Part 2: Contribute To Consultative Arrangements and Organisational Procedures For Managing WHS

Part 2: Contribute to consultative
arrangements and organisational

procedures for managing WHS
Dictionary
Cardiovascular diseases – Diseases affecting the heart or cardiovascular system.
Consultative – A consultative process is one discussed amongst a group of
individuals and/or assisted by people (e.g., workers) giving advice or
recommendations.
HSC – Health and safety committee.
Musculoskeletal disorders – Injuries and disorders that affect the body’s
musculoskeletal system (for example, muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, spine
discs etc).
Obligated – Where someone or an entity (e.g., a business) is required by law to do
something.
Occupational cancers – Cancers that occur as a result of exposure to something in
the workplace (e.g., asbestos or other cancer-causing substances, chemicals or
conditions).
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Consultative WHS activities and processes are those that involve different parties
working together regarding health and safety. For example, activities and processes
that involve: 
Employers seeking feedback, advice or suggestions from individual employees

regarding workplace health and safety 
Employers seeking feedback, advice or suggestions from groups of employees,
or from a workplace health and safety committee (HSC)
Employers seeking feedback, advice or suggestions from external experts or
regulatory authorities
Employees proactively raising health and safety issues or initiating health and
safety discussions with their employer.
In this next section, we’ll discuss how you can contribute to these consultative
arrangements and organisational procedures for managing WHS in the workplace.
Contents
1. Participate and assist in implementing consultative processes
2. Respond to WHS issues in a timely manner and encourage others to participate in

WHS management
3. Identify strategies and opportunities for developing the team’s WHS competence
1. Participate and assist in

implementing consultative
processes
At work, you will take part in regular WHS consultative practices such as:
Health and safety meetings
Health and safety meetings are formal meetings arranged for the specific purpose of
discussing workplace health and safety. However, health and safety meetings may also
occur in the form of: 
Informal conversations (e.g., conversations that you have with your colleagues,
supervisor or WHS personnel while carrying out your day-to-day role)
Discussions during tours of the workplace (e.g., during a workplace induction or
safety inspection)
General workplace meetings where WHS may be an item on the agenda or staff
are encouraged to raise WHS issues.
Workplace health and safety meetings bring together a range of people within the
business you work for and will sometimes engage external experts or officials from a
range of organisations and bodies. This may include:
Safety meetings are a good opportunity to clarify the roles and responsibilities of
different employees and members of personnelregarding general WHS or specific
safety issues in your workplace. 
They’re an opportunity for you and your co-workers to discuss workplace policies and
procedures regarding WHS and create action plans to address safety issues. They’re
also an opportunity to review or discuss the effectiveness of risk control procedures,
and identify employee knowledge or skill gaps regarding WHS.
To actively participate in these meetings, you need to: 
Contribute to discussions
Listen to others
Pay attention and show an interest
Ask questions if you don’t understand something or to clarify your
responsibilities
Make suggestions on ways to improve WHS
Be prepared to give feedback on workplace policies and procedures and/or
WHS issues.
Following a WHS meeting, all staff have a responsibility to assist with the
implementation of policies, processes or changes to work practices designed to improve
and/or manage WHS. This may involve:
You can also encourage others to participate in the implementation of these
arrangements by encouraging them to do these things.
Safety inspections 
Some organisations will have their employees carry out regular or periodic (e.g., six
monthly) safety inspections. Or, in some cases, organisations may request that an
external risk management WHS professional or WHS regulatory authority visits their
workplace and carries out a safety inspection.
Regardless of whether or not an organisation requests a safety inspection, state and

territory regulatory authorities can visit a workplace during its working hours and carry
out a random unannounced inspection.
Broadly speaking, the purpose of workplace safety inspections is to:
Identify hazards and risks associated with the work environment or unsafe work
practices  
Identify work practices that could be improved in terms of WHS
Determine the effectiveness of general WHS policies and procedures and risk
control procedures.
Workplace safety inspections will generally involve employees, or a representative of a

WHS regulatory authority, completing a walkthrough of the workplace while assessing
different aspects of the work environment and types of work tasks being completed
against a checklist of criteria. 
The internal safety checklists used by a business during a safety inspection will likely be
different to those used by an external person or regulatory authority.
Here is an example of a safety inspection checklist that an organisation may use to

carry out its own workplace safety inspection.
Depending on where you work, you may be required to carry out safety inspections or
you may be required to participate in a safety inspection being carried out by someone
else.
During a safety inspection being carried out by someone else, you may be asked to give
feedback or to demonstrate a work task according to current organisational WHS
procedures. If you are required to participate in a safety inspection being carried out by
someone else, to make sure you participate properly and make a valuable contribution: 
Be cooperative and give feedback or demonstrate tasks as required

