Unit of competency details

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TP Version 

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PSP12V1

Unit descriptor edited.

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PSP04V4.2

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1

PSP04V4.1

Primary release.

Elements are the essential outcomes of the unit of competency.

Together, performance criteria specify the requirements for competent performance. Text in bold italics  is explained in the Range Statement following.

ELEMENT 

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA 

1 . Establish and maintain the framework for the occupational health and safety system 

1.1 Occupational health and safety policies are developed to underpin the framework  and detail the organisation's commitment to occupational health and safety within the area of responsibility.

1.2 Occupational health and safety policies are used to detail how relevant occupational health and safety legislation  will be implemented, consistent with overall organisational policies.

1.3 Occupational health and safety responsibilities and duties which will allow implementation and integration of the occupational health and safety system are defined, allocated and included in job descriptions and duty statements for all relevant positions.

1.4 Financial and human resources for the operation of the occupational health and safety system are identified, sought and/or provided in a timely and consistent manner.

1.5 Information on the occupational health and safety system and procedures for the area of responsibility is provided and explained in a form which is readily accessible to employees.

2 . Establish and maintain participative arrangements 

2.1 Participative arrangements  are established and maintained in consultation with employees and their representatives in accordance with relevant occupational health and safety legislation and consistent with the organisation's overall process for consultation.

2.2 Issues raised through participation and consultation are dealt with and resolved promptly and effectively in accordance with procedures for issue resolution.

2.3 Information about the outcomes of participation and consultation is provided in a manner accessible to employees.

3 . Establish and maintain procedures for identifying hazards 

3.1 Existing and potential hazards within the area of responsibility are identified and identification is confirmed in accordance with occupational health and safety legislation, codes of practice and trends identified from the occupational health and safety records system.

3.2 Procedures for ongoing identification of hazards  are developed and integrated within systems of work and procedures.

3.3 Activities are monitored to ensure that procedures are adopted and effective throughout the area of responsibility.

3.4 Hazard identification is addressed at the planning, design and evaluation stages of any change in the workplace to ensure that new hazards are not created without effective control.

4 . Establish and maintain procedures for assessing risks 

4.1 Risks presented by identified hazards are assessed in accordance with occupational health and safety legislation and codes of practice.

4.2 Procedures for ongoing assessment of risks  are developed and integrated within systems of work and procedures.

4.3 Activities are monitored to ensure that procedures are adopted and effective throughout the area of responsibility.

4.4 Risk assessment is addressed at the planning, design, purchasing and evaluation stages of any change within the area of responsibility to ensure that the risk from hazards is not increased.

5 . Establish and maintain procedures for controlling risks 

5.1 Measures to control assessed risks  are developed and implemented in accordance with the hierarchy of control, relevant occupational health and safety legislation, codes of practice and trends identified from the occupational health and safety records system.

5.2 When measures which control a risk at its source are not immediately practicable, interim solutions are implemented through consultation with the workforce until a control measure is developed.

5.3 Procedures for ongoing control of risks, based on the hierarchy of control, are developed and integrated within general systems of work and procedures.

5.4 Activities are monitored to ensure that the risk control procedures are adopted and effective throughout the area of responsibility.

5.5 Risk control is addressed at the planning, design, purchasing and evaluation stages of any change within the area of responsibility to ensure that adequate risk control measures are included.

5.6 Inadequacies in existing risk control measures are identified in accordance with the hierarchy of control, and resources enabling implementation of new measures are sought and/or provided according to appropriate procedures.

6 . Establish and maintain procedures for dealing with emergencies and hazardous events 

6.1 Potential hazardous events and the risks associated with them are identified in accordance with occupational health and safety legislation and codes of practice.

6.2 Procedures  are developed in consultation with appropriate emergency services to control the risks associated with emergencies and hazardous events  and meet any legislative requirements as a minimum.

6.3 Appropriate information and training is provided to all employees to enable implementation of the procedures in all relevant circumstances.

7 . Establish workplace safety training arrangements 

7.1 Occupational health and safety training  is developed and implemented to identify and fulfil employees' occupational health and safety training needs as part of the organisation's general training program.

8 . Establish and maintain a system for occupational health and safety records 

8.1 A system for keeping occupational health and safety records  is established and monitored to allow identification of patterns of occupational injury and disease within the area of responsibility.

9 . Evaluate workplace safety 

9.1 The effectiveness of the occupational health and safety system and related policies, procedures and programs is evaluated  according to the organisation's aims with respect to occupational health and safety.

