Assessment Task 2

Handout 1: WHS Legislation

The purpose of this handout is to clearly and simply explain important

information about legislation. Your handout should:

a. Explain the purpose of Work Health and Safety legislation, including the
function of a WHS Act, WHS regulation and WHS Code of Practice.

Purpose of Work Health and Safety legislation :

The Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (the WHS Act) provides a framework to
protect the health, safety and welfare of all workers at work. It also protects the health
and safety of all other people who might be affected by the work.

WHS Act :

The model WHS Act forms the basis of the WHS Acts that have been implemented
in most jurisdictions across Australia. The main object of the Act is to provide for a
balanced and nationally consistent framework to secure the health and safety of
workers and workplaces.

WHS Regulations :

The model WHS Regulations set out detailed requirements to support the duties
in the model WHS Act. They also prescribe procedural or administrative requirements
to support the model WHS Act (for example requiring licences for specific activities and
keeping records).

WHS Code of Practice :

Model Codes of Practice are practical guides to achieving the standards of health
and safety required under the model WHS Act and Regulations.

b. Provide an overview of WHS legislation including name of Act, regulations

and examples of code of practice.
In 2011, Safe Work Australia developed a single set of WHS laws to be
implemented across Australia. These are known as ‘model’ laws. For the model WHS
laws to become legally binding, the Commonwealth, states and territories must
separately implement them as their own laws.
We are responsible for maintaining the model WHS laws, but we don’t regulate or
enforce them. The model WHS laws include :
o The model WHS Act
o The model WHS Regulations
o Model Codes of Practice.

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 Assessment Task 2

The codes of practice, policies, contracts and procedures can be difficult to

understand as they are generally in legal language.

Some examples of professional codes of practice : Accounting and Finance Manager

o Accountability

Good managers expect their workers to take responsibility for their

actions and overall performance, and demand the same of themselves.

o Integrity

Managers who perform their jobs with a high level of integrity are widely
the best type of supervisors to work for. That’s because managers who possess
integrity are often consistent in their decision-making and resolution of issues.
These managers also make their goals clear and assist employees when it comes
to reaching those goals.

o Respect

Appropriate behavior is a key factor in a code of conduct for a manager,

who must demonstrate acceptable behavior in the workplace. That doesn’t mean
managers need to act like robots and display little signs of personality. Quite the
opposite, actually, as many managers are expected to be energetic and lead in
areas of teamwork and motivation. But they also need to treat staff members,
customers and their own supervisors with the same respect they would expect
for themselves.

Eleven model Codes of Practice (COP) have been approved by Safe Work
Australia and the Ministerial Council. These have commenced in the harmonised
jurisdictions (NSW, QLD, ACT, NT and the Commonwealth). These are also able to
be viewed on the Safe Work Australia website:

 How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks

 Hazardous Manual Tasks
 Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces
 Labelling of Workplace Hazardous Chemicals
 Preparation of Safety Data Sheets for Hazardous Chemical
 Confined Spaces
 Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work
 Managing the Work Environment and Facilities
 Work Health and Safety Consultation Cooperation and
Coordination
 How to Safely Remove Asbestos
 How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace

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 Note that individual jurisdictions may also have retained

existing Codes of Practice

c. Outline key roles and responsibilities under WHS legislation. Include at

least 3 references for further sources of useful information.

The roles and responsibilities of all workers in each organisation contribute to

the delivery of a healthy and safe workplace. Your valuable knowledge, expertise, and
the motivation to improve health and safety are essential.

When it comes to health and safety, everyone in the workplace has distinct
responsibilities. I am supervisor have a role to play in keeping the workplace safe. As a
worker, have rights to a safe and healthy workplace, which includes the right to refuse
unsafe work.

Responsibilities

 Establish a valid occupational health and safety program.

 Train your employees to do their work safely and provide proper
supervision.
 Provide supervisors with the necessary support and training to carry out
health and safety responsibilities.
 Ensure adequate first aid equipment, supplies, and trained attendants are
on site to handle injuries.
 Regularly inspect your workplace to make sure everything is working
properly.
 Fix problems reported by workers.
 Transport injured workers to the nearest location for medical treatment.
 Report all injuries to WorkSafeBC that required medical attention.
 Investigate incidents where workers are injured or equipment is
damaged.
 Submit the necessary forms to WorkSafeBC.

References for further sources of useful information : There is a great wealth of

information available on the Internet.

Websites : https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/law-and-regulation/model-whs-
laws

Websites : http://www.australia.gov.au/information-and-services/jobs-and-
workplace/whs-workplace-health-and-safety

Websites : https://www.business.gov.au/info/run/workplace-health-and-safety

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 Assessment Task 2

Handout 2: Identifying hazards and risk control in the office environment

You should briefly explain the process of identifying hazards and risk control and
provide 5 common examples of hazards that may occur in an office environment. Choose
one of the common hazards that you have identified and include a simple step-by-step
procedure for dealing with that hazard (risk control), using diagrams to illustrate each
step where possible. Your handout should also address and explain the Hierarchy of
Control and how it is to be used in the workplace.

Handout 2: Identifying hazards and risk control in the office environment

Identifying hazards and controlling risks

Being able to identify hazards is crucial in ensuring tasks are carried out safely.
Your past experience in the workplace may help you to identify some hazards, but
remember to also use the skills and knowledge of those around you to help.

Identifying hazards and controlling risk must be done continuously as new work
processes, tasks, equipment and workers come into the workplace. Part of this process
may be to ask your employer to employ or engage a suitably qualified occupational
health and safety professional to come into the workplace to provide advice on health
and safety.

Ways to identify hazards and control risks:

o Talk with workers (including contractors) who are or will be performing any
tasks to identify all potential hazards and the best ways to eliminate or reduce
risk.
o Make sure you are aware of any high risk activities, work with new machinery or
new work processes before they happen.
o Understand the hazards associated with tasks you supervise and have risk
controls in place before work starts. This could mean preventing work from
being done while a safety issue is being resolved.
o Take action to resolve health and safety issues as soon as possible. This includes
escalating the issue to more senior management if necessary. Once agreement is
reached on how to fix a problem, implement it as soon as possible.

Hazards in your office:

o poor or inadequate lighting;

o extremes of temperature;
o electrical hazards (e.g. appliances, power sockets, etc.)

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 Assessment Task 2

o contagious illnesses spread by sick workers

o chemical hazards (e.g. cleaning products)
o stress hazards.

Hazards in your office : electrical hazards (e.g. appliances, power sockets, etc.)

Shocks from faulty equipment can cause severe and permanent injury and can
also lead to indirect injuries, due to falls from ladders, scaffolds, or other work
platforms. Faulty electrical appliances can also lead to fires. As well as causing injuries
and loss of life, fires cause damage to plant, equipment and property

Handout 3: WHS Consultation

Staff members can contribute to work health and safety matters

Contribute to OHS in the workplace

Workplace Health and Safety legislation places emphasis on consultation and cooperation
between employers and staff in developing methods of work and the sharing of information that will
reduce the incidence of occupational injury and disease.

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Every worker can actively contribute to workplace health and safety processes and assist
our organisation to comply with WHS requirements. This includes :

o understanding your rights and obligations as a worker

o raising WHS issues with the appropriate people
o contributing to participative arrangements for WHS management
o providing feedback on hazards in the work area
o providing support in applying risk control procedures

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