Unit of competency

Modification History

Release 2.1 Equivalent to MEA134 Establish, maintain and evaluate the organisation’s work health and safety system. Minor amendments related to references to regulations to allow flexibility in their application.

Release 2. Equivalent to MEA134 Establish, maintain and evaluate the organisation’s work health and safety system. Updated to meet training package policy requirements.

Application

This unit of competency describes the skills and knowledge required to establish, maintain and evaluate a work health and safety (WHS) system in an aviation maintenance organisation. The WHS system must apply required WHS legislation and principles and ensure that the workplace is, as far as practicable, safe and without risks to the health of employees. Work may be performed individually or as part of a team.

The unit applies during scheduled and unscheduled maintenance on flight lines, in hangars, and in workshops. It is used in workplaces that operate under the airworthiness regulatory systems of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).

This unit forms part of the CASA requirement for maintenance certification licences under Civil Aviation Safety Regulation (CASR) Part 66. Where a CASA licensing outcome is sought, users must refer to the licensing provisions in the MEA Aeroskills Companion Volume Implementation Guide.

Pre-requisite Unit

Nil.

Competency Field

Work health and safety

Elements and Performance Criteria

Foundation Skills

Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.

Unit Mapping Information

Release 2.1 Equivalent to MEA134 Establish, maintain and evaluate the organisation’s work health and safety system. Minor amendments related to references to regulations to allow flexibility in their application.

Release 2. Equivalent to MEA134 Establish, maintain and evaluate the organisation’s work health and safety system. Updated to meet training package policy requirements.

Links

Companion Volume implementation guides are found in VETNet - https://vetnet.gov.au/Pages/TrainingDocs.aspx?q=ce216c9c-04d5-4b3b-9bcf-4e81d0950371

Assessment requirements

Modification History

Release 2.1 Equivalent to MEA134 Establish, maintain and evaluate the organisation’s work health and safety system. Minor amendments related to references to regulations to allow flexibility in their application.

Release 2. Equivalent to MEA134 Establish, maintain and evaluate the organisation’s work health and safety system. Updated to meet training package policy requirements.

Performance Evidence

There must be evidence the candidate has completed the tasks outlined in the elements and performance criteria of this unit, which must include the ability to:

• establish, maintain and evaluate one work health and safety (WHS) management system that complies with applicable federal and state or territory WHS legislation described in the knowledge evidence.

In the course of the above work, the candidate must:

• analyse working environment and design appropriate WHS management system
• analyse relevant data and evaluate WHS system effectiveness
• assess resources to establish and maintain WHS management system
• establish required consultative processes
• identify hazards and identify and control associated risks
• establish and maintain the framework for the WHS system, including:

• developing and updating related policy
• determining the ways in which WHS functions will be managed, which may include distinct WHS management activities, or inclusion of WHS functions within a range of management functions and operations, such as maintenance of plant and equipment, and 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 WHS, including defining and allocating WHS responsibilities for all relevant positions
• developing mechanisms for keeping up-to-date with relevant information and updating WHS management arrangements, including information on health effects of hazards, technical developments in risk control and environmental monitoring, and changes to legislation
• developing mechanisms to assess and update WHS arrangements relevant to legislative requirements, including a system for communicating WHS information to employees, supervisors and managers within the organisation

• evaluate the effectiveness of the established WHS management system, including by:

• regularly reviewing operating procedures
• regularly analysing WHS records
• conducting audits against WHS legislative requirements.

Knowledge Evidence

There must be evidence the candidate has knowledge of:

• key provisions of WHS legislation applicable to the WHS system developed and existing or potential hazards present in the workplace, including:

• federal and state or territory WHS Acts, regulations, and codes of practice
• general duty of care under WHS legislation and common law; requirements for the maintenance and confidentiality of occupational injury and disease
• requirements for provision of WHS information and training
• provisions relating to health and safety representatives and/or WHS committees
• provisions relating to WHS issue resolution
• relevant aviation safety regulations

• key features of the hierarchy of control
• key features of, and methodology for, establishing consultative processes for managing WHS, including:

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

• organisational policy and procedures relating to hazards, risks and control measures, including:

• procedures for identifying hazards, including:

• WHS audits and workplace inspections, including of plant and equipment
• maintaining and analysing WHS records, including environmental monitoring and health surveillance reports
• maintaining plant and equipment
• reviewing materials and equipment purchases, including manufacturer and supplier information
• employee reporting of WHS issues

• procedures for assessing risks, including:

• determining the likelihood and severity of adverse consequences from hazards
• WHS audits and workplace inspections
• maintaining plant and equipment
• purchasing materials and equipment
• planning or implementing alterations to site, operations, or work systems
• analysing records and reports, including those relating to injuries and incidents, hazardous substances inventories/registers, audit and environmental monitoring reports, and WHS committee records

• procedures for controlling risks, including:

• assessing WHS consequences of materials, plant or equipment prior to purchase
• obtaining expert advice
• applying measures according to the hierarchy of control
• designing safe operations and systems of work
• including new WHS information in procedures
• checking enterprise compliance with regulatory requirements

• procedures for hazardous events, including:

• making inventories of, and inspecting, high risk operations
• inspecting systems and operations associated with potentially hazardous events, including emergency communications, links to emergency services and firefighting, chemical spill containment, bomb alerts, and first aid services

• principles and practices of effective WHS management
• management arrangements relating to regulatory compliance
• characteristics and composition of workforce and their impact on WHS management
• relevance of organisational management systems to WHS management.

Assessment Conditions

The following conditions of assessment represent the requirements of the regulators (Australian Defence Force [ADF] and Civil Aviation Safety Authority [CASA]) and maintenance stakeholders, and must be rigorously observed.

This unit may be assessed on the job, off the job, or a combination of both. Where assessment occurs off the job, an appropriate simulation must be used where the range of conditions reflects realistic workplace situations in establishing, maintaining and evaluating an organisation’s WHS system.

The candidate must be permitted to refer to relevant workplace procedures, product and manufacturing specifications, codes, standards, manuals, and reference materials.

The candidate must have access to:

• equipment and materials required to demonstrate the performance evidence above.

Candidate capability of providing the required performance and knowledge evidence must be established via the records in the Maintenance Management Competency Log. Where the individual does not have a Competency Log, evidence of capability can be gathered through direct observation, supervisor’s reports, project work, samples and questioning.

Assessors of this unit must satisfy the assessor requirements in applicable vocational education and training legislation, frameworks and/or standards.

Where the unit is to be used for CASA licensing purposes the assessor must also meet the criteria specified in the CASR Part 147 Manual of Standards.

Links

Companion Volume implementation guides are found in VETNet - https://vetnet.gov.au/Pages/TrainingDocs.aspx?q=ce216c9c-04d5-4b3b-9bcf-4e81d0950371