Evaluation of Health and Safety Policies in ABC College

1. What are three WHS issues that may apply to ABC College and why?

Evaluation- ABC College is an institution which serves people, and therefore there is need to evaluate whether the organisation’s work safety and health measures are of standard.

Prevention- Prevention of risks and hazards is important so as to eliminate cases of injury or even death in ABC College.

Training, instruction and information- It is necessary to train worker as well as students on health and safety measures in order to minimise cases of workplace illness or injury.

2.  Identify three WHS policies in ABC College and decide the most appropriate way to communicate these policies to relevant stakeholders.

Monitoring and reviewing module

Electrical Safety Policy and Procedure

Chemical Emergency Response Procedure

The most appropriate way to communicate these policies is through placing warning signs and compliance information in strategic points within the institution.

3. Identify duty holders and define WHS responsibilities for all workplace personnel in ABC College according to WHS legislation, policies, procedures and programs.

Duty holders in ABC College are the Health and Safety representatives (HSRs). They include PCBU who ensure that the environment is safe always and monitor workplace conditions, officers who ensure that the institution is complying with the health and safety rules and regulations, as well as workers are supposed to follow instructions as well as comply with the WHS Act. 

4. Outline the process you would follow to identify and approve financial and human resources for WHS activities within your work area. Show that you have considered applying mathematical and problems solving strategies in identifying financial and human resources required.

The first step is to identify all WHS and financial resources available. Then, I would come up with a budget outlining the necessary resources required within my working area. The budget comprise of cost breakdown and the expected outcomes after implementation. Since it must be approved by the manager, I will have to present my budget to the organisation’s manager and wait for evaluation and approval. 

Part B

While reviewing incidents that have happened in ABC college over the past 6 Months, the senior manager has a few concerns.  Therefore the senior management consults a health and safety specialist and requests advice on how to improve their current health and safety participation arrangements, as there has been very little input from staff, trainers and students. The health and safety consultant identifies the following barriers to health and safety consultation:

Staff is overloaded with their work and unreasonable time deadlines to meet

Little time is spent to communicate with other colleagues

1. List participation arrangements you can think of that the company could use to increase the involvement of staff, trainers and students.

The company should start organising regular meeting and workshops with staffs and trainers

There should be a complaint box where workers, trainers and students may be dropping notes containing their concerns.

The organisation should start organising team building events to enhance relationship between staff and management.

The company should open a social media platform for communication purposes with staff, trainers and students. 

2. Provide one suggestion the company could use to resolve WHS issues through participation arrangements and consultation.

The company should increase the number of employees in order to reduce the existing workload.

3. Identify ways that ABC could provide information about the outcomes of participation and consultation to staff, trainers and students.  You will need to find the way that it is easy for them to access and understand.

ABC should be pinning information on the noticeboards available within the institution.

Part C

After the senior manager discussed the WHS issues at ABC College with the health and safety consultant about, the consultant suggested developing a new procedure for ongoing hazard identification, assessment and control of associated risks.  The consultant suggests this will help ABC College reduce the current WHS issues drastically. Therefore the senior manager decided to develop new Risk management procedures.

1. Develop a new procedure for ongoing hazard identification, assessment and control of associated risks. You will need to suggest procedures where any proposed changes will not create new hazards and the existing hazards are controlled.  Consider the following points:

Compliance with WHS legislative requirements

Ability to identify all possible hazards

Accuracy in assessing risks

Application to the hierarchy of risk control

User-friendly nature of the risk assessment tools

The procedure will happen in steps. The first step will involve identifying the risk. Second, the risk will be analysed in accordance with the WHS legislative requirements. The third stage will be to rank the risk using results obtained from stage two above. The fourth stage will involve assessing the risk accurately in order to design the most appropriate way of control. Next stage will entail treating the risk and using the most appropriate hierarchy of risk control. The last stage will entail monitoring and reviewing the effectiveness of the procedure.

2. Explain strategies to ensure that new hazards are not created by the proposed changes and existing hazards are controlled.

There should be a plan outlining the right channel to be followed while eliminating a hazard. Also, an organization should avoid using unapproved methods while conducting hazard control.

