Summary of BSBWHS521 - Ensure a safe workplace for a work area

BSBWHS521 - Ensure a safe workplace for a work area

Application

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to establish, maintain and evaluate an organisation’s work health and safety (WHS) policies, procedures and programs in a work area to ensure a safe workplace, according to WHS legislative requirements. It takes a systems approach and addresses compliance with relevant legislative requirements.

The unit applies to those working in a range of contexts who have, or are likely to have, responsibility for WHS as part of their broader management role. It is relevant for people with obligations under WHS laws, for example persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) or officers, as defined by WHS laws.

NOTES

1. The terms ‘occupational health and safety’ (OHS) and ‘work health and safety’ (WHS) are equivalent, and generally either can be used in the workplace. In jurisdictions where model WHS laws have not been implemented, registered training organisations (RTOs) are advised to contextualise this unit of competency by referring to existing WHS legislative requirements.

2. The model WHS laws include the model WHS Act, model WHS Regulations and model WHS Codes of Practice. See Safe Work Australia for further information.

No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

Unit Sector

Regulation, Licensing and Risk – Work Health and Safety

Elements and Performance Criteria

ELEMENTS	PERFORMANCE CRITERIA
Elements describe the essential outcomes.	Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element.
1. Establish a WHS management system in a work area	1.1 Locate, adapt, adopt and communicate WHS policies that define the organisation’s commitment to complying with WHS laws 1.2 Identify duty holders and define WHS responsibilities for all workplace personnel in the work area according to WHS laws, policies, procedures and programs 1.3 Identify and approve financial and human resources required by the WHS management system (WHSMS) according to organisational procedures
2. Establish and maintain effective and compliant consultative arrangements for managing WHS in a work area	2.1 Work with required personnel to set up and maintain consultative arrangements according to required WHS laws 2.2 Resolve issues raised through participation and consultation arrangements according to required WHS laws and organisational protocols 2.3 Provide information about consultation and participation outcomes to required personnel according to organisational policies and procedures
3. Establish and maintain procedures for effectively identifying hazards, and assessing and controlling risks in work area	3.1 Develop procedures for ongoing hazard identification, and assessment and control of associated risks 3.2 Include hazard identification at the planning, design and evaluation stages of any workplace change to ensure that new hazards are not created by proposed changes and existing hazards are controlled 3.3 Develop and maintain procedures for selecting and implementing risk controls according to the hierarchy of control measures and WHS legislative requirements 3.4 Identify inadequacies in existing risk controls according to the hierarchy of control measures and WHS legislative requirements, and promptly provide resources to enable implementation of new measures 3.5 Identify requirements for expert WHS advice, and request this advice as required, according to organisational procedures
4. Evaluate and maintain a work area WHS management system (WHSMS)	4.1 Develop and provide a WHS induction and training program for required personnel in a work area as part of organisation’s training program 4.2 Use a system for WHS recordkeeping to allow identification of patterns of occupational injury and disease in the organisation, and to maintain a record of WHS decisions made, including reasons for decisions 4.3 Measure and evaluate the WHSMS according to organisation’s quality systems framework 4.4 Develop and implement improvements to WHSMS to achieve organisational WHS objectives according to organisational procedures 4.5 Ensure compliance with WHS legislative framework to achieve, as a minimum, WHS legal requirements

Foundation Skills

This section describes those language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills that are essential to performance but not explicit in the performance criteria.

Skill	Description
Reading	Organises, evaluates and critiques ideas and information from WHS laws, policies, procedures and programs
Writing	Produces WHS policies, procedures and programs using appropriate vocabulary, grammatical structure and conventions Records WHS decisions according to organisational requirements
Oral communication	Presents and seeks information from others using structure and language suitable for the audience Provides information about WHS policies and procedures and on resolution of WHS issues, varying the level of technical vocabulary to suit the audience
Numeracy	Selects from, and applies, an expanding range of mathematical and problem-solving strategies in identifying financial and human resources required to support WHS requirements
Navigate the world of work	Monitors adherence to legal and regulatory rights and responsibilities for self and others in relation to WHS Develops, implements and reviews WHS-related policies, procedures and processes according to legislative and organisational requirements
Interact with others	Plays a lead role in situations requiring effective collaboration, demonstrating the ability to guide discussions and negotiate agreeable outcomes Provides feedback to others in forms they can understand and use
Get the work done	Develops plans or processes to manage relatively complex WHS management tasks, with an awareness of how they contribute to operational and strategic goals Uses systematic and analytical processes, setting goals, gathering relevant information, and identifying and evaluating options against agreed criteria Considers whether, and how, others should be involved, using consultative or collaborative processes as an integral part of the decision-making process Uses digital systems and tools to enter, store and retrieve relevant information

Unit Mapping Information

Supersedes and is equivalent to BSBWHS501 Ensure a safe workplace.

Course info