Unit of competency details

Unit descriptor 

This unit of competency covers the process required by an employee to contribute to occupational health and safety (OHS) processes where there is responsibility for own work outputs and possibly limited responsibility for the work output of others.

No licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

Application of the unit 

This unit is intended for application by a skilled worker with little or no responsibility for others. Workers are likely to perform work activities requiring a range of well-developed skills where some discretion and judgment is required.

In addition to legal and ethical responsibilities, all units of competency in the ACM10 Animal Care and Management Training Package have the requirement for animals to be handled gently and calmly. The individual is required to exhibit appropriate care for animals so that stress and discomfort is minimised.

Prerequisite units 

Employability skills 

This unit contains employability skills.

Elements describe the essential outcomes of a unit of competency.

Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised text is used, further information is detailed in the required skills and knowledge section and the range statement. Assessment of performance is to be consistent with the evidence guide.

ELEMENT 

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA 

1. Plan and conduct work safely

1.1. Work is planned in accordance with relevant provisions of OHS legislation, standards, codes of practice/compliance codes, guidance material and workplace safe working procedures.

1.2. Hazards  are identified as part of work planning and work process.

1.3. Identified hazards  are addressed prior to starting work using judgement within defined scope of responsibilities.

1.4. Inadequacies in control measures are reported in accordance with organisation procedures .

1.5. Incidents and injuries are reported in line with organisation policies and procedures.

1.6. OHS housekeeping  is undertaken in work area.

2. Support others in working safely

2.1. Information  on safe work practices and work procedures  is provided with members of the work group.

2.2. OHS practices of less experienced members of the workgroup are checked.

2.3. Guidance and coaching  is provided to less experienced members of the workgroup to support them in working safely.

2.4. Support is provided to members of the workgroup to accurately record incidents  and complete associated workplace documentation  in accordance with organisation procedures.

3. Contribute to OHS participative processes

3.1. OHS issues are raised in accordance with organisation procedures

3.2. Contributions to workplace meetings, workplace inspections or other consultative activities are provided in a constructive manner to improve safety.

3.3. Assistance is provided to workgroup members to contribute to workplace safety.

3.4. Knowledge of roles and responsibilities of OHS representatives and OHS committees is applied.

4. Contribute to hazard identification, OHS risk assessment and risk control activities

4.1. Identified hazards and inadequacies in risk controls  are reported.

4.2. The workplace is checked for hazards using itemised checklists in accordance with work procedures.

4.3. Contributions to risk assessments are made.

4.4. Input is provided to development and implementation of control measures, with reference to the hierarchy of control .

5. Participate in the control of OHS emergency situations

5.1. OHS emergency signals and alarms  are identified and responded to appropriately.

5.2. Initial action is taken to control/confine emergency  in accordance with organisation procedures, taking account of the nature and scope of the emergency.

5.3. Emergency response procedures are implemented within scope of training and competence.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE 

This section describes the skills and knowledge required for this unit.

Required skills 

• check the workplace for hazards and risks using an itemised checklist
• provide advice and feedback in a constructive and supportive manner.

Required knowledge 

• applicable commonwealth, state or territory OHS legislation, regulations, standards, codes of practice and industry standards/guidance notes relevant to own work, role and responsibilities
• basic hazard identification procedures such as workplace inspections and review of workplace data
• hierarchy of control and its application
• nature of common workplace hazards for example chemicals, bodily fluids, noise, manual handling, work postures, underfoot hazards and moving parts of machinery
• personal protective equipment requirements, including use, storage and maintenance
• principles of basic risk assessment
• roles and responsibilities of employees, supervisors and managers in the workplace
• roles and responsibilities of OHS representatives and OHS committees
• safety signs and their meanings, including signs for:

• personal protective equipment
• emergency equipment
• dangerous goods class signs

• specific hazards, such as sharps and radiation
• sources of OHS information within in the workplace with knowledge of external sources of OHS information
• standard emergency signals, alarms and required responses
• the difference between hazard and risk
• the legal rights and responsibilities of the workplace parties
• workplace specific information including:

• hazards of the particular work environment
• hazard identification procedures relevant o the hazards in their workplace
• designated person for raising OHS issues
• organisation and work procedures particularly those related to performance of own work, specific hazards and risk control, reporting of hazards, incidents and injuries and OHS issue resolution, consultation, use of personal protective equipment and emergency response
• potential emergency situations, alarms and signals and required response.