3. Explain how you can maintain procedures for selecting and implementing risk controls according to the hierarchy of control and WHS legislative requirements.

Procedures for selecting and implementing risk controls can be maintained through utilizing a hazard control plan that provide guidance during selection, and implementation process.

4. Explain strategies to identify inadequacies in existing risk controls according to the hierarchy of control and WHS legislative requirements.

Inadequacy can be identified through conducting a regular monitoring and review process. The top management should lead the process in order to judge the effectiveness of the process.

Part D

The HR manager for ABC has noticed the inadequacies of existing control measures after conducting a survey because there is an increase in the number of complaints relating to repetitive strain injuries to the back, neck, wrists and fingers. In discussion with line managers, the HR manager identifies that many people are remaining at their desks for long periods of time with minimal breaks, and are adopting poor posture at their workstations.

1. Describe what safety issues are identified by the survey.

The safety issues identified pertains ergonomic issues. The workplace equipment are not conducive for effective working.

2. Use the internet to locate a specialist who should be able to provide relevant information and services the Institute requires.

The company should consult an ergonomist since he or she will be able to perform a research on the workplace, provide findings, and thereafter give recommendations on the improvements required in the workplace.

3. Explain strategies to improve the situation by using the specialist and identify what resources to enable implementation of the strategies.

In order to reduce worker’s strain injuries to the back, neck, wrists and fingers, the institution should invest in ergonomic chairs, tables and keyboards for computers. These are the required equipment to minimise the identified problems and therefore, the institution has to dedicate finances to facilitate their purchase.

Appendix 1: ABC College WHS Policy

ABC College Work Health and Safety Policy sets out the College’s commitment to continuous improvement of health and safety through a framework of consultation, specific responsibilities and the management systems that are to be implemented. The objective of the policy is to promote the health, safety and welfare of all College staff, students, contractors and visitors to the College. The policy also facilitates compliance with the provisions of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011.

The Workplace Health and Safety Policy is included in the face-to-face induction for new employees and is also available from the online ABC Policy Library. The policy is reviewed every 6 months.

Planning

Planning identification of hazards, hazard/risk assessment and control of hazards/risk

The overall approach taken by ABC College to the identification, assessment and control of health and safety hazards and their associated risks is described in the ’WHS Risk Management Procedures’ available online from the ABC Policy Library.

Legal and other requirements

The Workplace Health and Safety team has identified the health and safety legal requirements applicable to the College e.g. legislation, Codes of Practice and Australian Standards, and maintains a library for access by all staff.

Objectives and targets

Health and safety objectives and targets for the College are laid out in the WHS Plan 2013-2016. The Executive have accepted and implemented recommendations from the OHS Management System Audit 2009/2010 that: “health and safety objectives and targets will be included in the operational planning for all work units on an annual basis”.

WHS management plans

The WHS Plan 2013-2016 provides the basis for individual work units, in their health and safety plans, to set local objectives and targets. As previously stated all work units now include health and safety in their operational plans.

Implementation

Resources

ABC College has identified and allocated financial and physical resources to enable the effective implementation of the Workplace Health and Safety Management System (WHSMS). These resources are provided for in the provision of the budget allocation to the Workplace Health and Safety team and the overall budget of the individual work units.

Responsibility and accountability

The Work Health and Safety Policy clearly defines, documents and communicates the responsibilities and accountabilities of the General manager, Senior manager, Managers, Employees and Contractors.

The Manager, Workplace Health and Safety has responsibility and authority for ensuring that the WHSMS requirements are established, implemented and maintained in accordance with AS/NZS 4801:2001 Occupational health and safety management systems, and reporting on the performance of the WHSMS to Senior manager for review and as a basis for improvement of the WHSMS.

Training and competency

The College in consultation with employees identifies training needs in relation to performing work activities competently, including health and safety training.

The College determines the competencies, training and experience required by employees and others for the safe performance of the various tasks at the workplace. Job descriptions outline specific qualifications and competencies (including any prescribed by legislation) required. The annual performance management process also identifies training needs. There are situations where specialised training and qualifications are required such as where employees are required to work with radioactive isotopes and apparatus and formal training is provided by an external Radiation Expert. Specific training is provided for additional health and safety roles e.g. Emergency Wardens, First Aid Officers and Safety Support Officers.