Be honest (e.g., when giving feedback or discussing issues)
Be prepared to discuss the findings or results of the inspection.
Risk assessments
As a part of your role, you may be required to perform or participate in risk
assessments. A risk assessment is a process of determining:
The likelihood of an identified hazard (or type of hazard) causing harm/damage 

How serious the harm or damage associated with an identified hazard is/could
be.
We discussed risk assessments in detail in part one of this unit. Risk assessments are a
key WHS consultative process and enable you respond to WHS issues in a timely
manner. To refresh your memory, performing a risk assessment involves:
Identifying who or what the identified hazard could cause harm to

(e.g., employees, clients/customers and/or property) 
Listing the steps or risk control measures that are already being taken to
address the hazard/risk (e.g., the things already being done, or used, to reduce
the risk of the hazard causing harm) 
Determining the likelihood and seriousness of harm or damage (e.g., low,
moderate, high or extreme – this is the official ‘risk assessment’) 
Listing any further action that should be/needs to be taken to control the risk
(e.g., suggesting things that could/should be done to reduce the risk of the
hazard causing harm).
To complete a risk assessment, you may need to complete a form like the one below: 
In Australia, the level of risk given to a hazard is determined by referring to the
Australian standard risk assessment matrix like the one below.
Risk assessments are similar to safety inspections in that they can often involve
completing a checklist. However, where safety inspections generally aim to identify
previously unidentified safety issues and hazards, risk assessments are used to assess
a hazard or type of hazard (e.g., a slip, trip and fall or manual handling hazard) that has
already been identified and its level of risk.
Health and safety surveys 
Some organisations may ask their employees to contribute toWHS by completing safety
surveys or questionnaires. Health and safety surveys or questionnaires are documents
containing a series of health and safety related questions or statements. 
Examples of some of the types of questions that may appear on a workplace health and
safety survey or questionnaire include:
Are you aware of workplace evacuation procedures?

Do you know where the emergency assembly point is?
Do you feel safe at work?
Do you feel stressed at work?
Are your workplace stress levels manageable? 
Do you feel you have the equipment and resources required to work safely? 
Do you know who you are required to report to at the emergency assembly point? 
Do you know who the fire warden for your work area is?
Examples of some of the types of statements that may appear on health and safety
surveys or questionnaires, and employees will be expected to answer against, include:
I feel safe at work 

I have the equipment and resources I need to do my job safely 
I have received adequate training in workplace health and safety procedures. 
Workplace health and safety surveys or questionnaires may ask you to respond to
questions or statements with your own answers or comments, by selecting a response
from a list of options, or a combination of both. See an example of some workplace
health and safety surveys/questionnaires below. 
Example 1. 
Example 2.  
Workplace health and safety surveys can assist organisations to: 
Identify health and safety issues  

Identify ways in which workplace health and safety can be improved 
Identify employee WHS/OH&S training and information needs.  
If given the opportunity by the organisation you work for, it is important that you
participate in health and safety surveys and questionnaires. And, in participating, that
you give honest answers. 
WHS training 
To help ensure the health and safety of their employees and uphold their duty of care,
employers will often require their employees to participate in WHS/OH&S related
training sessions. For example, depending on where you work and your role, you may
be required to participate in training relating to: 
Manual handling 
Using equipment 
First aid
Fire safety
Handling hazardous goods and dangerous substances.
WHS training sessions may not always be designed to be ‘consultative’, in that they will
usually focus on providing employees with information and instructions rather than on
gathering employee input on health and safety issues. However, opportunities for
employees to raise and discuss health and safety issues or to give suggestions will
often arise during WHS training sessions. 
Fire and emergency evacuation drills 