EVIDENCE GUIDE 

The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment 

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit 

To demonstrate competence in this unit, a candidate must be able to provide evidence of contribution to OHS processes in the workplace. This includes:

• addressing their own health and safety
• addressing that of others who may be affected by their actions
• supporting members of the workgroup who may be less experienced in the workplace in regard to OHS matters
• taking some initiative to address hazards and manage risks at a systemic level.

Evidence gathered by an assessor to determine competence will include practical demonstration of competence, including:

• workplace demonstration, simulation exercise, scenario or role play
• indirect evidence from workplace supervisor reports, workplace documentation, and written responses to problems, scenarios and case studies.

Evidence of workplace performance over time must be obtained to inform a judgement of competence.

Context of and specific resources for assessment 

Products that could be used as evidence include :

• verbal and written responses to verbal, pictorial or physical scenarios
• demonstrated response to scenarios, simulations, role plays
• completed hazard or incident reports, completed workplace inspection checklists
• reports from workgroup members, supervisors.

Processes that could be used as evidence include :

• how workplace checks/inspections are carried out
• how hazards are addressed
• how mentoring of fellow workgroup members is undertaken
• how incident investigations reports were completed.

Method of assessment 

This unit should be assessed together with other units of competence relevant to the function or work role.

Guidance information for assessment 

Access and equity considerations :

• All assessment should be applied with respect torelevant work-related access and equity issues
• Competence should reflect an ability to work in a culturally diverse environment.
• Assessors and trainers must take into account relevant access and equity issues, in particular relating to factors impacting on Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients and communities.

RANGE STATEMENT 

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.

Hazard 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.

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.

Specific hazards  may include:

• animal bites, envenomation, kicks, scratches or crush injuries
• biological hazardous waste
• bodily fluids
• chemicals and medicines
• gas leakage
• manual handling, including carrying, lifting and shifting
• moving parts of equipment or machinery
• noise
• radiation
• sharps
• underfoot hazards
• work posture
• zoonoses.

Other workplace hazards  may include:

• bullying
• fatigue
• occupational violence
• stress.

Risk in relation to any hazard  means:

• the probability and consequences of injury, illness or damage resulting from exposure to a hazard.

Residual risk  is

• the risk which remains after controls have been implemented.

Organisation procedures  include:

• policies and procedures underpinning the management of OHS, including:

• hazard, incident and injury reporting
• hazard identification, risk assessment and control
• consultation and participation
• quality system documentation.

OHS housekeeping  includes:

• workplace and personal routines designed to improve health and safety, for example:

• cleaning up spills
• keeping walkways, exits and traffic areas clear.

Information  includes:

• employees handbooks
• hazard, incident and investigation reports
• incident investigation reports
• information from external sources on hazards and risk relevant to the work group
• information from OHS representatives
• job safety analyses (JSAs) and risk assessments
• material safety data sheets (MSDSs) and registers
• manufacturers' manuals and specifications
• minutes of meetings
• reports from OHS committee
• workplace inspection reports.

Work procedures  include:

• batch specifications
• operator or manufacturer manuals
• procedures for selecting, fitting, using and maintaining personal protective equipment
• standard operating procedures.

Mentoring and coaching  may include:

• assisting with problem solving
• providing encouragement
• providing feedback
• providing guidance and explanation on implementation of work and organisation procedures.

Incidents  include:

• any event that has caused or has the potential for injury, ill-health or damage.

Other workplace documentation  may include:

• job checklists and schedules
• workplace inspection checklists.

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.

Designated persons  may include:

• team leaders
• supervisors
• OHS representatives
• OHS committee members
• managers
• organisation OHS personnel
• other persons designated by the organisation.

Hierarchy of control  is:

• the preferred order of control measures for OHS risks:

• elimination (e.g. controlling the hazard at the source)
• substitution (e.g. replacing one substance or activity at the source)
• engineering (e.g. installing guards on machinery)
• administration (e.g. policies and procedures for safe work practices)
• personal protective equipment (e.g. respirators and ear plugs).

OHS emergency signals and alarms  may include:

• evacuation alarms or announcements
• fire alarms
• machinery malfunction alarms
• reversing beepers on mobile plant.

Emergency  may include:

• any abnormal or sudden event that requires immediate action, such as:

• 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

• serious injury events.

Unit sector 

Occupational health and safety

Competency field 

Co-requisite units