hltwhs001 participate in workplace health and safety ... code unit name hltwhs001 participate in...

CHC Community Services

Training Package Release 1.1

Learner Guide

Version 1

Training and Education Support

Industry Skills Unit

Meadowbank

Product code: 5780

HLTWHS001 Participate in workplace health

and safety: Children’s services

SAMPLE

© TAFE NSW (Training & Education Support, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2013


HLTWHS001 Participate in workplace health and safety

Unit code Unit name Acknowledgments

The TAFE NSW Training and Education Support Industry Skills Unit, Meadowbank

would like to acknowledge the support and assistance of the following people in

the production of this learner resource guide:

Contributors:

Deborah Peters and Lisa Wallmeyer

Teachers, Child and Family Services

TAFE NSW

Reviewer:

Melissa Healy

Teacher, Child and Family Services

TAFE NSW

Project Manager:

Gail Horwood

A/Education Programs Manager

TAFE NSW

Further acknowledgments

A considerable amount of the material in this learner resource has been

developed from the following resource:

HLTWHS300A Contribute to WHS processes learner guide (2012)

Enquiries

Enquiries about this and other publications can be made to:

Training and Education Support Industry Skills Unit, Meadowbank

Meadowbank TAFE

Level 3, Building J,

See Street,

MEADOWBANK NSW 2114

Tel: 02-9942 3200 Fax: 02-9942 3257

ISBN 978 1 74236 488 9

© The State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Training,

TAFE NSW, Training and Education Support Industry Skills Unit,

Meadowbank, 2013.

Copyright of this material is reserved to TAFE NSW Training and Education Support

Industry Skills Unit, Meadowbank. Reproduction or transmittal in whole or in part,

other than for the purposes of private study or research, and subject to the provisions

of the Copyright Act, is prohibited without the written authority of, TAFE NSW.

Training and Education Support Industry Skills Unit, Meadowbank.

SAMPLE




Unit code Unit name Table of Contents

Introduction .................................................................................. 7

1. General introduction ........................................................................... 7

2. Using this learner guide ...................................................................... 7

3. Prior Knowledge and Experience .......................................................... 9

4. Unit of competency overview ............................................................. 10

5. Assessment ..................................................................................... 10

Section 1 – Follow safe work practices ........................................ 13

Workplace safety legislation ..................................................................... 13

Physical/environmental hazards ............................................................... 15

Electrical or mechanical hazards ............................................................... 19

Ergonomic hazards ................................................................................. 19

Biological/chemical hazards ..................................................................... 23

Psychological hazards ............................................................................. 25

Stress ................................................................................................... 35

Section Summary ................................................................................... 40

Section 2 – Contribute to safe work practices ............................. 41

Contributing to WHS in the workplace ....................................................... 41

NSW WorkCover ..................................................................................... 41

The employer/worker responsibilities ........................................................ 42

The worker ............................................................................................ 44

Grievances ............................................................................................ 48

Training ................................................................................................ 49

Injury management ................................................................................ 51

Workers’ compensation ........................................................................... 52

SAMPLE


© TAFE NSW (Training & Education Support, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2012 Page 6 of 112


Unit code Unit name

Workplace policies and procedures ........................................................... 52

Manual handling ..................................................................................... 53

Lifting ................................................................................................... 54

Safe bending/stretching .......................................................................... 60

Safe standing ......................................................................................... 64

Carrying children .................................................................................... 64

Other hazards ........................................................................................ 64

Infection control and illness ..................................................................... 65

Contaminated waste disposal ................................................................... 68

Exposure to biological hazards ................................................................. 68

Personal, protective clothing .................................................................... 69

Section Summary ................................................................................... 70

Section 3 – Follow emergency procedures ................................... 71

Emergency ............................................................................................ 71

Fire and evacuation ................................................................................ 71

Chemical dangers ................................................................................... 81

First aid equipment ................................................................................. 85

Human threat ........................................................................................ 87

Section Summary ................................................................................... 89

Answers to activities ................................................................... 91

Section 1 ............................................................................................... 91

Section 2 ............................................................................................... 94

Resources .................................................................................... 97

Reference List ........................................................................................ 99

Other References .................................................................................. 107

Resource Evaluation Form ......................................................... 109

SAMPLE

© TAFE NSW (TES, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2013 Page 13 of 112

Unit code Unit name


Unit code Unit name Section 1 – Follow safe work practices

Workplace safety legislation

In the past, some workplaces have had unsafe and unhealthy work environments.

Workers had been frequently injured and disabled by usually preventable

workplace accidents and incidents. An injured worker results not only in the

worker suffering, but also impacts on the employer. An injured employee was

usually unable to earn an income, meet the cost of medical expenses incurred by

the injuries and frequently unable to ever return to work. The employer was

faced with loss of productivity, staff shortage, unhappy workforce and high costs

of replacement and retraining.

Workplaces in Australia today must abide by WHS legislations. These are

designed to ensure excellent workplace conditions and safeguard the health and

safety of employers, employees, clients and visitors. It is the responsibility of

all workers in the workforce to identify, control and manage all potential

and actual hazards.

There are several legislations and regulations that you must become familiar with

over the course of your study. These will enable you to protect yourself and

those you work with from preventable workplace accidents and injuries. The

main NSW WHS legislation can be found at the following web site:

http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au

SAMPLE

http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/

of 112 © TAFE NSW (TES, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2013


Unit code Unit name

Activity 1.1

List 5 possible hazards you may find when entering an education and care service.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

SAMPLE


Unit code Unit name


Unit code Unit name Risks can range from the ordinary to the extraordinary, for example: an educator

may catch an infection from an ill co-educator who did not wash their hands, or

an ill client just by being in the same environment as them. They may slip and fall

on improper floor coverings or may be stressed by a discriminatory staff member.

