Professional Year Program

BSBWHS401 – Work, Health & Safety

Assessment Task 1.1 – Knowledge Questions
Units of BSBWHS401 Implement and monitor WHS policies, procedures and programs to
Competency: meet legislative requirements

Topic: Topic 1 – Australian Workplace Culture

Assessment Task: Task 1.1 – Knowledge Questions

Assessment
Submission
Checklist
Knowledge Questions
(Student must
submit all of these
documents)

Assessment Instructions to Student:

 Attempt all questions in the assessment.
 All answers to be typed using Microsoft Word
 Use complete sentences, check grammar, punctuation and spelling

Resources permitted during assessment:

 Dictionaries: Standard, Bilingual, Digital
 Electronic devices: Laptops, Computers, Internet
 Relevant State Legislation Documents

Additional Assessment Instructions to Assessor:

Reasonable adjustment: Trainers may make reasonable allowances for learners in accordance with the C&I
Learner Support Policy contained in the Participant Handbook. This may relate to the timeframe for
undertaking this assessment task in class or relate to an extension to the due date. Consult with the
Curriculum & Learning Manager prior to administering this assessment to ensure Learner Support needs
are met.
BSBWHS401 Assessment Requirements

Performance Evidence of the ability to:

 explain clearly and accurately to work team the relevant work health and safety (WHS) information
including:
 WHS legislative and organisational requirements
 identified hazards and outcomes of risk assessment and control
 ensure that the team has access to information about WHS policies, procedures and programs in
appropriate structure and language
 implement and monitor procedures according to organisational and legislative WHS requirements
including:
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Professional Year Program
BSBWHS401 – Work, Health & Safety
Assessment Task 1.1 – Knowledge Questions
 consultation and communications to enable team members to participate in managing WHS risks
and hazards
 identifying WHS training needs and providing learning opportunities, coaching and mentoring as
appropriate to needs
 identifying, reporting and taking action on WHS hazards and risks
 identifying and reporting inadequacies in existing risk controls and monitoring outcomes to ensure
a prompt organisational response
 reporting on the cost of WHS training
 keeping WHS records
 analysing aggregate WHS data to identify hazards and monitor risk control procedures in work area.
Note: If a specific volume or frequency is not stated, then evidence must be provided at least once.

Knowledge Evidence

To complete the unit requirements safely and effectively, the individual must:

 outline the legal responsibilities and duties of managers, supervisors, persons conducting
businesses or undertakings (PCBUs) and workers in relation to WHS risk management in the
workplace
 identify key provisions of relevant WHS Acts, regulations and codes of practice that apply to the
business and outline how they apply in the work area
 explain organisational policies and procedures relating to hazard identification, risk management,
fire, emergency and evacuation, incident investigation and reporting
 explain the importance of effective consultation mechanisms in managing health and safety risks in
the workplace
 explain how the hierarchy of control applies in the work area. Please note, Victoria has yet to agree
to the harmonisation framework and as this is a national unit of competence you will need to state
which state or territory you will be basing your responses on.

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Professional Year Program
BSBWHS401 – Work, Health & Safety
Assessment Task 1.1 – Knowledge Questions
ASSESSMENT INSTRUCTIONS
Ensure that at the beginning of your report you include the following statement:

I will be basing my responses for the assessment tasks for this unit on the WHS/OHS Act and Regulations
and Codes of practice from the following State or Territory:
ACT          QLD         SA             TAS          NSW       VIC           WA          NT           
Commonwealth

Answer the following questions, giving reasons/justifications and supporting evidence for your answers i.e.
clauses from relevant WHS/OHS Acts and regulations.

