Student Assessment Manual

BSBSUS501
Develop workplace policy and procedures for
sustainability

Assessment Method Two – Written Assignment

 BSBSUS501 Develop workplace policy and procedures for sustainability

Version 1 Page 2 of 9 August 2018

Australian Institute of Science and Technology RTO # 30645 CRICOS # 03677G
 Assessment Method Two – Written Assignment
Application suggestions:
1. This assessment method is designed as a summative assessment method to be issued at the
commencement of training delivery and due at a date to be determined after the completion of the training
delivery.
2. The submission must include the Assessment Cover Sheet.

Instructions

For this assessment, you will need to perform the following tasks. These tasks will need to be
completed and submitted in a professional, word processed format.

Tasks

Question 1
Managers should be able to outline the environmental or sustainability legislation, regulations and codes of
practice applicable to the organisation for which they work. This will be dependent on the type of organisation
and the industry sector.

From what internal and external sources might information be gathered and why is it necessary for managers
to be informed about sustainability legislation, regulations and codes of practice? 480–500 words

Internal information sources:

 current policies and procedural documents

 organisational records
 performance data
 internal stakeholders—employees, other managers and supervisors
 customer data—profiles, expectations etc—market research results
 investor/ shareholder information—profiles, expectations etc
 internal codes of practice/ ethics

External information sources:

 the actual, relevant legislation

 world’s best practice reports—with regard to sustainability
 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in each state or territory
 research papers
 a range of different media and reporting services
 industry associations/ peak industry bodies—industry codes of practice/ ethics
 specialist sustainability practitioners, advisers and consultants
 the CSIRO
 education departments
 TAFEs and universities
  useful documents such as:
o Green Skills Agreement 2009
o Living Sustainably: the Australian Government’s National Action Plan for Education for
Sustainability
 ISO Standards
 customers
 suppliers
 the community and the society, within which the organisation operates—ethics, social responsibility,
expectations
 local, state and national government agencies
 networking contacts
 the internet

Industry codes of practice provide a set of guidelines and regulations that are to be followed by members of
a particular profession, trade, occupation or organisation. They aim to establish good practice and to raise
service levels in that profession, trade, occupation or organisation. They do this by offering practical advice
and guidance on how to achieve the highest standards in a profession, trade, occupation or organisation.

Regulations and legislation concerned with environmental issues have steadily increased in recent years.
Environmental law is one of the fastest growing areas of law in Australia. This legislation affects businesses
of all sizes and types. Penalties for breaking environmental laws are becoming more severe and regulatory
bodies are being endowed with more power to monitor and prosecute businesses who fail to observe
environmental regulations. It is, therefore, essential to understand the regulations that apply to your
business. There are laws, regulations and codes of practice at international, national, state, industry and
organisational levels.

Managers need current, accurate information about environmental or sustainability legislation, regulations
and codes of practice because they need to:

 communicate required practices to employees

 explain the organisation’s intentions to external stakeholders—vision, policies
 use this information when developing the organisation’s sustainability policies and procedures
 use this information to develop suitable performance measures—KPIs and KRAs
 develop business plans that take sustainability measures into account
 oversee and monitor sustainability practices and performance
 identify areas in need of improvement
 ensure that the organisation and its employees are complying with their ethical and legal
responsibilities

Policies are high level documents that outline an organisation’s intentions and expectations. They are often
based on relevant legislation and, in order to develop effective sustainability policies and plans managers
must understand the legislation, regulations and codes of practice that are relevant to sustainability activities.

Question 2
Write 500 words to explain what a sustainability policy is and how policies, processes and practices are
developed. What might be covered by or included in an organisation’s environmental policies and
procedures?

An organisation’s sustainability/ environmental policy is a public declaration of the commitment,

responsibilities of everyone in the organisation to working in ways that do not cause harm to the
environment, contribute to harm minimisation, are ethical and are socially and economically responsible.

Policies are developed by:

 researching the relevant legislation and regulations

 identifying and interpreting any applicable industry codes of practice
 identifying and articulating the organisation’s values, beliefs and expectations
 considering compliance requirements
 identifying the organisation’s capacity and capability with regard to policy development,
implementation and monitoring
 consulting with experts
 consulting with staff at all levels of the organisation

Policies will be developed, documented and disseminated to relevant personnel for feedback. Adjustments
will be made, the policies will be authorised and included in the organisation’s policy and procedures manual
which should be available to all staff.

