ASSESSMENT ACTIVITY: WHSMS REPORT

Rationale

In this assignment you are going to apply your knowledge of Work Health and Safety (WHS) to a real-life working environment. Consider yourself as a newly-appointed WHS representative (at your own workplace or from the selection list below) who has been assigned the task of writing a report on the organisation's current WHS procedures.

The report should contain a

• review of official WHS policy (highlight the important points)
• demonstrate compliance with relevant legislation
• identify potential workplace hazards
• identify issues with existing work health and safety practices, systems and procedures
• recommend appropriate steps towards risk management and offer advice on how to best communicate relevant information to employee

If you are selecting an organisation from the list, please consider doing extensive internet research to find and identify your required information. In cases you are not able to find the exact information, consider using a sample of another similar organisation to look for that information. For example, you are searching for "Material safety data sheet" for McDonalds and unable to find, try searching "Material safety data sheet for fast food".

Performance Criteria-

In completing this assignment you must:

• Collect information about workplace hazards and contribute to the identification of hazards in the workplace.
• Contribute to a risk assessment for hazards identified in the workplace.
• Demonstrate knowledge of relevant state/territory/commonwealth WHS legislation, codes of practice, standards and guidance material.

1. SELECTING AN ORGANISATION & REVIEWING WHS POLICY

You should select any one organisation from those listed below and give a brief overview of what they do or sell:

Sydney City Council-

http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/council/about-council/careers/working-for-the-city/conditions-of-employment

http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/community/health-and-safety

http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/114573/Policy-WHS-Policy.pdf

ANZ Bank-

http://www.anz.com/about-us/corporate-responsibility/employees/employee-relations/health-safety-wellbeing/

-Research the WHS policy statement and/or standard operating procedure of your chosen business, government body or educational institution. List the key features of the policy in bullet-points and write a summary of the organisation's WHS practice.

2. DEMONSTARTING COMPLIANCE WITH LEGISLATION

-Research the specific state/territory/commonwealth WHS legislation that applies to your organisation. You must identify and explain your legal duty as a WHS representative for your organisation.

-List any specific regulations that apply to the type of workplace that you have chosen.

Relevant legislation can be found at:  WORKCOVER NSW-            

https://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/law-policy/legislation-and-codes/work-health-and-safety-legislation

3. IDENTIFYING POTENTIAL WORK HAZARDS

-You are then required to consider what potential hazards may be present in your chosen workplace.

-Common types of hazards may include chemicals, radiations, biological hazards, physical hazards, poor ergonomics, manual handling and psychological issues.

i. You must identify between six (6) and ten (10) potential hazards in your chosen workplace and should attempt to draw upon a variety of hazard types in doing so.

ii. For each hazard identified, write a summary explaining why the hazard is dangerous and who or what it might endanger.

-If you are having difficulty identifying potential hazards, you should undertake the five-step hazard identification technique explained on page 64 of the textbook: Research, Read, Observe, Communicate and Reflect.

-Remember, a hazard is defined as anything that may cause injury or harm to a person, a piece of equipment or the environment.

4. RECOMMEND APPROPRIATE RISK MANAGEMENT STEPS

-Using the potential hazards you have identified, you must now consider how to control risk in each instance.

-Use the six (6) risk management methods outlined in the Hierarchy of Controls on below list and chose which control method is most appropriate for each of your potential hazards. Provide a brief explanation of your decision.

1) Eliminate: Remove the hazard completely.

2) Reduce: Reduce the risk of injury or illness by e.g. substituting a less hazardous process, plant or substance to do the same work.

3) Isolate: Separate the hazard from the person at risk. This can be done with physical barriers, distance or time.

4) Engineer:  Minimize the risk by re-designing the task or equipment so that it is safer.

5) Control Administratively: Organize safer work practices, provide appropriate training instruction and supervision, and put systems in place to manage health and safety.

6) Protect: Use personal protective equipment, such as safety glasses for eye protection.

-Create a risk assessment table (as sample as below) that lists the potential hazard, its likelihood of occurring, the consequences of it occurring and the control measure best suited to removing the danger.

5. REVIEW AND OFFER ADVICE ON EXISTING WHS CONSULTATION PROCESS

In this part of the report, you are to review the existing consultation process for work health and safety in the organisation. This should also include HSRs and safety committee. Highlight the issues with existing practices and suggest new ideas.

6. OFFER ADVICE HOW TO COMMUNICATE RELEVANT INFORMATION

At the end of the report, you must advise your employer how to communicate any WHS changes to their employees. WHS legislation state that employees must be consulted during any change in WHS policy or procedure, so effective communication between the organisation and its staff is vital. Using the consultation techniques discussed, write a consultation guideline for your employer. This guideline should include the following:

i. A brief summary of the importance of good consultation practice

ii. A review of the various methods for communicating information to workers, including a recommendation of three options that are most suitable for their organisation.

iii. Advice about how to apply 'collaboration strategies' in their organisation and an explanation of the benefits these might bring.