Wherever you work, it is likely that you will be required to participate in fire and
emergency evacuation drills. During a fire or emergency evacuation drill, you will be
required to respond as you would in the case of a real fire or emergency. 
Fire and emergency evacuation drills can be ‘consultative’ activities as, following these
drills, you may be provided with an opportunity to give feedback to your supervisor,
manager or WHS personnel. For example, feedback in regard to issues you identified
during the drill (e.g., obstacles to evacuation or unclear policies and procedures).
2. Respond to WHS issues in a
timely manner and encourage
others to participate in WHS
management
Workplace health and safety is everyone’s business. In your role, and in accordance
with the policies and procedures of the business you work for, you may be required to
respond to WHS issues in a number of ways and to lead by example to encourage your
co-workers to do the same.
This will normally mean responding to WHS issues in a timely manner, i.e., immediately
or as soon as it’s safe for you to do so. It may also include:
Following general workplace procedures

The general housekeeping policies, procedures and processes of an organisation may
not always seem to relate to WHS. However, they can keep things running smoothly
and the work environment and equipment in good order, which helps to minimise
workplace stress.
Workplace stress can become a WHS issue. So, by helping to minimising stress,
housekeeping policies and procedures contribute to WHS.
Depending on where you work, the general housekeeping policies and procedures of
the business may outline specific requirements regarding:
Responding to emergency and evacuation incidents
Different types of emergencies require different types of responses. The policies and
procedures of the organisation you work for should outline how you should respond to
different types of emergencies. For example:
Fire emergencies
In the case of large or uncontained fires, evacuation will be the policy and procedure of
most organisations. We will cover evacuation in more detail shortly.
In the case of small/contained fires (e.g., a fire within a bin or a small kitchen fire), the
policies and procedures of some organisations may instruct employees to fight the fire
using a fire extinguisher or other firefighting equipment (e.g., a fire blanket). If you are
required to use fire-fighting equipment, you should receive training on how to do so. The
policies and procedures of the organisation you work for should clearly outline the
situations in which you should and should not attempt to fight a fire.
Watch the below video to learn how to use a fire extinguisher safely.
Video is not available offline
 Video Transcript
There are four basic steps for using modern portable fire extinguishers.
The acronym PASS is used to describe these four basic steps.
Let’s go through these in more detail:
First, pull the pin at the top of the extinguisher. The pin is there to prevent
the trigger being pressed and accidentally operating the extinguisher.
Next, approach the fire from a safe standing distance and aim the nozzle at
the base of the fire. This is where the fuel source is.
Squeeze the handles together to discharge the extinguishing agent inside.

Release to stop the flow.
Sweep the nozzle from side to side. Move toward the fire, aiming low at its
base. Sweep until all flames are extinguished. Watch for smouldering hot
spots that could reignite the fuel, and repeat as necessary.
And there you have it. PASS.
Pull the pin.
Aim at the base.
Squeeze the handle.
Sweep from side to side.
Medical emergencies
A medical emergency can occur in the workplace when someone has a serious fall,
suffers a heart attack, cuts themselves or becomes unconscious.
The policies and procedures of the organisation you work for will outline how you should
respond to a medical emergency. They will generally cover things such as:
The first course of action you should take (e.g., calling triple zero (000) and
asking for an ambulance)
Who within the workplace you should seek assistance from (e.g., a first aid
officer)
Ensuring your own safety is not compromised (e.g., if someone has suffered
electrocution, not putting yourself in danger of also being electrocuted).
Bomb threats
Bomb threats, which are usually made over the phone, are emergencies and should be
treated seriously. Different organisations will have different policies and procedures in
place for dealing with bomb threats. However, generally, they will instruct employees
who receive bomb threats to:
Stay calm and signal for someone to call triple-zero (000)

Keep the caller on the line and ask them questions such as:
Where is the bomb located?
When did you put the bomb in its location?
When is the bomb set to explode?
What does the bomb look like?
What kind of bomb is it?
What will make the bomb explode?
Why did you place the bomb in the building?
What is your name?
Where are you?
What is your address?
Try to record exactly what the person making the threat is saying
Not hang up the phone or replace the handset – this allows for the police to
trace the call.
In response to bomb threats, organisational policies and procedures are likely to instruct
employees (other than those receiving the threat) to:
Turn off mobile phones and stop using any electrical equipment that may trigger
explosive devices
Prepare to evacuate the premises or to evacuate upon instruction from security
or other relevant personnel.
Assault or threats of assault
Assault is where someone physically attacks another person or a number of other
people. A threat of assault is where someone threatens to physically attack or harm
another person or other people.
In regard to assault or threats of assault, organisational policies and procedures are