9.2 Continual improvements to the occupational health and safety system are developed and implemented to ensure more effective achievement of the organisation's aims with respect to occupational health and safety.

9.3 Compliance with occupational health and safety legislation and codes of practice is assessed to ensure that legal occupational health and safety standards are maintained as a minimum.

This section describes the essential skills and knowledge and their level, required for this unit.

Skill requirements 

Look for evidence that confirms skills in:

• analysing the working environment and designing occupational health and safety management systems to suit
• analysing relevant data and evaluating occupational health and safety system effectiveness
• assessing resources required to establish and maintain occupational health and safety management systems
• reading and interpreting complex and formal documents such as legislation and codes of practice
• tailoring communication to suit different audiences, such as staff, managers, safety representatives, inspectors
• responding to diversity, including gender and disability
• preparing reports on workplace safety requiring precision of expression
• accessing legislation and codes of practice electronically or in hard copy

Knowledge requirements 

Look for evidence that confirms knowledge and understanding of:

• provisions of relevant occupational health and safety legislation
• principles and practice of effective occupational health and safety management
• management arrangements relating to regulatory compliance
• organisational hazards and risks, control measures and relevant expertise required
• characteristics and composition of workforce and their impact on occupational health and safety management
• relevance of enterprise management systems to occupational health and safety management

The Evidence Guide specifies the evidence required to demonstrate achievement in the unit of competency as a whole. It must be read in conjunction with the Unit descriptor, Performance Criteria, the Range Statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Public Sector Training Package.

Units to be assessed together 

• Pre-requisite units that must  be achieved prior  to this unit:Nil
• Co-requisite units that must  be assessed with  this unit:Nil
• Co-assessed units that may  be assessed with this unit to increase the efficiency and realism of the assessment process include, but are not limited to:

• PSPGOV601B Apply government systems
• PSPHR621A Manage organisational design strategies
• PSPLEGN601B Manage compliance with legislation in the public sector
• PSPMNGT604B Manage change
• PSPMNGT606B Manage quality client service
• PSPMNGT608B Manage risk
• PSPPOL603A Manage policy implementation
• PSPREG601B Manage regulatory compliance

• Excluded units that may not  contribute to the same qualification as this unit:

• PSPOHS602A Manage workplace safety

Overview of evidence requirements 

In addition to integrated demonstration of the elements and their related performance criteria, look for evidence that confirms:

• the knowledge requirements of this unit
• the skill requirements of this unit
• application of Employability Skills as they relate to this unit
• establishment and maintenance of a workplace safety system in a range of (2 or more) contexts (or occasions, over time)

Resources required to carry out assessment 

These resources include:

• occupational health and safety acts, regulations and codes of practice
• occupational health and safety management information including policies and procedures
• information relevant to the management of the enterprise, for example, planning, operations, maintenance, purchasing and budgeting
• work areas in the area of responsibility

Where and how to assess evidence 

Valid assessment of this unit requires:

• a workplace environment or one that closely resembles normal work practice and replicates the range of conditions likely to be encountered when establishing and maintaining a workplace safety system, including coping with difficulties, irregularities and breakdowns in routine
• the applicant to establish and maintain a workplace safety system in a range of (2 or more) contexts (or occasions, over time)
• the assessor to have recognised expertise in managing occupational health and safety in the industry, or work in an assessment team with such a person.

Assessment methods should reflect workplace demands, such as literacy, and the needs of particular groups, such as:

• people with disabilities
• people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• women
• young people
• older people
• people in rural and remote locations.

Assessment methods suitable for valid and reliable assessment of this competency may include, but are not limited to, a combination of 2 or more of:

• case studies
• portfolios
• projects
• questioning
• scenarios
• authenticated evidence from the workplace and/or training courses

For consistency of assessment 

Evidence must be gathered over time in a range of contexts to ensure the person can achieve the unit outcome and apply the competency in different situations or environments

The Range Statement provides information about the context in which the unit of competency is carried out. The variables cater for differences between States and Territories and the Commonwealth, and between organisations and workplaces. They allow for different work requirements, work practices and knowledge. The Range Statement also provides a focus for assessment. It relates to the unit as a whole. Text in bold italics  in the Performance Criteria is explained here.