An annual program of training courses in health and safety is displayed in the HR Services training calendar and are organised and run on demand.

Consultation

Consultation between the College and employees is an essential part of effectively managing health and safety in the workplace. The College consults with employees so that they may contribute to decisions about the implementation of safety practices and systems designed to ensure the health, safety and welfare of employees. Employee involvement at all levels is critical for ensuring a safe workplace.

The College ensures that there is a sharing of relevant information about health, safety and welfare with employees; that the employees are given the opportunity to express their views and contribute in a timely fashion to the resolution of health, safety and welfare issues in the workplace; and the views of employees are valued and taken into account.

The primary method of consultation is through Health and Safety Representatives (HSR’s) who are set up in accordance with the Work Health and Safety Act 2011.

Communication

ABC WHS Policy, health and safety documentation and other relevant health, safety and welfare information is communicated to staff, students, contractors and visitors through the following media:

Workplace Health and Safety website

Targeted correspondence and emails to employees and students

Employee health and safety induction program

Online contractor health and safety induction program

Course unit handbooks

Student information publications

Safety manuals and Safe Work Procedures

Safety signage

Reporting

ABC measures and reports its health and safety performance on a regular basis via:

Workplace health and safety inspections

Incident, Accident and Hazard Reports

Health, safety and injury management reports to the College’s Executive and Council

Health and safety assessment reports to Heads of Work Units

Health and safety audits of the WHSMS

Reports of injury to Workers Compensation insurer

Documentation

ABC College has an extensive range of WHSMS documentation that is available to employees and students at the Workplace Health and Safety website. Policy and procedure documents are developed when required by new legislation, changes in procedures, new teaching and research activities or through trends identified in Incident, Accident and Hazard Reports and reviewed at regular intervals to ensure that they stay current. Consultation with the College community occurs during the development or review process. Direction to related documentation is provided through the Workplace Health and Safety website.

Document and data control

All central WHSMS documentation is recorded using standard templates and document control processes. System documents are maintained on the Workplace Health and Safety website. Changes to documentation are notified by email to the College community. Any hard copies of documents are considered to be uncontrolled. Policies are reviewed regularly in consultation with relevant stakeholders and approved by the General Manager. All policies are authorised by the General manager and their issue date recorded on the document.

Managing Operational Risk

ABC College’s procedure for hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control and the evaluation of effectiveness of control measures is documented in WHS Risk Management Procedures and can be found on the Workplace Health and Safety website.

The College uses the following methods to identify hazards:

Safety audits

Workplace inspections

The Safety Support Officer, in consultation with employees, inspects and observes the workplace to identify any hazards

Incident, Accident and Hazard Reports

Injury and Illness

Consultation

Health and Environmental Monitoring

Incidental Identification

Measurement and evaluation

Monitoring and measurement

ABC has a comprehensive program for the monitoring and measurement of key aspects of its operations and activities. This includes testing and monitoring requirements for aspects of the operation of buildings, equipment/machinery and apparatus, essential services, waste disposal, activities involving chemicals, radioactive substance/sources and apparatus covered under WHS and other relevant legislation. Health surveillance is carried out on a needs basis where possible exposure to a hazard may occur e.g. noise, insufficient lighting, and low/high humidity.

Incident investigation, corrective and preventative action

ABC College’s ’WHS Risk Management Procedures’ details the procedures for reporting incidents, accidents and hazards. The Incident, Accident and Hazard form is available on the Workplace Health and Safety website. Records of incidents, accidents and reported hazards are maintained by the Workplace Health and Safety team and used for analysis and reported to University Executive three times a year, and included in annual reports to College Senior manager and Council. The data is also used to identify areas requiring action during the annual planning process. Preventative action is reviewed by the Workplace Health and Safety team to ensure completion and effectiveness.

Workplace inspections

Periodic inspections of all workplaces are undertaken. Once the inspection is completed by the Safety Support Officer, recording sheets are forwarded to the head of the work unit to implement corrective action and follow up.