likely to outline things such as:
The first course of action you should take (e.g., call triple zero (000) and ask for
the police or contact office/building security personnel)
The action you should take to defuse the situation (e.g., stay calm, apply
negotiation techniques).
Evacuation
All organisations must have a clear evacuation plan in place for emergency situations
that make the work premises an unsafe or high-risk environment (e.g., fires, gas leaks,
chemical spills, bomb threats or someone threatening to use a weapon).
The video below explains the types of things, regarding evacuation, that organisational
policies and procedures may cover.
Video is not available offline
 Video Transcript
In regard to evacuation, the policies and procedures of the organisation you
work for should outline the following:
The sound, alarm or signals that indicate that you need to evacuate.
For example, they may outline that upon hearing the ‘warning alarm’
employees must prepare to evacuate but only evacuate when the
‘evacuation alarm’ sounds.
Raising the alarm or instructing others to evacuate - many
businesses will have automatic emergency alarms or communication
systems. However, automatic alarm systems sometimes fail. Some
businesses will have manual emergency alarms or communication
systems that employees are required to use when this happens. For
example, they may have break-glass alarms, whistles, loudspeakers
or other noise making devices.
Any course of action you need to take before evacuating. For
example, using emergency ‘shut-off’ systems to shut down
equipment or work areas. Emergency shut-off systems allow for
equipment, or in some cases entire work areas or buildings, to be
shut down quickly and easily and often at the press of just one
button.
The exit you should use to leave the building - in most cases, you will
be required to use the nearest and safest exit. For example, an exit
that is not obstructed or in the path of fire.
The manner in which you should evacuate. For example, policies
and procedures may instruct you to evacuate in a calm and orderly
manner.
How to assist others. For example, they may outline how you can
assist co-workers or clients who have restricted mobility.
The assembly point you are required to meet at. That is, the specific
location that you must head to when evacuating the building.
Whose instructions you must follow. For example, those of your
supervisor, manager, a fire warden or emergency services
personnel.
Earlier, we mentioned that organisational policies and procedures will often

provide information on emergency alarms and signals.
To ensure that you are able to alert employees, and anyone on the
premises, to emergencies, most workplaces will have emergency
alarms/communications systems in place.
Workplaces will often have both automatic and manual emergency

alarms/communication systems. Additionally, as part of their emergency
system, workplaces may also make use of two-way radios, megaphones
and emergency phone lines.
Automatic alarms – often referred to as ‘fire alarms' – require no action to

set them off. Automatic alarms sound when the system identifies signs of a
fire such as smoke, gases or a noticeable change in temperature.
Generally, automatic alarm systems will produce two different sounds:
The alert alarm sound - is usually a series of ‘beeps', generally going
off first and is to inform people that a potential emergency situation is
occurring and to get ready and be prepared to evacuate, if
necessary. This is an example of an alert alarm sound:
Description: Series of beeps.
The evacuation alarm sound - is usually a fast ‘whoop’. It informs
people that they need to evacuate the building immediately. This is
an example of an evacuation alarm sound:
Description: Series of fast 'whoop whoop' sounds.
The policies and procedures of the organisation you work for should outline
the details of any automatic emergency alarm/communication systems it
uses and how to respond when you hear them.
Certain types of emergencies, such as bomb threats, will not activate

automatic alarms/communication systems or, in some cases, these systems
may fail. For this reason, many organisations will have manual alarms on
site.
Manual alarms require an action. This means someone needs to break the
glass, push a button or pull a lever to set off the alarm.
With break glass alarms, the glass or plastic material will break easily using
your elbow, fist or a pen.
Breaking the glass will sometimes activate the button automatically.
With pull down alarms, pull the handle down to activate the alarm.
The lever will go back up, so there is no need to continue pulling it over and
over.
Some organisations will also require employees to use manual

