Work Health and Safety

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to contribute to setting up, running and improving work health and safety (WHS) consultation and participation processes that are prescribed in legislation. It also covers contributing to communicating relevant information identifying and delivering related training and improving the consultation and participation processes. This unit applies to individuals whose job role includes contributing to implementing and maintaining WHS consultation and participation processes in their work area and job role. This unit applies to people who work in a broad range of WHS roles across all industries.

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to assist with establishing and maintaining workplace compliance with work health and safety (WHS) laws. It includes identifying applicable WHS laws, duties, rights and obligations, and the necessary actions to ensure WHS compliance in the workplace. It also includes assisting with providing advice about the legislative duties, rights and obligations of individuals and parties prescribed in WHS laws and those of WHS regulators. The unit applies to those working in a broad range of WHS roles across all industries.

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to contribute to WHS risk management, which includes the processes for identifying work health and safety (WHS) hazards and assessing and controlling the risk relating to those identified hazards. It involves contributing to the development, implementation and evaluation of risk controls according to legislative and organisational requirements. The unit applies to those working in a broad range of roles across all industries. WHS hazard identification and risk control processes are those defined in written workplace procedures.

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to contribute to implementing a plan for a work health and safety management system (WHSMS) that applies to own role. The unit applies to individuals with responsibilities for contributing to the implementation of an organisation’s WHSMS as part of their work health and safety (WHS) responsibilities in a range of industry and workplace contexts.

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to assist with actions and activities performed in response to workplace incidents according to work health and safety (WHS) legislative and organisational requirements. The unit applies to those who contribute to workplace incident responses by undertaking a varied range of activities in a structured and familiar work environment as defined in written procedures. It applies to people who work in a broad range of WHS roles across all industries.

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to contribute to monitoring a range of physical agents and conditions relating to work health and safety (WHS) in the workplace. It involves the use of a range of measuring devices to collect, interpret and report on workplace information and data in relation to those physical agents and conditions. The unit applies to those working in a broad range of WHS roles across all industries.

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to develop processes and procedures for controlling hazardous chemicals in the workplace, and then monitoring their effectiveness. The unit requires the application of knowledge associated with work health and safety (WHS) legislation, and organisational policies and procedures relating to controlling hazardous chemicals. The unit applies to those who work under supervision and use some discretion and judgement to respond to monitoring hazardous chemicals in the workplace. It applies to hazardous chemicals with the potential to harm human health, which may be solids, liquids or gases – pure substances or mixtures. When used in the workplace these substances often generate vapours, fumes, dusts and/or mists.

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to assist with managing the WHS implications of activities that facilitate an injured worker’s return to work. It involves identifying those with roles, duties, rights and responsibilities for return to-work, as well as assisting in preparing, implementing and evaluating the return to work. The unit applies to those in an organisation who assist with the WHS implications of return-to-work activities. In many organisations, this role will be performed alongside others from within the organisation or external parties, including those working in human resources, workers’ compensation, workplace rehabilitation, other professional and administrative capacities, and other roles relating to return to work.

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to lead teams and individuals by modelling high standards of conduct to reflect the organisation’s standards and values. The unit applies to individuals who are making the transition from being a team member to taking responsibility for the work and performance of others and providing the first level of leadership within the organisation. These leaders have a strong influence on the work culture, values and ethics of the teams they supervise.

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to implement continuous improvement of systems and processes of an organisation. It includes using systems and strategies to encourage the team to participate in the process, monitoring and reviewing performance, and identifying opportunities for further improvements. The unit applies to managers who are responsible for implementing the continuous improvement process to achieve the objectives of the organisation.