Unit of competency details

MSL944001A

Maintain laboratory/workplace safety

1

Implement requirements for OHS management system

1.1

Ensure OHS responsibilities and duties are documented and accountability processes are in place

1.2

Ensure OHS policies and procedures are documented and that documents are accessible to all relevant personnel

1.3

Recognise limits of own expertise and consult manager and/or OHS specialists as necessary

2

Implement and maintain participative arrangements for OHS management

2.1

Implement and maintain appropriate participative processes with site personnel and their representatives in accordance with relevant OHS legislation and standards

2.2

Provide information to site personnel in a format that is accessible and readily understood

2.3

Deal with and resolve issues raised through participation and consultation promptly and effectively

2.4

Provide information about the outcomes of participation and consultation to site personnel

3

Implement and maintain OHS risk management processes

3.1

Ensure hazard, incident and injury reporting and investigation processes are in place to meet prevention and legislative requirements

3.2

Implement a process of hazard identification and risk assessment

3.3

Ensure risk controls and hazard specific procedures for risk control comply with legislation and the hierarchy of control

4

Implement and maintain OHS training programs

4.1

Conduct a training needs assessment for site personnel that takes account of legislative requirements, enterprise policies and procedures, and risk control requirements

4.2

Develop and implement training programs to meet the OHS training needs of site personnel

5

Implement and maintain OHS record keeping system

5.1

Identify and address the legal requirements for record keeping

5.2

Ensure that records are accurately completed, collected and stored

5.3

Identify and access sources of OHS information

6

Initiate and maintain OHS management system improvements

6.1

Collect and analyse information to regularly evaluate OHS management system performance

6.2

Recognise instances of non-conformance/non-compliance and identify opportunities for improving performance

6.3

Initiate authorised improvements in consultation with appropriate personnel and update system documentation

6.4

Monitor the effectiveness of system modifications in consultation with site personnel

7

Keep management informed about OHS performance

7.1

Provide regular reports about OHS performance, instances of potential/actual non conformance and incidents and the actions taken in each case

7.2

Report opportunities and recommendations for system improvements in accordance with enterprise procedures

7.3

Report implementation and effectiveness of system modifications

Required skills

Required skills include:

• accessing and interpreting OHS legislation, regulations, codes of practice and updates
• analysing the work environment and assessing the need for OHS interventions
• consulting site personnel about safety issues, hazard identification, risk assessment, selection and implementation of control measures and their review
• raising issues related to concerns with safety of work systems and work environment through consultation with management and site personnel
• addressing OHS management issues within scope of responsibility
• developing and implementing improvements in work practices and procedures
• providing appropriate supervision, support and information in accordance with enterprise procedures
• keeping complete, current and secure OHS records
• communicating effectively with site personnel, managers and OHS specialists
• preparing OHS reports for site, section or work area
• working safely for the protection of self and others

Required knowledge

Required knowledge includes:

• roles and responsibilities of employers and employees under OHS legislation, including managers/supervisors and contractors
• legislative requirements for OHS information and consultation
• standards relating to OHS management systems
• regulator’s guidelines for OHS management systems
• enterprise record keeping requirements that address OHS, privacy and other relevant legislation
• enterprise OHS and management policies and procedures, plans, housekeeping, inspections, audits
• key personnel within enterprise management structure and OHS management systems
• participative consultation processes relating to OHS management systems
• enterprise purchasing policy and procedures for safety related supplies and equipment
• sources of OHS management information, including specialist advisors
• principles and practices of effective OHS management (e.g. hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control) and the hierarchy of control
• definition of risk as the chance of something happening that will result in injury or damage measured in terms of consequences and likelihood
• definition of risk management as the whole systematic process that is directed towards identifying hazards, assessing the risk, developing controls to minimise the risk, monitoring the effectiveness of the controls and taking action as required
• nature of site safety hazards and risks and existing control measures
• how the characteristics and composition of the workforce impact on OHS management

Overview of assessment

Competency must be demonstrated in the ability to perform consistently at the required standard.

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

Assessors must be satisfied that the candidate can competently and consistently apply the skills covered in this unit of competency in new and different situations. Critical aspects of assessment and evidence include:

• accessing and interpreting relevant sections of OHS legislation, regulations, codes of practice and updates
• analysing the work environment and assessing the need for OHS interventions
• consulting employees and other stakeholders on safety issues, hazard identification, risk assessment, selection and implementation of control measures and their review
• raising issues related to concerns with safety of work systems and work environment through consultation with management, employees and contractors
• promptly addressing OHS management issues within their area of control
• developing and implementing improvements in work practices and procedures to reduce the risk of illness and injury and meet OHS legislative requirements
• providing appropriate supervision, support and information in accordance with enterprise procedures
• keeping OHS records complete, current and secure
• communicating effectively with personnel at all levels of the organisation and OHS specialists
• preparing reports for a range of target groups, including OHS committee, OHS representatives, managers and supervisors.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

This unit of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or a simulated workplace environment.

Assessment should emphasise a workplace context and procedures found in the candidate’s workplace.

This unit of competency may be assessed with units dealing with communication, supervision and training, for example:

• MSS027001A Coordinate environmental management activities.