alarm/communications systems such as whistles, bells or horns.
The policies and procedures of the organisation you work for should outline
the situations, or emergencies, in which you are required to use manual
alarms/communications systems. The location of the manual alarms will also
generally be outlined within policies and procedures or may be included on a
visual evacuation plan.
Many organisations, especially those who occupy large premises, will have visual
evacuation signs or plans posted around the workplace. These signs/plans usually show
the workplace layout, the location of exits, fire-fighting equipment, emergency alarms,
obstacles (such as stairs), and the assembly point. Sometimes, they will also include
evacuation and other safety instructions.
Take a look at the example of a visual evacuation plan for an office-based business,
pictured below.
Reporting emergency incidents
Following the occurrence of an emergency incident, you may be required to report it. In
regard to reporting emergency incidents, the policies and procedures of the organisation
you work for should outline:
The person, or people, you need to report the incident to (e.g., your supervisor,
manager or a member of human resources personnel)
The way in which you need to report the incident (e.g., verbally or in writing,
such as, on an incident report form)
The timeframe in which you are required to report emergency incidents within.
Good to know…
Above, we mention that to report an emergency incident, you may be required to
complete an ‘incident report form'. Incident report forms will vary from one
business to another. In many businesses, the report form that employees are
required to use to report incidents will be the same one that they are required to
use to report accidents and ‘near misses’.
Definition
In terms of WHS a near miss is a situation, e.g., an accident or incident,
where someone very nearly comes to harm. Reporting near misses is
considered important as it allows organisations to identify WHS issues and to
put measures in place to prevent employees or others from coming to harm
as a result of these issues.
Take a look at an example of an incident report form below:
In the case that you sustain an injury at work or as a result of the work you carry
out, you may be required to complete an additional (or more detailed) form than
the one shown above; we'll discuss this in more detail below.
Reporting injuries and occupational diseases
According to the WHS/OH&S legislation of most states and territories, employers are
required to keep a record, or register, of injuries and occupational diseases (i.e., a
disease that a person develops as a result of carrying out their work role or being
present in the working environment).
If you sustain an injury at work or develop an occupational disease, it is likely that,

according to the policies and procedures of the organisation you work for, you will be
required to report it.
Keep in mind…
Occupational diseases are acute, recurring or chronic health problems caused (or
aggravated by) work conditions or practices. Occupational diseases can include:
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) (i.e., injuries and disorders that affect
the body’s musculoskeletal system), for example, muscles, tendons,
ligaments, nerves, spine discs etc).
Mental health disorders (e.g., depression or anxiety)
Noise-induced hearing loss
Infections and parasitic diseases
Respiratory diseases (i.e., diseases of the body’s breathing organs, e.g.,
the lungs)
Contact dermatitis (i.e., skin irritation or inflammation caused by contact
with certain substances)
Cardiovascular diseases (i.e., heart disease)
Occupational cancers (i.e., cancer that occurs as a result of exposure to
something in the workplace, e.g., asbestos or other cancer-causing
substances, chemicals or conditions).
Organisational policies and procedures relating to reporting injuries and occupational

diseases will generally outline things such as:
The member of personnel you need to report injuries or occupational diseases to (e.g., your manager,
supervisor, WHS representative or a member of personnel with specific WHS/OH&S responsibilities).
The method by which you are required to report injuries or occupational diseases (e.g., verbally, i.e., by
speaking to the relevant member of personnel) or in writing (e.g., via email, or completing an accident,
injury or occupational illness form).
The information that needs to be included when reporting injuries or occupational diseases. For example:
The date that the occupational injury/disease is being reported
Your name
Your address
Your age
Your age at the time of the injury/development of occupational disease
Your occupation (job role) at the time of injury/development of occupational disease
The industry in which you were working in when injured/ occupational disease was developed
The time and date that the injury occurred/occupational disease was identified
The nature of the injury/occupational disease e.g., the part of your body it affects and the severity
The cause of the injury/occupational disease (i.e., a description of what happened).
The timeframes in which injuries or occupational diseases need to be reported within - in almost all cases,
you will be required to report occupational injuries and diseases as soon as they occur/you identify them.
Above, we mention that to report an injury or occupational disease, you may be required
to complete a written report form. Take a look at an example of a report form for
reporting occupational injuries and diseases below.
Good to know…
In some situations, you may be required to take on a leadership role within your
workplace in regard to WHS.
This may involve assisting in engaging external personnel to deal with WHS issues
and encouraging others to participate in WHS arrangements.
Depending on where you work, your workplace may have a list of external
contractors it regularly engages to respond to WHS issues and complete general
housekeeping tasks which impact WHS.
In some situations, and in discussion with your manager, you may need to refer to
this contact list and engage one of these external contractors on behalf of the
business. Or, you may need to point these WHS issues out to the contractor while
they’re on the business premises and completing their regular duties.
For example:
Cleaning contractors
WHS inspectors
Electricians
Plumbers.
3. Identify strategies and

opportunities for developing the
team’s WHS competence
Throughout your job role you will have opportunities to:
Assess and identify the training needs of your work team

