Unit of competency details

Unit descriptor 

This unit specifies the workplace performance required for an entry level employee to participate in OHS processes in the workplace, in order to ensure their own health and safety at work, and that of others in the workplace who may be affected by their actions

Application of the unit 

This unit is intended for application during induction of new entrants to the workplace and where a worker has basic operational knowledge and skills for a limited range of tasks and problems. This includes apprentices, trainees and casual workers

Application of this unit should be contextualised to reflect any specific workplace risks, hazards and associated safety practices

Contextualisation statement 

This unit has been contextualised from the generic Australian Safety and Compensation Council (ASCC) unit OHS200 Participate in OHS processes

The following contextualisation statement is provided as an aid to training and related personnel and others who wish to use pulp and paper industry OHS standards in our industry or other industry contexts

It provides additional information to be read in conjunction with the range statement

General description of the Pulp and Paper Industry context :

Pulping and/or paper manufacturing facilities are generally characterised by:

• State-of-the-art/cutting edge technologies including nano-technology
• Large high-speed equipment (current world-class machinery can produce up to 2 kilometres of paper per minute, depending on paper grade)
• Continuous 24 hour/7 day week/365 day operations
• Fully integrated processes interlinking complex manufacturing operations with related on-site services; supply and distribution operations; and other supporting plant, equipment and functions
• Thousands of different integrated mechanical and electrical componentry that can span four stories in height and take up the space of a street-block in size, with mills occupying up to 3.4 sq km of land (not including filtration wetlands)
• Chemical use comprising chemical recovery operations and may include chemical recovery boiler operations

The nature of the pulp and/or paper manufacturing process requires  that occupational health and safety be embedded in knowledge and skills development associated with industry specialisations. This unit must  be holistically assessed with the relevant industry specific (functional) units. This ensures that learners are competent in performing all aspects of their work safely

Employability skills 

The required outcomes described in this unit of competency contain applicable facets of Employability Skills

The Employability Skills Summary of the qualification in which this unit of competency is packaged will assist in identifying Employability Skill requirements

Elements describe the essential outcomes of a unit of competency.

Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element.

ELEMENT 

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA 

1. Plan and prepare to work safely

1.1. Identify hazards in the work area, and take action to control risk for those hazards the employee can correct

1.2. Report those hazards the employee cannot correct and inadequacies in control measures, in line with organisational procedures

1.3. Carry out pre-start checks as required in line with work procedures

2. Conduct work safely

2.1. Use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) correctly and maintain when required

2.2. Follow work procedures and workplace instructions for ensuring safety when planning and conducting work

2.3. Report incidents and injuries to designated personnel

2.4. Undertake OHS housekeeping in work area

3. Participate in OHS consultative activities

3.1. Make constructive contributions to workplace meetings, workplace inspections or other OHS consultative activities

3.2. Raise OHS issues with designated personnel in line with organisational procedures

3.3. Provide input to improve workplace OHS systems and processes, in line with organisational procedures, to eliminate hazards or reduce risk

4. Follow emergency response procedures

4.1. Identify and report emergency situations

4.2. Follow organisational procedures for responding to emergencies

4.3. Apply knowledge of roles and responsibilities of OHS representatives and OHS committees

REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE 

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

Required skills :

Ability to:

• Follow clear, logical verbal or clear, logical Plain English written instructions
• Interpret selected pictorial/graphical and written signs/instructions
• Clarify meaning with peers and supervisors, and
• Give accurate verbal or written descriptions of incidents or hazards
• Preparedness to be involved in OHS activities, including inspections and meetings

Required knowledge :

• Safety signs and their meanings, including signs for:

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• emergency equipment
• dangerous goods class signs
• specific hazards such as sharps, radiation

• Legal rights and responsibilities of the workplace parties
• The difference between hazard and risk
• Nature of common workplace hazards such as chemicals, noise, manual handling, work postures, underfoot hazards and moving parts of machinery
• Standard emergency signals, alarms and required responses
• A basic understanding of the hierarchy of control
• Safety measures related to common workplace hazards
• Sources of OHS information in the workplace with some limited knowledge of external sources of OHS information
• The roles and responsibilities of employees, supervisors and managers in the workplace
• Roles and responsibilities of OHS representatives, OHS committees and employers
• Workplace specific information including:

• hazards of the particular work environment
• potential emergencies relevant to the workplace
• designated person(s) for raising OHS issues
• organisational and work procedures, particularly those related to performance of own work, specific hazards and risk control, reporting of hazards, incidents and injuries, consultation, use of PPE and emergency response; and
• 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.

Critical aspects for assessment :

To demonstrate competency in this unit, a candidate must be able to provide evidence of the application of their knowledge of OHS:

• in an actual or simulated workplace context involving relevant work processes
• to their own health and safety within their work area
• to that of others who may be affected by their actions

• A candidate must also be able to provide evidence of participating in workplace OHS processes
• 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 and workplace documentation

Products that could be used as evidence include :

• Verbal and written responses to verbal, pictorial, or physical scenarios
• Demonstrated action to scenarios, simulations, role plays
• Completed hazard or incident reports, completed workplace inspection checklists
• Reports from work group members, supervisor

Processes that could be used as evidence include :

• How contributions were made to consultative processes
• How hazard inspections were carried out

Access and equity considerations :

• All workers should develop their ability to work in a culturally diverse environment
• In recognition of particular health issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, workers should be aware of cultural, historical and current issues impacting on health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• Assessors and trainers must take into account relevant access and equity issues, in particular relating to factors impacting on health of 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.

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, but are not limited to:

• substances e.g. chemicals, starch pulp, steam
• noise
• manual handling
• ergonomics
• underfoot hazards
• slips and trips
• moving parts of machinery
• mobile plant

Other workplace hazards may include, but are not limited to:

• fatigue
• stress
• bullying
• occupational violence

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

Personal protective equipment (PPE) includes:

equipment worn by a person to provide protection from hazards, by providing a physical barrier between the person and the hazard and may include:

• head protection
• face and eye protection
• respiratory protection
• hearing protection
• hand protection
• clothing and footwear

Incidents include:

any event that has caused or has the potential for injury, ill-health or damage to property, the environment, or a combination of these

Designated personnel may include:

• team leaders
• supervisors
• OHS representatives
• OHS committee members
• managers
• organisation OHS personnel
• other persons designated by the organisation
• employers in office based practice

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

Emergency situations may include:

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

• serious injury events
• events requiring evacuation
• fires and explosions
• hazardous substance and chemical spills
• explosion and bomb alerts
• security emergencies, such as armed robberies, intruders and disturbed persons
• internal emergencies, such as loss of power or water supply and structural collapse
• external emergencies and natural disasters, such as flood, storm and traffic accident impacting on the organisation