and ensure the procedure includes a safe and supportive environment where views can be shared without any criticism.

18. Explain the legislative requirements for consultation in a community services work environment. The legislative requirements states that the PCBU in a community services work setting must communicate with workers before making decisions about: - Designing, implementing, reviewing and updating policies - Identifying hazards, assessing risks and implementing controls - Adjustments to work practices and systems 19. What are two principles of safe design processes? - Using effective communication and documentation through the design process. - Implementing hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control procedures to the design process. 20. Explain how WHS policies should address the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). WHS policies should address that PPE r ef er st oanyt hi ngusedorwor nt or educer i sk t owor ker s' heal t handsaf et y .I fawor kpl acepr ovi desPPE,t heni tmustbeusedby l aw.Thepol i ci esshoul dal soaddr esst hedi ffer entt ypesofPPEandt r ai ni ngor r easonabl ei nst r uct i ons.PPEmayi ncl udehy gi eni cdi sposabl egl ov es ,hy gi eni c di sposabl ebootcov er sandsaf et yhar nesses . 21. In community services, what are two considerations that may need to be included in the emergency procedures? - Assigning roles and responsibilities - Skill competency, equipment and training requirements 22. What are two ways you can use quality system documentation to evaluate recordkeeping policies and procedures? When quality system documentation is applied to WHS record-keeping systems, this process assesses the quality of each level of the documentation hierarchy, from the record-keeping policy level through to the procedures, then practices and the records. 23. Give two examples of hazards common to a community services work environment and suggest strategies for risk minimisation. Slips on stairs - Ensure processes have clear roles, responsibilities and resources to enable workers to be accountable for their own wellbeing as well as others around them. For example, using ‘slippery when wet signs’ or installing stair rails to provide aid. Lifting or carrying heavy boxes/equipment - Offer mechanical aids to help with lifting or moving objects or provide training.

4

Lena Ngoun

HLTWHS004 Manage work health and safety Part B – Case study questions 1. What information regarding workplace support services should Arnold find in the community health centre’s WHS policies? Arnold should find the following information regarding workplace support services in the community health centre’s WHS policies: - The PCBU has a duty to employ or involve a qualified individual, where appropriate to act as a resource to the HSC, HSR and workers as required. - HSRs are permitted to request the contribution of an expert to provision in performing their HSR roles and responsibilities at any time they consider necessary. - The PCBU can access the regulator’s website to find any WHS support service tools or resources that they may offer. 2. What consultation activities could Arnold use to involve the allied health and nursing staff in the review process? - Group and individual emails about key practices and processes under review - Feedback during risk assessments and infection control inspections - Training sessions regarding WHS infection control - Discussions during individual meetings or regular team meetings - Information sheets and notices displayed around the workplace 3. What are some ways that Arnold can ensure that the community health centre workers have a reasonable opportunity to participate in the review process? - Ensure workers understand their WHS roles and responsibilities. - Endorse a culture of involvement by encouraging workers to ask questions regarding WHS, report matters, raise concerns, make recommendations and partake in the issue resolution procedures. - Offer different approaches to provide feedback. - Ensure discussion occurs frequently during workplace meetings. - Ensure consultation occurs during an appropriate time within usual work hours. 4. Why is it important for Fatima’s workplace to develop WHS record-keeping policies and procedures? - To ensure the health and safety of all workers. - To ensure compliance with WHS legislative record-keeping requirements. - To provide relevant information to workers in relation to the documentation and reporting requirements of their role. - To provide precise instructions around the nature of the information that is documented, how the information is kept and how long the records are stored for. 5. What important legislative record-keeping requirements should Fatima and the other workers be aware of? - Notifiable incidents e.g. the hoist - Workplace hazards, incidents and injuries - High-risk activities 6. What information should Fatima find in her WHS policies regarding hazard, injury and incident reporting? - Roles and responsibilities of all workers to report any hazards, incidents and injuries that may arise in the workplace. - What incident report form to complete and who to lodge the form to. 5

Lena Ngoun

HLTWHS004 Manage work health and safety -

The duty of managers and HSRs to analyse hazard, incident and injury reports. The use of hazard, incident and injury report data in incident prevention plans. The obligation for PCBUs to report notifiable incidents to the regulator immediately.

7. What information should Fatima find in the WHS policies regarding the workplace requirements for incident investigation and record keeping? - The PCBU has a duty to investigate incidents and injuries that arise in the workplace with the purpose of preventing it from occurring again. - The aim of the investigation is to detect all aspects involved in the incident and to determine what strategies will address the issues and avoid it from occurring again. - Information on how record-keeping policies, procedures and practices should be evaluated in the workplace using quality system documentation to ensure the details reflect the risk management strategies and controls within in the work setting. 8. Why is it important for Isla to include the workers in the process of establishing WHS priorities? - To promote awareness of WHS issues in the workplace. - For compliance with WHS legislative consultation requirements. - To encourage a philosophy of proactive health and safety behaviours. - To promote awareness of the incident and injury management procedures. - To recognise key solutions that will improve the effectiveness of the work practices. - To identify key workplace hazards founded on task-specific understanding and experience. 9. What factors should Isla consider when developing a WHS action plan in consultation with the workers? - Relevant legislation, codes of practice and industry standards that can be applied within the action plan. - Specific roles and responsibilities. - The scope of the plan. - Identified hazards and risk management approaches. - Consultation procedures. - Essential training. - Reporting of the incident. - Systems for monitoring, reviewing and adjusting the plan to the requirements of the workplace. 10. What are the potential barriers to WHS improvement in this workplace and how might Isla identify those barriers? The potential barriers include: - Poor acknowledgement of the issue and the need to change. - Lacking of drive to change. - Lack of ability to impose change. - Financial, practical and political encounters. - Perspectives that the anticipated change is not worth the struggle or financial cost required to complete the change. Isla can identify the barriers by consulting to the key people, interviewing the individuals involved, inspecting existing practices, holding focus groups and mind mapping.

6

Lena Ngoun

HLTWHS004 Manage work health and safety 11. What are some common hazards that may be present in this community services environment and what risk minimisation might Isla put in place to reduce risk to the workers? Some common hazards that may be present include manual tasks, gravity and electricity. Isla can implement the following risk minimisation to reduce the risk of workers: - Review and update work practices regularly in consultation with representatives and workers. - Ensure hazard identification and risk management procedures present clear roles, responsibilities and accessible resources. It allows workers to be responsible for their own wellbeing, as well as others around them. - Provide current training to workers and ensure they possess appropriate skills to carry out their roles. 12. What are some essential factors required for Isla to monitor the progress of the WHS action plan, and how can she monitor actual achievement against planned progress? Some essential factors required for Isla to monitor the progress of the WHS action plan include: - Creating objectives. - Precise time frames. - Allocate actions and assigned responsibility. - Collection and analysis of performance measure data procedures. - Determine performance measures. Isla can monitor actual achievement against the planned progress by utilising the performance indicators and collecting information on these measures at planned intervals through workplace audits, routine checks, inspections and testing.

7

Lena Ngoun...