A framework  for occupational health and safety may include:

• policy development and updating
• determining the ways in which occupational health and safety functions will be managed which may include distinct occupational health and safety management activities, or inclusion of occupational health and safety functions within a range of management functions and operations such as:

• maintenance of plant and equipment
• purchasing of materials and equipment
• designing operations, work flow and materials handling
• planning or implementing alterations to site, plant, operations or work systems

• mechanisms for review and allocation of human, technical and financial resources needed to manage occupational health and safety, including defining and allocating occupational health and safety responsibilities for all relevant positions
• mechanisms for keeping up-to-date with relevant information and updating the management arrangements for occupational health and safety, for example:

• information on health effects of hazards
• technical developments in risk control and environmental monitoring
• changes to legislation

• mechanisms to assess and update occupational health and safety arrangements relevant to legislative requirements
• a system for communicating occupational health and safety information to employees, supervisors and managers within the enterprise

Occupational health and safety legislation  may include:

• State/Territory/Commonwealth occupational health and safety acts, regulations and codes of practice, including regulations and codes of practice relating to hazards present in the workplace or industry
• general duty of care under occupational health and safety legislation and common law
• requirements for the maintenance and confidentiality of occupational injury and disease
• requirements for provision of occupational health and safety information and training
• provisions relating to health and safety representatives and/or occupational health and safety committees
• provisions relating to occupational health and safety issue resolution

Participative arrangements  should cover:

• occupational health and safety committees and other committees, for example, consultative, planning and purchasing
• health and safety representatives
• employee and supervisor involvement in occupational health and safety management activities, for example, occupational health and safety inspections, audits, environmental monitoring, risk assessment and risk control
• procedures for reporting hazards, risks and occupational health and safety issues by managers and employees
• inclusion of occupational health and safety in consultative or other meetings and processes

Procedures for identifying hazards  may include:

• workplace inspections, including plant and equipment
• audits
• maintaining and analysing occupational health and safety records, including environmental monitoring and health surveillance reports
• maintenance of plant and equipment
• reviews of materials and equipment purchases, including manufacturers' and suppliers' information
• employee reporting of occupational health and safety issues

Procedures for assessing risks  may include:

• nationally recognised procedures such as National Safety Council procedures for risk assessment
• determining the likelihood and severity of adverse consequences from hazards
• occupational health and safety audits
• workplace inspections
• maintenance of plant and equipment
• purchasing of materials and equipment
• planning or implementing alterations to site, operations or work systems
• analysis of relevant records and reports, for example:
• injuries and incidents (including near misses)
• hazardous substances inventories/registers
• audit and environmental monitoring reports
• occupational health and safety committee records

Measures to control risks  may include:

• assessing the occupational health and safety consequences of materials, plant or equipment prior to purchase
• obtaining expert advice
• reducing/minimising risk through appropriate application of measures according to the hierarchy of control, namely:
• elimination of the risk
• substitution
• engineering controls
• administrative controls
• personal protective equipment.
• designing safe operations and systems of work
• inclusion of new occupational health and safety information into procedures
• checking enterprise compliance with regulatory requirements

Organisational procedures  for dealing with hazardous events may include:

• making inventories of, and inspecting, high risk operations
• inspecting systems and operations associated with potentially hazardous events such as:

• emergency communications
• links to emergency services
• fire fighting
• chemical spill containment
• bomb alerts

• first aid services
• counselling
• Employee Assistance Program

Occupational health and safety training  may include:

• arrangements for ongoing assessment of training needs such as those relating to supervisors and managers
• specific hazards
• specific tasks or equipment
• emergencies and evacuations
• training required under occupational health and safety legislation
• allocation of resources for occupational health and safety training, including:

• acquisition of training resources
• development of staff training skills
• purchase of training services.
• induction training
• training for new operations, materials or equipment

Records system for occupational health and safety  may cover:

• identifying records required under occupational health and safety legislation, for example, workers compensation and rehabilitation records
• hazardous substances registers
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• incident/injury notifications (including near misses)
• certificates or licences
• manufacturers' and suppliers' occupational health and safety information
• occupational health and safety audits and inspection reports
• maintenance and testing reports
• workplace environmental monitoring and health surveillance records
• records of instruction and training
• first aid/medical post records
• change of management

Evaluation  may include:

• reviewing the effectiveness of the occupational health and safety management system
• regular review of operating procedures
• regular analysis of occupational health and safety records
• audits against occupational health and safety legislative requirements and organisational health and safety policies and procedures (some organisations have more stringent requirements than legislation requires because of risks associated with the work)