sisxohs101a follow occupational health and safety policies ... · sisxohs101a – follow...

SISXOHS101A – Follow Occupational Health and Safety Policies

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SISXOHS101A Follow Occupational Health and Safety Policies

Table of Contents

Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 2

Observe Health and Safety Procedures .................................................................................................... 2

1.1 Identify relevant organisation policies and procedures .................................................................. 2

1.2 Follow and maintain safety procedures to achieve a safe work environment ................................. 3

1.3 Identify and report safety issues to designated personnel .............................................................. 5

1.4 Identify potential manual handling risks and manage tasks ............................................................ 5

1.5 Report work related incidents and accidents to designated personnel ........................................... 7

Contribute to the management of OHS issues ......................................................................................... 9

2.1 Raise OHS issues with designated personnel .................................................................................. 9

2.2 Contribute to consultative processes for OHS management in the workplace .............................. 10

2.3 Make suggestions for improving organisational health and safety practices ................................. 11

Carry Out General Maintenance Procedures .......................................................................................... 12

3.1 Monitor cleanliness, safety and tidiness of the workplace and remove general waste as required 12

3.2 Identify damaged items and equipment and notify appropriate personnel .................................. 13



Introduction Occupational health and safety is the protection of health and safety of all people who work in and visit a

workplace. Occupational health and safety is everyone’s responsibility; the employer has a responsibility

to write and implement occupational health and safety policies and procedures; managers and

supervisors have a responsibility to manage them, and all Fitness Professionals have a responsibility to

follow occupational health and safety polices. During this module you will be looking at:

Observing health and safety procedures,

Contributing to the management of OHS issues, and

Carrying out general maintenance procedures.

Observe Health and Safety Procedures When you first start working in a new fitness facility your manager or supervisor will take you through an

induction to ensure you are adequately trained and are aware of the organisations Health and Safety

Procedures. As a Fitness Professional you will be required to:

Identify relevant organisation policies and procedures,

Follow and maintain safety procedures to achieve a safe work environment,

Identify and report safety issues to designated personnel,

Identify potential manual handling risks and manage tasks, and

Report work related incidents and accidents to designated personnel.

1.1 Identify relevant organisation policies and procedures Every workplace will have a range of policies and procedures in place to ensure that the workplace is

healthy and safe at all times. It is the responsibility of the owner, manger or OHS officer to ensure these

policies and procedures are written and available to all staff at all times. As a Fitness Professional it is your

responsibility to ensure that you read, understand and know where to locate all of these policies and

procedures. Generally, a workplace will have an Operating Manual or an intranet that will house their

policies.

A ‘policy’ is the key determinants of quality and makes up the heart and soul of the organisation. A policy

conveys the organisational values, legislation and social expectations.

click here to access an example of an Occupational Health and Safety Policy

A ‘procedure’, on the other hand, outlines what the organisation does and how a service will be provided.

These documents are based on the organisation’s policies and detail specific step by step directions. A

safe workplace that values health and safety will have a manual that will include information and

procedures about the following:

Chemical handling,

Duty of care,

Emergency procedures,

http://www.elearningspace.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/ohs_policy.pdf



First aid,

General maintenance,

Hazard identification,

Health and hygiene,

Issue resolution,

Manual handling,

Occupational health and safety,

Personal safety,

Security,

Reporting procedures,

Stress management,

Use of personal protective equipment, and

Waste disposal.

click here to access an example Occupational Health and Safety Procedures

1.2 Follow and maintain safety procedures to achieve a safe work environment Maintaining a safe work environment is everyone’s responsibility. Employers have responsibilities to the

employees and employees have responsibilities to their employers, co-workers and clients. The employer

is responsible for making sure that the workplace is safe, and that nobody’s health and safety is at risk.

You are responsible for looking after your own health and safety and that of your clients.

To ensure the safety of yourself and others, you need to ensure that you are aware of the correct safety

procedures. This means listening very carefully to safety information provided by your employer and

asking for clarification, help or instructions if you're not sure about how to perform a task safely.

An employer's main responsibility is to make sure that the workplace is safe and that anyone working in

or visiting the workplace is not exposed to hazards. Therefore, the employer must:

● Make sure that work areas, machinery and equipment are kept in a safe condition.

● Organise ways of working safely.