Policy development might take an integrated approach to sustainability which includes environmental,
economic and social aspects, or a specific approach that focuses on each aspect individually. Policies will be
designed to meet relevant laws, by-laws and regulations or best practice to support compliance in
environmental performance and sustainability at each level as required (such as Environment Protection and
Biodiversity Conservation Act).

Once policies are developed, procedures will be written to inform all employees of the steps they must take
to comply with policy expectations and to enact the sustainability requirements.

Organisational practices are the actions and behaviours that develop over time. They are the behaviours that
convert ideals to action and are accepted as the norm—the things that management and employees do in
response to the organisation’s requirements. They relate directly to organisational culture and to the policies
and procedures that are developed.

Procedures and practices will relate to specific tasks or actions and cover things like:

 increased resource efficiency and incorporation of green energy use into organisational practices
 reduction of harmful environmental impact and compliance with specific environmental regulations—
related to waste/ toxic waste, emissions from heavy vehicles, prevention ofwater pollution (sea,
fresh) etc
 continuous improvement requirements, practices and involvement
  social responsibility—supporting and assisting local, national and global communities, acting to
prevent exploitation of workers
 ethical business practices—acting in ways that support espoused values, dealing openly and
honestly with employees, customers and other stakeholders, ensuring that advertising and
promotional activities are not misleading

Policies might address sustainability initiatives through reference to standards, guidelines and approaches
such as:

 ecological footprint
 Global Reporting Initiative
 green office program
 green purchasing
 Greenhouse Challenge Plus (Australian Government initiative)
 ISO 14001:1996 Environmental management systems
 life cycle analyses
 product stewardship
 supply chain management
 sustainability covenants/ compacts
 triple bottom line reporting

Question 3

You will need to understand the organisational systems and practices that relate to and support sustainability
in the organisation for which you work. What does this mean and why is it necessary? 200–250 words

To work effectively and to manage the work of others it is necessary that managers and supervisors
understand the organisation—its goals, values, operations and systems.

Sustainability systems and practices in each organisation will be different; they will be dependent on the type
of organisation, its industry context, operations and activities. Schools, for example, will have different
systems from those of a large mining operation etc. Some organisations will focus on social interactions
while others focus on the physical environment.

What is an environmental management system (EMS)?

Some organisations will have environmental management systems (EMS) which can be utilised to manage
their environmental programs in a comprehensive, systematic, planned and documented manner. Such
systems will take into account the organisational structure, activities and focus and provide a base for
planning, developing, implementing and maintaining policies and procedures for environmental protection.

Systems for managing environmental interaction (physical, social, economic) will aim to embed sustainability
into organisational culture.

For sustainability systems to work appropriate planning is required. Sustainability goals and practices must
be identified, defined, planned for, implemented, monitored, measured and subjected to continuous
improvement.
Systems should support communication of sustainability initiatives, sustainability reporting, promotion of
sustainability practices (and successes) and the application of continuous improvement.

Question 4

What barriers might affect the implementation of sustainability policies and procedures in an organisation?
List at least 12. What strategies might be used to address them? List at least 10.

Barriers can include:

 lack of knowledge, information or understanding

 perceptions that the costs would be too high
 belief that it is unnecessary
 misunderstanding of the benefits
 resistance to change (management or organisational culture)
 lack of focus on innovation
 misunderstanding or ignoring market signals
 ineffective leadership
 a view that what is currently being done is good enough
 a view that it is up to others
 a view that it is too hard
 failure to care
 fear of undesired impacts
 lack of understanding of supply chain logistics
 a sense that the impact of sustainability initiatives on shareholder value are difficult to quantify

Barriers might be overcome by:

 providing effective training/ education, coaching, mentoring to managers and to staff

 ensuring that leaders in the organisation develop a suitable sustainability focus and lead by example
 developing, in consultation with staff, policies that support sustainability and making the associated
procedures and practices the norm
 ensuring that everyone in the organisation is aware of their legal and regulatory compliance
obligations
 focusing on the concept of sustainability as a competitive edge
 building an environmentally aware (social, ethical, economic, physical) workplace culture
 developing efficient and effective environmental management systems
 aligning performance measures with sustainability
 developing specific sustainability focused KPIs and KRAs
 conducting research to identify market signals and support
 measuring the cost of not implementing suitable sustainability practices
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