HLTOHS400A: Maintain OHS processes

Descriptor: This unit specifies the workplace performance required by an employee with supervisory responsibilities, to maintain organisation OHS processes
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
Pre-/co-requisite: This competency units should be assessed after or in conjunction with related unit: HLTOHS300A Contribute to OHS processes
Application: Application of this unit should be contextualised to reflect any specific workplace risks, hazards and associated safety practices

Element	Performance Criteria
Elements define the essential outcomes of a unit of competency.	The Performance Criteria specify the level of performance required to demonstrate achievement of the Element. Terms in bold italics are elaborated in the Range Statement.
1. Provide information to the work group	1.1 Clearly and accurately explain to the work group relevant provisions of OHS *legislation, standards, codes of practice*/compliance codes and guidance material 1.2 Provide information on organisation policies and procedures in a readily accessible manner and clearly explain to the work group 1.3 Explain roles and responsibilities of workplace OHS representatives and OHS committees 1.4 Provide information to the work group, in an accessible and understandable format, on hazards, the outcomes of risk assessments, and required risk controls
2. Ensure others are able to implement safe work practices	2.1 Ensure *personal protective equipment* appropriate to the work is available and functional 2.2 Implement processes to confirm that others in the work group are following safe work practices, and organisation policies and procedures. 2.3 Identify OHS training needs and either address or report these needs to those with control
3. Implement OHS participative processes	3.1 Consult with the work group and provide advice in relation to OHS matters relevant to their work 3.2 Ensure OHS issues raised are dealt with promptly, and in accordance with organisation procedures and legislative requirements, or referred to appropriate personnel 3.3 Record outcomes of consultation regarding OHS and promptly communicate these outcomes to the work group
4. Monitor compliance with *work procedures*	4.1 Check work procedures for availability, clarity and completeness, addressing any deficiencies or reporting them to appropriate persons 4.2 Identify and address any deviations from procedures or report to appropriate persons 4.3 Evaluate *hazard identification* and *reporting processes* are for effectiveness and address any deficiencies or report to appropriate persons 4.4 Monitor OHS housekeeping practices to ensure that workplace standards are maintained, and take action to address any deficiencies 4.5 Ensure own behaviour is consistent with organisation and work procedures
5. Implement hazard identification, **risk assessmentand risk control** procedures	5.1 Ensure hazards are identified and eliminated with residual risk reported according to organisation procedures 5.2 Conduct risk assessments 5.3 Develop control measures, taking account of the hierarchy of control 5.4 Implement and support outcomes of risk assessments and identified risk controls 5.5 Identify and address and/or report deficiencies in OHS risk controls according to organisation procedures 5.6 Identify personal professional limitations and seek expert advice as required
6. Implement organisation procedures for maintaining OHS records	6.1 Obtain feedback to ensure that workgroup is aware of organisation reporting requirements 6.2 Review OHS records to confirm that they are completed in an accurate, thorough and timely manner in accordance with legislative and organisation requirements 6.3 Use aggregate information and data from records to identify hazards and monitor risk controls
7. Implement emergency procedures	7.1 Obtain feedback to ensure that emergency procedures are available and known by the work group 7.2 Implement processes to ensure that emergency equipment is available and routinely checked for functionality 7.3 Implement processes to ensure that others in the workgroup are able to respond appropriately to emergencies 7.4 Conduct or contribute to investigations to identify cause of emergencies 7.5 Identify and implement or support control measures to prevent recurrence and minimise risk of emergencies

Required Skills And Knowledge

This describes the essential skills and knowledge and their level required for this unit.

Essential knowledge:

The difference between hazard and risk
Sources of OHS information both internal and external to the workplace
General duty requirements of OHS legislation and also regulatory requirements relevant to the particular industry/type of work site
The roles and responsibilities of employees, supervisors and managers in the workplace
Nature of common workplace hazards such as chemicals, noise, manual handling, work postures, underfoot hazards and moving parts of machinery
Knowledge and understanding of guidance material including codes of practice/compliance codes relevant to the particular industry/type of work site
Hazard identification procedures such as workplace inspections and review of workplace data
Principles of risk assessment
The hierarchy of control and its application
PPE requirements including use, storage and maintenance
Legislative requirements for record keeping and reporting
Standards and guidelines related to emergency procedures
Roles and responsibilities of OHS representatives and OHS committees
Workplace specific information including:
- hazards of the particular work environment
- hazard identification procedures relevant o the hazards in their work place
- risk controls for specific hazards
- designated person(s) for raising OHS issues
- organisation procedures related to OHS including hazard, incident and injury reporting, hazard identification, risk assessment and control, consultation and participation, incident investigation, record keeping
- work procedures related to the work of the team/work group including use of PPE and emergency response
- potential emergency situations, alarms and signals and required response

Essential skills:

Ability to:

Use technical skills to access OHS information
Use language and literacy skills to interpret OHS documentation
Communicate with personnel in the work team, other work teams, managers and experts advisers
Supervise and direct staff
Conduct team meetings
Relate to people from a range of social, cultural and ethic backgrounds and physical and mental abilities

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. Add any 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.