Records and record management

Health and safety records are maintained in accordance with College records management procedures. Legislative requirements include maintaining all Incident, Accident and Hazard Reports and the confidential storage of Workers Compensation files. Examples of records maintained by Workplace Health and Safety include: induction and training; inspection and test reports; and chemical inventory database.

WHS Management System audit

SCU periodically undertakes a comprehensive internal audit utilising the SafetyMAP audit tool to evaluate the effectiveness of the WHSMS at university and academic/administrative level. The SafetyMAP tool covers all aspects including: health and safety policy; planning; implementation; monitoring and measurement; and management review. Specific work unit WHSMS compliance internal audits are carried out annually with a three year rotation to cover all work units.

Management review

The Workplace Health and Safety team prepares an annual report for the College Senior manager and Council on the management of health and safety (WHSMS). The report provides the necessary information on the performance of the WHSMS to enable review of the WHSMS on an ongoing basis, ensuring that the systems in place continue to meet the needs of the College.

Appendix 2: ABC College Organisational Chart

Appendix 3: ABC College WHS data

The workplace incident data for the past 3 months is recorded in the incident register below.

FAI

First aid incidents

MTI

Medical treatment injury

LTI

Lost time injury

NMI

Near miss incident

LTIFR

Lost time injury frequency Rate

NM

Incident Rate

Incident

Cause

Type

Who

When

Muscle pull

Lifting paper

MTI

Bob

22/Jan

Muscle pull

Moving bins

MTI

Jane

28/ Jan

Bullying

Project deadline

LTI

Greg

3/ Feb

Stress

Project deadlines

LTI

Bob

15/Feb

Bullying

Different culture – discrimination

LTI

Rita

26/ Feb

Back pain

sitting in front of computer for too long without break

LTI

George

5/Mar

Slip/Trip

Cables on floor

NMI

Jessica

22/Mar

Headache

sitting in front of computer for too long without break

LTI

Mary

18/Apr

Lecture Assessment 1

Individual Activity - Case Study & Written Report

 Feedback Evaluation Sheet

STUDENT NAME:

STUDENT NO:

ASSESSOR’S NAME:

UNIT NAME:

BSBWHS501 Ensure a safe workplace

Did the learner in this assessment demonstrate:

YES

NO

ability to locate, adapt, adopt and communicate WHS policies that clearly define the organisation’s commitment to complying with WHS legislation

£

£

ability to identify duty holders and define WHS responsibilities for all workplace personnel in the work area according to WHS legislation, policies, procedures and programs

£

£

ability to identify and approve financial and human resouces required by the WHS management system (WHSMS)

£

£

ability to work with workers and their representatives to set up and maintain participation arrangements according to relevant WHS legislation

£

£

ability to appropriately resolve issues raised through participation and consultation arrangements according to relevant WHS legislation

£

£

ability to provide informaiton about the outcomes of participation and consultation to workers and ensure it is easy for them to access and understand

£

£

ability to develop procedures for ongoing hazard identification, and assessment and control of associated risks

£

£

ability to include hazard identification at the planning, design and evaluation stages of any change in the workplace to ensure that new hazards are not created by the proposed changes and existing hazards are controlled

£

£

ability to develop and maintain procedures for selecting and implementing risk controls according to the hierarchy of control and WHS legislative requirements

£

£

ability to identify inadequacies in exisiting risk controls according to the hierarchy of control and WHS legislative requirements, and promotly provide resources to enable implementatoin of new measures

£

£

ability to identify requirements for expert WHS advice, and request this advice as required

£

£

FEEDBACK TO STUDENT:

Assessment Outcome

£ Satisfactory

£ Not  Yet Satisfactory

£ Re-assessment required

Assessor Signature

ASSESSOR’S DECLARATION:

I hereby certify that the above student has been assessed by myself and all assessments are carried out as per the Academy’s Assessment Policy & Procedure.

____________________________ Date: ______________

ASSESSOR SIGNATURE

APPEAL PROCESS: 

I would like to appeal the outcome of this assessment as per the appeals procedure in the Student Handbook

Student’s signature: _______________________  Date: __________________