1. Employers, managers and employees all have responsibilities under WHS/OHS legislation to
ensure the safety of the workplace. Please outline:
a. PCBU’s responsibilities:
Ans. PCBU’s definition is a Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking.
As a PCBU, you must satisfy your duties to ensure the health and welfare of
employees and other persons, such as clients and volunteers, as far as is fairly possible.
A PCBU has specific kind of activities like:
 Control and management of workplaces, or office fixtures , fittings or services
 Design, processing, importation or supply of plants, materials or structures
 Farm or framework relocation, design or commissioning.
PCBUs must also have meaningful and open consultation about work and health and safety
with workers, health and safety representatives, and health and safety committees. As a
PCBU, if you assign activities, you must also communicate, collaborate and communicate
with other PCBUs. In addition, as a PCBU, you have such a primary duty of responsibility to
ensure that employees and others are not subjected to a health and safety threat.
When you work as a PCBU, you owe such duties such as:
 Direct or influence work carried out by a worker.
 Have management or control of a workplace.
 Engage or cause to engage a worker to carry out work (including through sub-
contracting)

b. the organisation’s responsibilities

Ans. As far as is fairly possible, the primary responsibility of a company involves ensuring:
 Provision and protection of a working community free of health and safety threats.
 Requirement and repair of reliable infrastructure and frameworks and reliable job
processes.
 Protective usage, management and storing of seeds, systems and materials.
 The development of sufficient workers health services, with donations, such as
toilets, first aid facilities, and

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Professional Year Program
BSBWHS401 – Work, Health & Safety
Assessment Task 1.1 – Knowledge Questions
 Requirement of the knowledge, preparation and guidance or monitoring required to
protect all individuals from the risks resulting from their work to their health and
safety.

c. first-line/supervisors manager’s responsibilities

Ans. A supervisor is responsible for the carrying out of work in a safe manner in the
workplace. Their duties include:
 Health and safety decisions that can impact job practices or other entities are made
 ensuring legal requirements regarding health and safety are met
 Health intervention reports and the execution of organisational inspections
 ensuring safe work method statements are completed

 ensuring safe work practices

 Conducting inductions and daily briefings on safety
 Participating in inquiries into events
 Lead by instance at any time and encouraging health and safety.

d. the employees’ responsibilities

Ans. Employees’ responsibilities are including:
 Learn the document on occupational safety and wellbeing at the job site.
 Act in accordance with all OSHA and Maine safety requirements that are appropriate
 Respect all permissible laws and regulations on employer safety and wellnessand we
ar or use appropriate protective clothing and equipment while working.

 Report hazardous conditions to the employer

 Report any accident or disease linked to employment to the boss, and immediately
 Seek care.

2. What are safety committees and who are safety representatives?

Ans. The health and safety committee (HSC) is essentially a forum for opening communication
between workers and upper management. It allows staff to address concerns related to work
health and safety issues.

A significant relation between workers and employers is represented by health and safety
representatives. They inform employers regarding health and safety issues and collaborate with
them to create and preserve safety in the workplace. 

3. Describe the steps you can take if there is an accident or incident in your work area. You may
create this as a flowchart if you prefer.

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Professional Year Program
BSBWHS401 – Work, Health & Safety
Assessment Task 1.1 – Knowledge Questions
Ans. The steps I can take if there is an accident or incident in my work area are including:

 Provide first aid to see that the employee receives the best treatment.

 Be vigilant not to disturb the location of the incident until an inspector comes. You will assist
an injured individual to assure that the place is safe.

 Record it in the accident registry.

 Notify my insurer within 48 hours.

4. What is the difference between a hazard and a risk?

Ans. A ‘hazard’ implies a circumstance or event with the potential to damage a person. Noisy
machines, a running forklift, chemicals, energy, working in heights or a routine job at your
workplace can be dangers in your organization.

A ‘risk’ is the likelihood of damage (death, illness or accident) when your workplace is exposed to a
threat.

5. Explain how the Hierarchy of Risk (Control) applies to the workplace.

Ans. A structure to manage threats in the workplace is the hierarchy of control.

The highest level of regulation in the hierarchy is the reduction of threat and danger, followed by
reducing the risk through replacement, isolation and infrastructure controls, then reducing the risk
through administrative controls.

The following element shows the structure of the hierarchy of control, from most effective control
to least effective.

I. Eliminate hazards and risks: Highest level of protection and most effective control.

Eliminating the hazard and the risk it creates is the most effective control measure.

II. Reduce the risk: reduce the risk with one or more following controls:

 Substitution: Substitute the risks with lesser risks

 Isolation: isolate people from the risk.