Identify strategies and opportunities for developing your work team’s WHS
competence
Provide assistance to your work team members in support of the development of
their WHS competence.
You may identify learning opportunities and strategies, and gaps in the knowledge of
your team by:
Staying up to date with WHS information
You may become aware of new training needs within your team through updates to
legislation, regulations, Codes of Practice and information. Staying up to date with
industry best-practices and legislation may involve:
Speaking to the health and safety representative within the business you work
for
Speaking to a member of human resources personnel
Attending WHS meetings or training sessions
Reading staff memos or emails containing WHS information
Reading updated versions of organisational WHS policies and procedures.
Good to know…
The business you work for has a responsibility to make sure that its WHS policies
and procedures reflect current WHS laws, regulations and Codes of Practice.
When a change to WHS laws, regulations or Codes of Practice occur, the business
you work for should update its WHS policies and procedures according to.
At work, make sure that you always refer to the most up-to-date version of the
policies and procedures of the business you work for.
As we have mentioned throughout this unit, each state and territory has its own WHS
regulatory authorities.
To stay up to date with WHS laws, regulations and Codes of Practice relevant to your
workplace, you might need to consult the website of the WHS regulatory authority of the
state or territory you work in.
Seeking support regarding WHS
At work, if you identify a WHS issue or have concerns regarding WHS, your first course
of action should be to raise them with a relevant member (or members) of personnel
within the business you work for. For example:
Your supervisor
Your manager
A member of human resources personnel
People within the business you work for who have specific WHS-related roles or responsibilities (e.g., the
health and safety representative or HSR).
If you raise a WHS issue or concern with a member (or members) of personnel within
the business you work for and you believe the issue or concern you raise is not dealt
with appropriately (e.g., it is ignored or adequate measures to resolve the issue or
concern are not taken), you should:
First, approach the person or people you raised the issue or concern with and explain your concerns
regarding the way it has been dealt with and the course of action that you believe needs to be taken to
resolve it
If, after approaching the person or people you raised the issue with to discuss the way it has been handled
you are still not satisfied that it has been adequately resolved, refer or escalate the issue or concern to
someone else within the business you work for:
For example:
To someone more senior (or with a greater level of authority) than the person or people you initially
raised the issue or concern with
An HSR
A member of human resources personnel.
If, after referring or escalating the issue or concern to someone else within the business, you believe the
issue or concern you have raised is still not adequately addressed and is putting people’s health and safety
at serious risk, seek external support.
Above, we mentioned that if you believe that a WHS issue or concern you have raised
with personnel within the business you work is not adequately addressed and is putting
people’s health and safety at serious risk, you might need to seek external support.
Examples of cases where it may be appropriate for you to seek external support
regarding a WHS issue or concern include:
You identify that the business you work for is breaching the responsibilities it has
under WHS legislation and report your concerns but no action is taken to address
them.
You have reported that you are being bullied or harassed but your report is
ignored and the bullying and harassment continues.
You witness someone in your workplace become seriously injured due to a

faulty piece of equipment and you report it. But, your report is ignored and the
piece of faulty equipment remains faulty.
Your employer asks you to complete work that puts your health and safety at
serious risk and, when you raise your concerns with them, they tell you that
they will fire you if you don’t do the work.
Sources of external support for WHS issues include:
Important note:
Regarding workplace health and safety, at work, you must only ever act within the
limits of your role and level of expertise. For example, you must:
Always follow organisational WHS policies and procedures:
If you have concerns regarding (or do not agree with) the WHS policies and
procedures of the business you work for, you should discuss these
concerns with the appropriate member of personnel.
Not take action regarding workplace health and safety matters or issues
that you are not authorised to take, for example:
If you identified that a hazard existed in your workplace and nobody was
doing anything about it, unless you are authorised to, you must not attempt
to try and resolve it on your own.
For example, you must not attempt to resolve an equipment hazard by
performing maintenance on a piece of equipment that you are not
authorised to perform maintenance on or modify.
If you thought that there was a safer way of performing a task that,
according to organisational policies and procedures you were required to
perform a certain way, you must not instruct your co-workers to perform the
task in the way that you think it should be performed
If a co-worker approached you and told you that they were being bullied or
harassed by another co-worker, it would not be appropriate for you to
attempt to resolve the issue for them on your own.
As we mentioned earlier, if you have concerns about health and safety at work and
the relevant members of personnel within your workplace do not take appropriate
action to address your concerns, you can seek support from external sources. You
should not attempt to take workplace health and safety matters into your own
hands and take action that you are not authorised or that you do not have the
expertise to take. Doing so could result in you doing more harm than good.
Communicating with others regarding changes to WHS laws,

