Unit of competency details

Unit descriptor 

This unit specifies the workplace performance required by an employee to contribute to OHS processes where there is responsibility for own work outputs and possibly limited responsibility for the work output of others

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 judgement is required

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 OHS300 Contribute to 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 conduct work safely

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

1.2. Identify hazards as part of work planning and work process

1.3. Address identified hazards as part of work planning and work process

1.4. Report inadequacies in control measures according to organisation procedures

1.5. Report incidents and injuries in line with organisational policies and procedures

1.6. Undertake OHS housekeeping in work area

2. Support others in working safely

2.1. Provide information on safe work practices and work procedures with members of the work group

2.2. Check the OHS practices of less experienced members of the work group

2.3. Provide guidance and coaching to less experienced members of the work group to support them in working safely

2.4. Support members of the work group to accurately record incidents and complete associated workplace documentation in line with organisational procedures

3. Contribute to OHS participative processes

3.1. Raise OHS issues in line with organisational procedures

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

3.3. Provide assistance to work group members to contribute to workplace safety

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

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

4.1. Report identified hazard and inadequacies in risk controls

4.2. Check the workplace for hazards using itemised checklist(s) in line with work procedures

4.3. Contribute to risk assessments

4.4. Provide input into the development and implementation of control measures, with reference to the hierarchy of control

5. Participate in the control of emergency situations

5.1. Identify emergency signals and alarms and respond to them appropriately

5.2. Take initial action to control/confine emergency according to organisation procedures, taking account of the nature and scope of the emergency

5.3. Implement emergency response procedures within scope of training and competence

REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE 

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

Required skills :

Ability to:

• Check the workplace for hazards and risks using an itemised checklist
• Provide advice and feedback in a constructive and supportive manner

Required knowledge :

• Safety signs and their meanings, including signs for:

• personal protective equipment
• emergency equipment
• dangerous goods class signs
• specific hazards such as sharps, radiation

• The difference between hazard and risk
• Sources of OHS information within the workplace with knowledge of external sources of OHS information
• Nature of common workplace hazards such as chemicals, noise, manual handling, work postures, underfoot hazards and moving parts of machinery
• Basic hazard identification procedures such as workplace inspections and review of workplace data
• Standard emergency signals, alarms and required responses
• Principles of basic risk assessment
• Hierarchy of control and its application
• PPE requirements including use, storage and maintenance
• Roles and responsibilities of employees, supervisors and managers in the workplace
• Roles and responsibilities of OHS representatives, OHS committees
• Workplace specific information including:

• hazards of the particular work environment
• hazard identification procedures relevant to the hazards in their 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 and OHS issue resolution, consultation, use of PPE and emergency response
• potential emergency situations, alarms and signals, and required response

• The legal rights and responsibilities of the workplace parties

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 contribution to OHS processed 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 work group 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

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, supervisors

Processes that could be used as evidence include :

• How workplace checks/inspections are carried out
• How hazards are addressed
• How mentoring of fellow work group members is undertaken

Access and equity considerations :

• All workers should be aware of access and equity issues in relation to their own area of work
• 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. 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, 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
• fatigue

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

Organisational procedures include:

policies and procedures underpinning the management of OHS including:

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

OHS housekeeping includes:

workplace and personal routines designed to improve health and safety; for example, cleaning up spills, and keeping walkways, exits and traffic areas clear

Information includes:

• hazard, incident and investigation reports
• workplace inspection reports
• incident investigation reports
• minutes of meetings
• Job Safety Analysis (JSAs) and Risk Assessments (RAs)
• Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and registers
• employees handbooks
• manufacturers' manuals and specifications
• information from OHS representatives
• reports from OHS committee
• information from external sources on hazards and risk relevant to the work group

Work procedures include:

• Standard Operating Procedures
• permit to work
• operator or manufacturer manuals
• procedures for selecting, fitting, using and maintaining personal protective equipment

Mentoring and coaching may include:

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

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

Other workplace documentation may include:

• job checklists, schedules
• workplace inspection check lists

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
• organisational OHS personnel
• other persons designated by the organisation

Hierarchy of control is:

the preferred order of control measures of OHS risks:

• elimination - 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 - policies and procedures for safe work practices
• personal protective equipment e.g. respirators, ear plugs

Emergency signals and alarms may include:

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

Emergency 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