 Engineering: Reduce the risks through engineering changes or changes to systems of work.

III. Administrative control: Low level of protection and less reliable control.

Use administrative actions to minimize exposure to hazards and to reduce the level of harm.

IV. Personal protective equipment: lowest level of protection and least reliable control.
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Professional Year Program
BSBWHS401 – Work, Health & Safety
Assessment Task 1.1 – Knowledge Questions
Use personal protective equipment to protect people from harm.

6. WHS Legislation is not the only legislation concerned with the health and wellbeing of employees
in the workplace. Name and describe five other legislations, Acts or Codes that protect an
employee’s wellbeing.

Ans. Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012

 Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004: The Act is designed to provide a broad framework for
improving standards of workplace health and safety to reduce work-related injury and illness. It
allows duty-holders to determine their approach to achieving compliance with the Act.

 Workplace injury Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2013: This act to commence to
provisions applying to the rehabilitation of injured workers and compensation in relation to injuries
and death arising while working.

 Fair work Act 2009: This act is designed to provide a safety net of minimum entitlements, enable
flexible working arrangements and fairness at work and prevent discrimination against employees.

 Sex discrimination Act 1984: This act makes it unlawful to discriminate against people because of
their sex male or female, intersex status, sexual orientation and marital or relationship status.

  Penalties for workplace safety offence 2018: The Western Australian government passed
legislation to increase workplace safety and health offence policies.
7. Locate an organisational policy and procedure relating to hazard management, fire, emergency,
evacuation, incident (accident) investigating and reporting and submit copies to your assessor. If
you are not currently employed, conduct an internet search for similar policies and provide those.

Ans. The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne

I. Hazard Management: The Royal Children's Hospital (RCH) is committed to the provision of a safe
and healthy work environment for all employees, contractors and visitors. RCH will maintain
records of all hazards, near misses, incidents and injuries for the purposes of minimizing risk of
injury and ill-health or the recurrence of an incident. Accordingly, all staff is expected to report
hazards, near misses and incidents and managers are expected to address these in consultation
with staff. 

II. Fire emergency: All staff members on discovering fire or smoke are responsible for instigating
RACE Procedure

- Remove anyone from immediate danger.

- Alarm dial emergency number and alert others in the areas, break glass alarm and
inform the Zone Warden.

- Contain close doors to isolate fire. If trained and it is safe, use an appropriate
extinguisher.

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Professional Year Program
BSBWHS401 – Work, Health & Safety
Assessment Task 1.1 – Knowledge Questions
- Evacuate unless in immediate danger, await instructions from Zone Warden.

- Dial the emergency number (777) and report the nature of the emergency/ exact
location e.g. inpatient unit and bed number

III. Evacuation: The switchboard operator will call external emergency authorities (Police, MFB) as
required and activate the RCH response team - Managers and Wardens.

In immediate danger:

 Evacuate to a safe area (beyond the next closed fire doors or into the emergency stairs)

Not in immediate danger:

 Await instructions from Zone Warden (where applicable) or Chief Warden.

 Muster in workplace or designated place, do not block corridors.

 Zone Warden will provide directions on evacuation route, destination, equipment needs
and headcount.

 Do not delay your escape by collecting belongings.

IV. Incident (accident) investigating:

 Procedure the statement

 Persons affected: All staffs and visitors.

 Investigate who are responsible for that incident

 Procedure:

 Hazard reporting
 Near miss and incident reporting
 Injury reporting
 Reference document (which may be referred to):

 The Workplace Injury Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2013 (WIRC Act).

 Occupational Health & Safety (Incident Notification) Regulations 2017

 Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004

 Workplace Health & Safety Risk Management Procedure

 See RCH Intranet home page - VHIMS on line

 RCH Procedure - Rehabilitation - Work-Related Injury

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Professional Year Program
BSBWHS401 – Work, Health & Safety
Assessment Task 1.1 – Knowledge Questions
 Work Safe Incident Notification Form

8. Provide a summary of the organisational policy and procedure submitted for the previous
question

Ans.