Codes of Practice and information
If you become aware of a change in WHS laws, regulations, Codes of Practice or
information, you might be required to communicate the change to others within your
workplace.
For example:
If, in consulting the website of the WHS regulatory of the state or territory you work
in, you become aware of a change to WHS laws, regulations or a Code of Practice
relevant to the business you work for, you might need to communicate this
information to:
Your supervisor or manager
The HSR within the business you work for
A member of human resources personnel.
The business you work for is obligated to stay up-to-date with WHS laws,
regulations, Codes of Practice and information. So, within the business, there will
be someone who is responsible for monitoring changes to WHS laws, regulations,
Codes of Practice and information. However, if you do identify a change to WHS
laws, regulations or a Code of Practice relevant to the business you work for, it is
good practice to let the relevant member of personnel within the business know.
If, in consulting the HSR of the business you work for or an organisational
document, you identify that (due to a change in WHS laws, regulations or a Code
of Practice) an organisational WHS policy or procedure has changed, you might
need to communicate this to your co-workers.
When communicating changes in WHS laws, regulations, Codes of Practice and

information to others, you need to:
Other opportunities for development
Perhaps the best way to develop WHS competence is to participate in consultative
practices, such as WHS meetings and audits, and discussions around WHS in the
workplace. Having these discussions with your co-workers and encouraging them to
contribute ideas, thoughts or issues they may have noticed will help to grow their own
competencies, as well as your own and those of the team as a whole.
Additionally, at various stages of these consultative practices and processes, you’ll have
the opportunity to report back to relevant personal within your team (e.g., your manager
or supervisor) on the needs of your team in terms of WHS training. (e.g., during WHS
consultation meetings or one-on-one discussions).

Part 2: Contribute To Consultative Arrangements and Organisational Procedures For Managing WHS

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Part 2: Contribute To Consultative Arrangements and Organisational Procedures For Managing WHS

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Part 2: Contribute to consultative

arrangements and organisational

Employers seeking feedback, advice or suggestions from individual employees

2. Respond to WHS issues in a timely manner and encourage others to participate in

1. Participate and assist in

Health and safety meetings

To actively participate in these meetings, you need to:

Regardless of whether or not an organisation requests a safety inspection, state and

Broadly speaking, the purpose of workplace safety inspections is to:

Workplace safety inspections will generally involve employees, or a representative of a

Here is an example of a safety inspection checklist that an organisation may use to

Be cooperative and give feedback or demonstrate tasks as required

The likelihood of an identified hazard (or type of hazard) causing harm/damage

Identifying who or what the identified hazard could cause harm to

Health and safety surveys

Are you aware of workplace evacuation procedures?

I feel safe at work

Identify health and safety issues

Fire and emergency evacuation drills

Following general workplace procedures

The acronym PASS is used to describe these four basic steps.

Let’s go through these in more detail:

Squeeze the handles together to discharge the extinguishing agent inside.

And there you have it. PASS.

Pull the pin.

Aim at the base.

Squeeze the handle.

Sweep from side to side.

Stay calm and signal for someone to call triple-zero (000)

Assault or threats of assault

In regard to assault or threats of assault, organisational policies and procedures are

Video is not available offline

Earlier, we mentioned that organisational policies and procedures will often

Workplaces will often have both automatic and manual emergency

Automatic alarms – often referred to as ‘fire alarms' – require no action to

Generally, automatic alarm systems will produce two different sounds:

Certain types of emergencies, such as bomb threats, will not activate

Breaking the glass will sometimes activate the button automatically.

Some organisations will also require employees to use manual

If you sustain an injury at work or develop an occupational disease, it is likely that,

Organisational policies and procedures relating to reporting injuries and occupational

3. Identify strategies and

Assess and identify the training needs of your work team

Staying up to date with WHS information

Seeking support regarding WHS

You witness someone in your workplace become seriously injured due to a

Sources of external support for WHS issues include:

Communicating with others regarding changes to WHS laws,

When communicating changes in WHS laws, regulations, Codes of Practice and

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To actively participate in these meetings, you need to: 

The likelihood of an identified hazard (or type of hazard) causing harm/damage 

Health and safety surveys 

I feel safe at work 

Identify health and safety issues  

Fire and emergency evacuation drills 