The job of maintaining the WHS standards in a workplace requires constant

vigilance and attention to detail. It is not a job that can be, or should be, done

by one or two people but by all educators in the workforce. Everyone, from the

most junior to the most senior educator, must be involved in risk management

and take responsibility for the safe working of their environment.

Identification of risks and hazards is the first step in risk management. Risks can

be divided into groups for ease of identification.

Physical/environmental hazards

Physical hazards are related to the working environment. Imagine that you have

a job that involves a large amount of computer hours. You are allocated a poorly

lit, small room with little air flow and a desk and chair that are at inappropriate

heights. Eventually your body and mind will feel the effects of these adverse

conditions. Your environment directly affects your health and safety. Seemingly

simple factors such as insufficient lighting can cause many potential problems –

for example difficulty reading instructions causing errors to be made, tripping

over or standing on unseen objects, eye strain or headaches.

One of the most common physical/environmental hazards in education and care

services is air quality. We must ensure sufficient natural air flow in the indoor

environment rather than the use of heating and cooling systems. Where air

conditioners are used the filters must be cleaned on a regular basis and the

heating cooling systems maintained regularly. It is also important to ensure

children spend time outside in the fresh air on a daily basis when possible.

SAMPLE



Unit code Unit name

There is a vast potential for hazards in the physical environment. Untidy work

areas, protruding objects, falling objects, rugs to trip on, wet, slippery floors,

broken or old equipment. Even the basic requirements of sufficient heating,

cooling, lighting, and ventilation will make a difference to your health.

Activity 1.2

Based on your current place of work or study, list five (5) physical/environmental

hazards.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

SAMPLE


Unit code Unit name


Unit code Unit name

NSW Workcover provides strict regulations on workplace climate controls,

lighting, heating, noise levels and air quality.

All workplaces must be sufficiently lit to enable workers to work safely

without glare or reflection. Flickering or broken lights should be fixed

immediately.

Adequate air movement is necessary to ensure the environment does not

become too hot and stuffy by using fans, opening windows or utilising air

conditioners. In the winter sufficient adjustable heating is necessary to

ensure comfort.

If a worker is to be exposed to loud noise over a length of time, ear protection

must be provided and used.

Activity 1.3

What possible health problems may the following environmental hazards cause?

Poor lighting

Hot working environment

Dusty environment

Noisy environment

SAMPLE



Unit code Unit name

Physical hazards can be easily missed in environments where there are large

volumes of people or where it is very busy. Time is not always taken to fix or

even to notice a potential hazard. When the workplace is busy, replacing a bulb

or turning down the heating is not a priority. Objects and equipment are not

always placed in the correct places and potentially can be trip hazards or fall

down on educators causing injury.

Activity 1.4

* Read the Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011,

http://www.acecqa.gov.au

Note: that the Education and Care Services National Regulations are updated at

regular intervals, so ensure that you access the most current version.

Referring to one of the above documents list all the main references to health

and safety in the Education and Care Services National Regulations regarding the

physical environment.

SAMPLE


Unit code Unit name


Unit code Unit name To lessen these hazards arising, employers must ensure:

There are routine checks of the physical environment

The work environment is organised and controlled

Staff must be aware of the importance of hazard identification.

Electrical or mechanical hazards

In all workplaces there is electrical or mechanical equipment that requires care

when using. This equipment includes dishwashers, light switches, toasters,

photocopiers, heaters etc. Even the simple task of using a photocopier must be

done with some care. For example ensuring that there is adequate access to the

photocopier, the room is well ventilated and care is taken when repairing paper

jams or replacing cartridges. All pieces of useable equipment should have

operation and maintenance instructions either attached to the machine or in an

accessible storage file. Any equipment in the workplace must to be used

according to the manufacturers’ instructions and only for the purposes stated by

the manufacturer.

All electrical circuitry or appliances must be checked, fitted and maintained by

properly qualified electricians. Equipment must be checked and tagged at least

every twelve months with some equipment required to be checked and tagged

more frequently, usually every six months. In workplaces where children attend,

or may visit, all power points must have safety plugs inserted, ensuring there is

no access to the electrical circuitry. Cables and wires must not create a trip

hazard. The use of cable ties or underground cables is essential. Electrical points

cannot be overloaded. It is very tempting to use a multi socket to allow more

electrical items to run off one circuit, however, this can lead to dangerous

overloading of the socket. Each workplace must be fitted with a safety cut-out

switch that will be of significant assistance should any power problem occur.

Ergonomic hazards

Ergonomic hazards are those related to the physical workplace tasks that

educators are required to perform such as lifting, carrying, data entry, putting

away stores, emptying bins or sweeping the floors. All of these tasks can cause

accidents or injuries if:

Unsuitable equipment is provided to undertake tasks, e.g. there is no

adjustable ladder to reach equipment on high shelves.

Tasks are performed in an unsuitable environment, e.g. you have very

little space to manoeuvre heavy equipment causing you to lift improperly.

SAMPLE



Unit code Unit name

To reduce ergonomic hazards the employer must certify that:

1. The equipment used in the workplace is appropriate for that particular

workplace.

2. The design of the workplace is safe and operational.

3. Work procedures/practices are safe.

Activity 1.5

Provide an example of how your employer supports each of the following:

Supply of appropriate equipment

Safe/operational workplace design

Safe work practices

SAMPLE

hltwhs001 participate in workplace health and safety ... code unit name hltwhs001 participate in...

Documents