Reference no: EM132432560

BSBWHS521 - Ensure a Safe Workplace For A Work Area - Vocational Training Institute

Topic 1: Establish a WHS management system in a work area
Topic 2: Establish and maintain effective and compliant participation arrangements for managing WHS in a work area
Topic 3: Establish and maintain procedures for effectively identifying hazards, and assessing and controlling risks in a work area
Topic 4: Evaluate and maintain a work area WHS management system

Learning outcomes

By the end of this unit, students will be able to have the skills and knowledge required to establish, maintain and evaluate an organisation's work health and safety (WHS) policies, procedures and programs in a work area to ensure a safe workplace, according to WHS legislative requirements. It takes a systems approach and addresses compliance with relevant legislative requirements.

Outcomes include:
• Establishing a WHS management system in a work area
• Establishing and maintaining effective and compliant consultative arrangements for managing WHS in a work area
• Establishing and maintaining procedures for effectively identifying hazards, and assessing and controlling risks in work area
• Evaluating and maintaining a work area WHS management system (WHSMS)

Topic 1: Establish and maintain a work area WHS management system

Activity: Research and discussion

Review the following codes of practice and select the ones which relate to an office worker. Outline the code of practice and explain how it relates to the job role.
Construct your responses so that the group can contribute to class discussions at the end of the activity.

WHS Information and policies and procedures
WHS policies, procedures and programs ensure that WHS is implemented in the workplace in order to comply with WHS laws.
A workplace may have a range of policies and procedures such as a general WHS policy and procedures, as well as more specific policies and procedures that relate to WHS such as a bullying policy.

Discuss your responses in a class discussion facilitated by your trainer/assessor.

Topic 2: Establish and maintain effective and compliant consultative arrangements for managing WHS in a work area

Activity: Brainstorm

What makes effective consultation?
What are the benefits of consulting with staff when managing risks?

Activity: Report
Consultation procedures
There are a number of opportunities that arise in the workplace that allow consultation with employees. One way is to increase employee safety awareness.
Select an organisation. This can be one researched on the internet or a real workplace.
Explain how you would increase awareness of employee safety for this workplace. Write a paragraph explaining how you could apply consultation using this method.
What is the legal duty of an employer with regard to consultation?
Describe how you could effectively undertake consultation in the workplace for WHS. List down other methods that could be used for consultation.
Your report should be 1 to 2 pages, and be written in clear and concise English.

Activity: Further reading
Use the following link to review the information on Health and Safety Representatives:

Activity: Group discussion
Divide into small groups. Discuss the following:
What are the advantages of providing prompt feedback to employees?
How would you provide feedback on any changes or actions taking place on WHS issues?
What is a safety action plan? Try to find an example on the Internet and list down the main points that it covers.
To practice WHS consultation, you are to hold a formal meeting with your group. Think of a WHS issue you think should be resolved at the RTO you are studying, a simulated work environment or a workplace that you have access. Brainstorm and agree on the best idea for resolving the issue, using negotiation and compromise.
Discuss your responses in a class discussion facilitated by your trainer/assessor.
Submit all work researched in a professionally written document. Your trainer/assessor will provide your group with feedback.

Topic 3: Establish and maintain procedures for effectively identifying hazards, and assessing and controlling risks in a work area

Activity: Further reading and Video
The difference between hazards and risks

Identify safety risks
Ways to identify potential safety problems include:
• regular walks around the workplace
• inspecting how plant and equipment are used
• finding out what chemicals are around and what they are used for
• looking out for unsafe work practices
• examining the general state of housekeeping.

Activity: Research and discussion
Work in small groups.
What are the reporting procedures for hazards in the workplace at the RTO that you are studying?
Walk around the campus for 10 minutes and see if you can identify any hazards. Take photos and note down what the hazard is and where you identified it. Report on what type of risk can be caused from the hazard. Whilst you are performing the identification of hazards, identify the emergency and evacuation notices, any fire extinguishers, signs and other informative notices or signs that relate to WHS.
Type up your answers and present in a report, include any photographs and a map of the campus walk that you carried out to show points on the map where WHS signs and notices were identified.
Discuss your responses in a class discussion facilitated by your trainer/assessor.

Activity: Further reading and Video
Video: Tips for doing a safety inspection in your workplace:

Risk Management
Risk management is the process of reducing or managing the risks when working with a hazard or in a hazardous situation. Risk management is made up of the following stages:
1. Identify any potential hazards (dangers).
2. Assess the risks - i.e. determine the result of any potential injury & the likelihood of it occurring (High, Medium or Low Risk)
3. Control the Risks.
4. Monitor that controls are effective.

Activity: Group work - Hazards and risks project
Divide into small groups. Ensure that you divide the work equally.
Undertake the following activities, documenting your findings in a professionally presented document.
• Make a list of hazards that could be identified in a typical office environment.
• Make a list of risks that could be identified in a typical office environment.
• Research a template that you could use for a hazard inspection.
• Develop a simple hazard inspection checklist that could be used for inspecting an office environment or similar type workplace.
• Conduct a hazard inspection in the RTO using your hazard inspection checklist. For example, this can be in the room that you are studying, an office or model office that you are allowed access or the learning centre.