*OHS legislation* includes:	Commonwealth, state and territory OHS acts and regulations
*Standards* include:	Documents produced by national bodies, OHS regulators or industry bodies, that prescribe preventative action to avert occupational deaths, injuries and diseases Standards are of an advisory nature only, except where a law adopts the standard and thus makes it mandatory They may be called up as evidence in court or other enforcement action
*Codes of practice/compliance codes* are:	Documents generally prepared to provide advice to employers and workers, of an acceptable way of achieving standards Codes of practice/compliance codes may: be incorporated into regulations not relate to a standard be called up as evidence in court or other enforcement action
*Guidance material:*	Is an advisory technical document, providing detailed information for use by unions, employers, management, health and safety committee members and representatives, safety officers and others requiring guidance Advises on ‘what to do’ and ‘how to do it’ Has no legal standing
*Organisation policies and procedures* include:	Policies and procedures underpinning the management of OHS including: hazard, incident and injury reporting hazard identification, risk assessment and control consultation and participation incident investigation quality system documentation
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 safety related hazards* may include but are not limited to:	Chemicals, Bodily fluids Sharps Noise Manual handling Work posture Underfoot hazards Moving parts of machinery Cytotoxic medicines and waste
*Other workplace hazards* may include:	Occupational violence Stress Fatigue Bullying
*Risk:*	In relation to any hazard, means the probability and consequences of injury, illness or damage resulting from exposure to a hazard
*Risk assessments* involve analysing a hazard to:	Identify factors influencing the risk and the range of potential consequences: effectiveness of existing controls likelihood of each consequence considering exposure and hazard level And combining these in some way to obtain a level of risk
*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
*Personal protective equipment* (PPE) includes:	Equipment worn by a person to provide protection from hazards, by providing a physical barrier between the person and the hazard and may include: head protection face and eye protection respiratory protection hearing protection hand protection clothing and footwear
*Work procedures* include:	Standard operating procedures Batch specifications Operator or manufacturer manuals Procedures for selecting, fitting, using and maintaining personal protective equipment.
*Hazard identification* is:	The process of identifying sources of harm and may be required: at design or pre purchase of equipment and materials at commissioning or pre-implementation of new processes or practices 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, buildings or materials
*Reporting processes* include:	Hazards reports Maintenance requests and reports Reports on completion of inspections Incident reports Reports of non-compliance with work procedures Reporting on progress of action plans
*OHS housekeeping practices* address items such as:	Workplace cleanliness and tidiness Unobstructed walkways and emergency exits Underfoot conditions Work space around equipment and machinery Functioning services such as lighting, air flow and ventilation, emergency lighting Storage areas including manual handling issues, storage, personal protective equipment Signage
*Residual risk* is:	The risk which remains after controls have been implemented
*Hierarchy of control* is:	The preferred order of control measures for 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
*Expert advice* can be obtained from:	Persons either internal or external to the organisation including: safety professionals ergonomists occupational hygienists audiologists safety engineers toxicologists occupational health professionals OHS representatives OHS committees Other persons providing specific technical knowledge or expertise in areas related to OHS including: risk managers health professionals injury management advisors legal practitioners with experience in OHS engineers (e.g. design, acoustic, mechanical, civil) security and emergency response personnel workplace trainers and assessors maintenance and trade persons
*OHS records* may include:	Hazard, incident and investigation reports Workplace inspection reports Incident investigation reports First aid records Minutes of meetings Job Safety Analyses (JSAs) and risk assessments Material safety data sheets (MSDSs) and registers Employees handbooks Plant and equipment operation records including those relevant to registered plant Maintenance and testing reports Training records Environmental monitoring records Health surveillance records
*Legislative requirements for record keeping* include those specified under:	OHS legislation for: serious incident and injury reporting registered plant hazardous substances and dangerous goods environmental monitoring health surveillance Privacy legislation
*Emergencies* 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
*Emergency equipment* is equipment required as part of the emergency response by the organisation and includes:	First aid equipment Eye wash shower or portable eye washes Fire extinguishers and equipment Communication equipment Evacuation alarms Evacuation equipment, especially that for disabled persons Torches Items of clothing such as coloured hats and vests
*Incidents* include:	Any event that has caused or has the potential for injury, ill-health or damage

Evidence Guide

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the Performance Criteria, Required Skills and Knowledge, the Range Statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package.