Coles policy and procedure:

Coles vision is to inspiring customer, smart selling and winning together. Coles is committed to
ensuring about whistleblower protection that you are not disadvantaged or discriminated against
for reporting unacceptable behaviour in good faith. In addition, Coles follow Anti-Bribery and
Corruption and Gifts, Events & Entertainment Policy in which you must not offer, accept or request
any payments or benefits (bribes) which may have the intention or effect of influencing business
dealing. The other policy is securities trading in which Coles is committed to ensuring compliance
with all relevant laws, to maintain confidence in the trading of its securities, and prohibit specific
types of transactions which are not in accordance with market expectations or may otherwise give
rise to reputational risk. Moreover, Coles follows Continuous Disclosure to enable Coles to comply
with its disclosure obligations under the Corporations Act 2001(Cth) and ASX Listing Rules, a Market
Disclosure Policy has been developed which applies to all directors and team members.

9. Why is consultation an essential mechanism for minimizing health and safety risks in the
workplace culture?

Ans. Consultation is a legal requirement and an essential part of managing health and safety risks. A
safe workplace is more easily achieved when everyone involved in the work communicates with
each other to identify hazards and risks, talks about health and safety concerns and works together
to find solutions. This includes cooperation between duty holders, the people who manage or
control the work and those who carry out the work or who are affected by the work.

By drawing on the knowledge and experience of their workers, PCBUs can make more informed
decisions about how the work should be carried out safely.

Effective health and safety consultation also has other benefits:

- Greater awareness and commitment—because workers who have been actively

involved in how health and safety decisions are made will better understand the
decisions.

- Positive working relationships—because understanding the views of others leads to

greater cooperation and trust.

Consultation is required to be effective. It is expected that consultation be approached in a

coordinated, co-operative and timely manner between all relevant duty holders and other parties.
Consultation is essential when gathering information on all potential hazards, the associated risks

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Professional Year Program
BSBWHS401 – Work, Health & Safety
Assessment Task 1.1 – Knowledge Questions
and ways in which to eliminate or minimize those risks. Effective consultation will engage all
persons in the workplace and can be utilized to increase understanding, awareness and
commitment to health and safety in the workplace.

References:

https://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/about-us/glossary/glossary-acordion/pcbu#:~:text=As%20a
%20PCBU%20you%20have,(including%20through%20sub%2Dcontracting)

https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/book/volunteer-essential-guide-work-health-and-safety-
organisations#:~:text=The%20primary%20duty%20of%20an,and%20safe%20systems%20of
%20work

https://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/safety-starts-here/safety-support/your-rights-and-
responsibilities-for-health-and-safety/manager-or-supervisor-responsibilities

https://www.safetyworksmaine.gov/safe_workplace/rights-responsibilities.html

https://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/atoms/files/safety_and_health_rep_handbo
ok_0.pdf

https://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/how-to/human-resources/2015/05/steps-to-take-when-
an-injury-happens-at-work.html

https://www.rrp.com.au/what-is-the-difference-between-the-terms-hazard-and-risk/

https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/risk#controlling-risks-using-the-hierarchy

https://www.worksafe.qld.gov.au/laws-and-compliance/workplace-health-and-safety-laws/laws-
and-legislation/work-health-and-safety-and-other-legislation-amendment-act-2015

https://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/sites/default/files/RMH.1000.002.0023.pdf

https://www.colesgroup.com.au/FormBuilder/_Resource/_module/ir5sKeTxxEOndzdh00hWJw/file
/Code_Of_Conduct.pdf

https://www.justice.vic.gov.au/equal-opportunity#:~:text=The%20current%20Act%20is
%20the,who%20have%20been%20discriminated%20against.

https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/system/files/documents/1901/code_of_practice_-
_consultation_cooperation_coordination.pdf

https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2016C00895

https://www.fairwork.gov.au/about-us/legislation

https://eoc.sa.gov.au/resources/discrimination-laws/australian-laws/sex-discrimination-act

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Professional Year Program
BSBWHS401 – Work, Health & Safety
Assessment Task 1.1 – Knowledge Questions
https://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/worksafe/penalties-workplace-safety-offences

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