● Provide information, instruction, training and supervision of employees so they can work safely.

● Make sure that employees are aware of potential hazards.

● Consult and co-operate with health and safety representatives and other employees at the

workplace.

● Inform employees about hazards in the workplace, and improve their understanding of safe

work procedures.

● Provide new employees with specialised induction training to help them become familiar with

their new work environment, procedures, equipment and materials so they can do their job

safely. Induction should be much more than having a chat with your supervisor, completing a

few forms and being introduced to your workmates.

● Provide information about hazards and the actions taken to control workplace risks.

http://www.elearningspace.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/ohs_procedures.pdf



● Provide supervision to ensure that employees are not exposed to hazards. Supervision should

include regular checks to make sure health and safety instructions are being followed.

● Consult with employees to identify and control hazards in workplaces. Employees who are

experienced in a job will usually know what can go wrong, and why.

● Consult with employees and health and safety representatives on health and safety matters.

● Make sure equipment and materials are used, stored, transported and disposed of safely

Rights of Employees

Every employee has a right to a healthy and safe workplace. In the fitness industry this means that an

employee:

● Is only given clientele suitable to the qualifications of the Fitness Instructor

● Has access to appropriate equipment that is: safe, well maintained, and clean.

● Is given an appropriate workload

● Is allowed to take appropriate breaks

Duties of the Employees

Once you have been properly trained and instructed you must take care to look after your own health

and safety and not put other workers at risk. Your responsibilities include:

● Consult and co-operate with health and safety representatives

● Correctly using personal protective equipment and clothing

● Taking care to use equipment safely and for its intended purpose

● Reporting hazards and potential problems without delay

● Reporting all work-related injuries and incidents that you think could result in harm to health

● Co-operating with the employer on health and safety matters

● Following organisational policies and procedures

● Abiding by the Privacy Act and client confidentiality

● Maintain currency of knowledge and skills

● Referring clients when required

If you are ever unsure about your rights and responsibilities you can always refer back to the

Occupational Health and Safety Manual



1.3 Identify and report safety issues to designated personnel As a Fitness Professional, you are the first line of defense against an unsafe workplace. You are the one

on the floor with the clients and therefore, you are usually the first persona to identify any safety issues.

Common safety issues within a fitness facility include:

Environmental conditions, like, sun, wind and rain if you are outside; or heat, cold or ventilation

if you are inside

Slippery surfaces, like just after the bathrooms or hard floor areas have been mopped or in the

case that someone spills a drink or food.

Manual handling and lifting, like carrying the box of protein drinks from the store room to the

fridge, or moving gym equipment like the leg press.

Toxic substances and chemical spills, like chemicals for cleaning ie bleach, Ajax or floor cleaner

Body fluids, like blood or sweat

Fire

Infectious waste, like a used tissue or Band-Aid

Dust, from spaces that don’t get cleaned very often ie under the treadmills or in a store

cupboard

Noise, light and energy sources

Faulty electrical equipment like a light that is flickering or an electrical piece of cardio

equipment that is playing up

Vehicles, that maybe be parked in the emergency exits

Workplace stress like bullying or rostering staff with insufficient breaks

If you identify any safety issues within the workplace it is important to report them to the designated

personnel. This maybe the facility manager, your supervisor or team leader or even a specific OHS officer.

Your workplace policies and procedures will dictate who and how you are required to report safety issues.

1.4 Identify potential manual handling risks and manage tasks Manual handling is considered any activities that involves the following when handling materials:

Lifting

Carrying

Holding

Pushing

Pulling

As a Fitness Professional your job involves a lot of manual handling. For example, loading 20kg weight

plates on and off a piece of equipment, or lifting a set of 15kg dumbbells from the floor to give to a client

lying on a bench or squatting next to your client who is doing pushups on the floor. Therefore, it is critical

that you are able to identify any potential manual handling risks.

Incorrect manual handling is lifting a heavy object with straight legs and a rounded back. This can be seen

in the following diagram:



When using incorrect manual handling techniques, you may end up:

Lifting with a bent back,

Trying to lift or move heavy or awkward objects,

Jerking, stretching, or twisting when lifting,

Frequently repeating the same action, or

Working on wet or greasy surfaces.