Activity: Research and report
Work in the groups that you undertook the hazard inspection on campus.
1. Hold a meeting and discuss how you could implement procedures to control the risks identified. Use the hierarchy of control and refer to WHS legislative requirements.
2. Consider the risks and what type of controls are currently in place. What are the gaps in the existing controls?
3. How should this be better monitored?
4. Write a procedure that can be used to control the risks identified.
5. Write a report on your findings and create a schedule that could be used to monitor the implementation of procedures to control the risks identified. Include strategies that could be used to ensure a prompt response to implementing any gaps.

Topic 4: Evaluate and maintain a work area WHS management system

Activity: Class discussion
Consider the following benefits of WHS training to an organisation:
• increases job satisfaction
• more flexibility
• meets the needs of legal requirements
• cost savings
• reduction or even elimination of accidents
• creates a health and safety culture
Select two of the above and explain how it would benefit an organisation. What method could you use to identify WHS training needs in the workplace?
Provide a justified example.

Activity: Report
Consider the types of learning that occurs in the workplace:
• Mentoring;
• External training;
• On-the-job-training;
• Classroom based training;
• Coaching.
• Professional development opportunities
• Learning opportunities
Provide a description and advantages and disadvantages for each of the above type of learning. Clearly explain the difference between coaching and mentoring.
Now consider the type of learning that would be best used for delivering a WHS program for First aid in the workplace (use your class and room as the example or select a workplace that you are familiar).
Explain how the training could be developed using one or a combination of the learning methods above, justifying your response.

Mini Project
In groups, develop a short training program about WHS that could be used for an employee as part of their induction.
Create a short presentation. It must be professionally presented and in a clear, easy to follow structure.
The presentation should be visually appealing with consistent styles and colours.
During the presentation you must demonstrate effective communication skills including:
• Speaking clearly and concisely
• Using non-verbal communication to assist with understanding
• Asking questions to identify required information
• Responding to questions as required
• Using active listening techniques to confirm understanding
The trainer/assessor will observe you conducting the presentation, ask questions at the end and provide feedback on the information presented and the presentation style.

Activity: Research and discussion
Divide into groups. Write a report that addresses the following:
1. Recording and analysing WHS data:
What type of documents could be used for recording WHS data? Why would it be important to analyse WHS data?
How often should records be analysed? Who should undertake the analysis?
2. Review the following sample policy for WHS record keeping: https://www.flinders.edu.au/whs/ohsflinders/ohs&im-document-control-and-record-keeping.cfm
3. Find a sample WHS policy that could be used for identifying and reporting hazards and relates to
your industry or one that the group can use as an example. Outline what the policy contains.
4. Brainstorm the type of records and documentation used for WHS hazard and reporting. For each, explain the importance of maintaining these records.
5. What are the legislation requirements for keeping WHS records?

Activity: Group work
Divide into small groups. Ensure that you divide the work equally.
Use the internet to research data on workplace injuries for two or three organisations or industries.
Analyse the data to find any trends. Present your analysis in a spreadsheet, using graphs and data labels to illustrate your findings. The information researched must be professionally presented and in a clear, easy to follow structure.
When presenting to the information, you must demonstrate effective communication skills including:
• Speaking clearly and concisely
• Using non-verbal communication to assist with understanding
• Asking questions to identify required information
• Responding to questions as required
• Using active listening techniques to confirm understanding
Each person in the group must contribute equally to the research and presentation and also each member must take part in the delivery.

Activity: Report
Create a spreadsheet that could be used for recording any incidents in the workplace. Consider the type of information that you think should be recorded. Base your document on your own workplace or position. If you do not have a previous or current employment, use the college classroom as an example, or research an organisation on the internet.
Include: Background of the organisation, industry, number of employees, type of incidents that could occur, dates, times, locations. For example, if it was for recording incidents in the workplace in an office, this would be very specific compared to if it was for recording incidents in the workplace in a warehouse.
Address the following in a report, relating to any organisational policies and procedures or legislation that may apply.
How could these records be maintained? What would they be used for?
Is this personal or private information?

How could you ensure that these records were accurate? How would you store this information?
How could you analyse the data and provide reporting to management?
In what way would recording this information help with WHS within the organisation?

Evaluation
Measurement and evaluation of your system can provide the essential elements and knowledge to help you to develop and maintain a quality WHS management system.
• It is an integral aspect of your system
• the benefit of making evaluation a part of your program is that you are able to put strategies in place for collecting information/data
• information then becomes data, which then provides a basis on which decision-making can take place.
• in a WHS system evaluation takes place for a policy or a procedure, work practice, project or any other aspect of the system.

Activity: Measurement and Evaluation
Choose a WHS system that you are familiar with (for example Hazard Management). Conduct an evaluation and answer the following questions:
• What is the identified problem?
• Explain the goal required for action
• List some possible solutions What are the measurement indicators?
• Which solution would you choose?
• How will the solution be reviewed and measured?

Identify a list of set criteria to be issued to employees as a self-evaluation exercise. The aim is to obtain data from your employees as to how well they perceive the efficiency of your WHS system.

What decisions should you make as a result of the issues found?

Attachment:- Ensure A Safe Workplace For A Work Area.rar