The competencies covered by this unit would be demonstrated by an individual working alone or as part of a team.

Resources may include:

• relevant OHS legislation and regulations
• codes of practice
• enterprise procedures.

Method of assessment

The following assessment methods are suggested:

• review of OHS information developed by the candidate and provided to the site personnel
• review of OHS records and reports prepared by the candidate
• feedback from site personnel and managers regarding provision of information and the candidate’s ability to implement and monitor established OHS management systems
• written and/or oral questioning to assess underpinning OHS knowledge and likely response to simulated incidents.

In all cases, practical assessment should be supported by questions to assess underpinning knowledge and those aspects of competency which are difficult to assess directly.

Where applicable, reasonable adjustment must be made to work environments and training situations to accommodate ethnicity, age, gender, demographics and disability.

The language, literacy and numeracy demands of assessment should not be greater than those required to undertake the unit of competency in a work-like environment.

Guidance information for assessment

Codes of practice 

Where reference is made to industry codes of practice, and/or Australian/international standards, it is expected the latest version will be used.

Standards. codes, procedures and/or enterprise requirements  

Standards. codes, procedures and/or enterprise requirements may include:

• Australian and international standards, such as:
• AS 1678 series Emergency procedure guide - Transport
• AS 1940:2004 Storage and handling of flammable and combustible liquids
• AS 3780:2008 The storage and handling of corrosive substances
• AS/NZS 1269 Set:2005 Occupational noise management set
• AS/NZS 1337 series Eye protection
• AS/NZS 2161 Set:2008 Occupational protective gloves set
• AS/NZS 2210:1994 Occupational protective footwear
• AS/NZS 2865 Set:2005 Safe working in a confined space set
• AS/NZS 4452:1997 The storage and handling of toxic substances
• AS/NZS 4501 Set:2008 Occupational clothing set
• AS/NZS ISO 14000 Set:2005 Environmental management standards set
• HB 9-1994 Occupational personal protection
• Australian Dangerous Goods Code
• Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) Codes of Practice
• contractor and employee handbooks
• emergency, fire and incident procedures
• environmental incident procedures
• hazard policies and procedures
• hazardous goods manifest and substance register
• maintenance schedules
• manufacturer operating manuals
• National Code of Practice for the labelling of workplace substances [NOHSC:2012 (1994)]
• national environment protection measures
• National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Guidelines
• OHS national standards and codes of practice
• personal protective clothing and equipment procedures
• safety procedures
• standard operating procedures
• work instructions

Site personnel 

Site personnel may include:

• managers and supervisors
• health and safety and other employee representatives
• contractors, consultants and visitors
• OHS committee members
• operations personnel
• external OHS agency representatives

Participative processes with site personnel and their representatives  

Participative processes with site personnel and their representatives may include:

• committees:
• OHS
• consultative
• planning
• employee and supervisor/manager involvement in OHS activities, such as inspections, audits and risk assessments
• procedures for reporting hazards and raising and addressing OHS issues
• identification of hazards
• assessment of level of risk
• implementation of risk control measures and review of effectiveness
• injury and incident investigations
• development of policies and procedures
• review of OHS records and statistics
• review of registers of hazardous substances and dangerous goods
• audits and workplace inspections
• job safety analysis
• consultation with site personnel

Characteristics and composition of the workforce which have an impact on OHS and environmental management  

Characteristics and composition of the workforce which have an impact on OHS and environmental management may include:

• language and literacy
• communication skills
• cultural background
• gender
• workers with special needs
• part time, casual or contract workers

Hazard identification processes  

Hazard identification processes include:

• review of hazard and incident reports
• workplace inspections
• pre-purchase risk assessments
• review of relevant internal documentation, including material safety data sheets (MSDS), manufacturer manuals and minutes of meetings
• review of legislation, codes of practice, standards and guidelines
• review of publications, such as:
• OHS regulators
• industry bodies
• journals
• newsletters

Risk assessment 

Risk assessment is a process that involves analysing the risk to identify factors influencing the risk and the range of potential consequences and assessing:

• effectiveness of existing controls
• likelihood of each consequence considering exposure and hazard level
• combining these in some way to obtain a level of risk

A complete risk assessment will also include comparison of the determined risk with pre-established criteria for tolerance (or as low as reasonably achievable) and the subsequent ranking of risks requiring control

Hierarchy of control 

Hierarchy of control, also referred to as the ‘safety decision hierarchy’ describes the preferred order of risk control measures from most to least preferred, that is:

• elimination, or where this is not practical
• substitution with a lesser hazard
• isolate personnel from hazard
• engineering controls
• administrative controls, such as enterprise procedures and training
• personal protective equipment

Information for evaluation of the OHS management system  

Information for evaluation of the OHS management system may include:

• hazard, incident and injury reports
• site inspections
• audit reports
• formal and informal input of employees and contractors

OHS and environmental management requirements  

OHS and environmental management requirements:

• all operations must comply with enterprise OHS and environmental management requirements, which may be imposed through state/territory or federal legislation - these requirements must not be compromised at any time
• all operations assume the potentially hazardous nature of samples and require standard precautions to be applied
• where relevant, users should access and apply current industry understanding of infection control issued by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and State and Territory Departments of Health