There are many common manual handling injuries that can occur in the

workplace. Even if you are strong, young and do regular resistance training, if you become complacent

and lift or move a heavy object incorrectly you may:

Strain muscles and ligaments through overexertion or continuous overuse,

Develop Injuries suddenly or over a long period of time,

Cut and / or bruise your skin,

Sprain and / or break a bone,

Injure your neck and back,

Develop a hernia, or

Slip, trip and / or fall.

These types of injuries can have lasting and long term affects as:

Back, neck injuries and hernias are serious injuries,

They can be debilitating and can affect an individual’s general lifestyle as well as their working life through restricted movement and pain,

These injuries take a longer time to heal and often require time off work,

Unplanned time off work can cause disruption to your business' productivity, and

Worker's compensation claims regarding these injuries are costly

These types of injuries can be avoided by:

● Reducing bending, twisting, reaching movements,

● Lighten loads by breaking loads into smaller sizes,

● Asking someone to help you, ie team lifting,

● Using a mechanical assistance like a trolley, and

● Preventing muscle strain and fatigue by warming up before working and taking rest breaks.

Correct lifting procedure involves:

Standing with the load to be lifted, close to and in front of your body

Keeping your feet apart with your body balanced,

Bending at the knees and keeping your back and neck in an almost straight line,

Holding the object in both hands, getting a firm grip,

Lifting by straightening your legs,



Keeping your back as straight as you can or arched where possible, and

The same rules apply when you lower the load to the floor. When you are carrying the load always ensure that:

Before moving, check that there is nothing in the way that may cause you to slip or trip,

Hold the load so that it will stay secure,

When carrying, watch where you are going, and

Turn your whole body when you change direction, move your feet so that you don't twist your spine.

Before you try to lift, ask yourself the following questions:

Is the object to be lifted of an awkward shape or bulky?

Does the object to be lifted weigh more than 16kg? If yes consider help or the use of a manual handling aid.

Does the object to be lifted have sharp edges?

Will you have to stoop with your hands passing below mid-thigh height?

Is reaching above shoulder height involved?

Is forward reaching greater than 30cm away from the body involved?

Will an awkward grip be involved?

Will uneven or unbalanced lifting or carrying be involved?

Is handling to be performed for periods longer than one hour?

Is frequent sideways twisting of the body involved?

Does the load have to be moved a long way?

Will you have to hold the load for a long time?

Is the floor wet or greasy?

Does the load consist of harmful materials?

Will a lot of force be required to lift or move the load?

Would the use on a Team Lift be more suitable?

1.5 Report work related incidents and accidents to designated personnel If an accident or incident occurs in the workplace and you are involved or present then it is your

responsibility to report this to the designated personnel. Designated personnel may include:

Supervisors

Managers

Team leaders

OHS Personnel

Generally, this reporting occurs in the form of filling out an ‘Accident and Incident Form”, which includes

information about:

The parties involved in the accident or incident and their contact details,

Any witnesses and their contact details,

Details or a description of how the accident or incident occurred,



What occurred,

What injuries or damaged was sustained in the accident or injury, and

Details of any first aid that was administered.

Regardless how insignificant the accident or incident was, it is important to fill out the required

paperwork. This could cover you and work in your favour down the track. For example, a client may have

their shoelaces untied, be running on the treadmill and tip and fall. At the time they seem unhurt, but 6

months later they may put in an insurance claim for a jarred back. If you submitted an Accident and

Incident Form at the time of the incident then that can be used as evidence if required.

click here to access an example Accident and Incident Form

Once a Fitness Professional submits an Accident and Incident Form the manger or employer is required

to keep it in a register. It is their responsibility to follow this up by assessing the risk and any hazards that

may be responsible for the incident. An employer is also responsible for reporting any series accidents to

the correct authorities.

http://www.elearningspace.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/accident_and_incident_report.pdf



Contribute to the management of OHS issues It is easy for managers and employers to sit in their offices, write policies and procedures and fill out

incident reports but they are not the ones out there on the floor, amongst the clients. As a Fitness

Professional you are the first line of defense for workplace health and safety, therefore you need to

actively contribute to the management of all OHS issues. To become an active participant in OHS you are

required to:

Raise OHS issues with designated personnel,

Contribute to consultative processes for OHS management in the workplace, and

Make suggestions for improving organisational health and safety practices.

2.1 Raise OHS issues with designated personnel As a Fitness Professional you need to be always looking out for OHS issues that need attention. You

need to raise with designated personnel if you notice something in the workplace related to:

Chemical handling

Duty of care

Emergency procedures

First aid

General maintenance

Hazard identification

Health and hygiene

Issue resolution

Manual handling

Occupational health and safety

Personal safety

Security

Reporting procedures

Stress management

Use of personal protective equipment

Waste disposal

The type and size of the workplace that you work in, will determine who would be considered a

designated person to raise any OHS issues with. Common personnel are:

Supervisors,

Managers / owners, or

Health and Safety Officers (HSO).

You should be told in your workplace induction who the designated person is that deals with OHS issues.

If not, it is your responsibility to clarify.



Often raising OHS issues in the workplace can be difficult. Most fitness facilities will have a policy and

procedure in place to report such issues. Again, it will depend on the type and size of the organisation

but generally these issues will be raised:

Informally, ie in writing / email / speak,

By filling out a form or request template,

During a general staff meeting,

During an OHS meeting, or

By submitting a formal complaint.

Whatever the medium you use to raise an OHS issue, it is important to keep following it up until the

issue is resolved.

2.2 Contribute to consultative processes for OHS management in the workplace The active involvement of each individual in the workplace is essential for the success of any OHS

management program, and helps to develop a ‘safety culture’ in the workplace. Open communication

between management and employees assists in encouraging support for and involvement in OHS

activities.

Employees are an important source of OHS information as they are often working with, or in the

immediate area of, identified hazards. They can provide valuable advice about risks and possible solutions.

For example, employees will have first hand knowledge of:

problems with work practices and procedures (work systems),

faults with equipment,

difficulties caused by the design and/or layout of equipment,

the type, frequency and seriousness of incidents or near-misses occurring,

the OHS implications of any short cuts taken in work systems in order to save time, and

OHS management programs after their introduction.

The active involvement of each individual in the workplace means that each person contributes to the

consideration of safety at every level of the work environment. There are many benefits of employee

being involved, for example it makes for:

Productive workplaces because there is increased productivity due to employee ownership of

safer and more effective work methods, and a reduction in direct and indirect OHS costs.

Safe workplaces because of the reduction in frequency and severity of injury, as staff become

familiar with the principles of OHS risk management in their area and begin to practice them.

Supportive workplace culture as staff take ownership of problems at the workplace level.

To encourage the active involvement and contribution of everyone in the workplace, managers should

encourage employees to attend OHS awareness sessions and provide relevant information to employees

on:

OHS consultative arrangements,

OHS policies and procedures including risk assessment and control measures, and



Changes to the work environment, premises, plant, equipment, systems of work or substances

used for work.

Employers need to encourage open and frank discussion between staff and management on OHS issues,

for example:

ensure there are health and safety committees operating in the workplace,

encourage employees to be involved in health and safety committees,

ensure staff/management meetings are conducted regularly and during working hours to

encourage maximum participation,

hold regular meetings at the workplace level to enable staff to discuss safety concerns,

encourage staff to raise issues and ensure that issues raised are documented, followed up and

reported on,

Maintain an environment based on co-operation and trust, and

Work co-operatively to develop solutions.

2.3 Make suggestions for improving organisational health and safety practices As it has been established previously in this subject, it is your workplace and you need to feel safe at all

times. As a result you also have a responsibility to make suggestions to improve the overall occupational

health and safety practices within your workplace. This involves always being on the lookout for

suggestions and improvements. Some common improvements may include:

Chemical handling – better ways to handle chemicals or choose less harmful chemicals

Emergency procedures – practice them / put them on the walls around the fitness centre

Health and hygiene – having self-cleaning stations and hand washing stations around the centre

/ posters and fliers on walls about hygiene

Personal safety – ensuring that female staff are rostered on with male staff early in the morning

and late in the evening.

Security – installation of cameras in the fitness facility and procedures that may involve locking

doors or certain parts of the centre

Reporting procedures – changing the ways incidents or hazards are reported or finding more

efficient ways of doing things so that follow up is easier

Stress management – looking at the concept of spilt shifts and rest time between shifts

Waste disposal – the use of a professional sanitary waste collection company to provide sanitary

bins in the female bathrooms so staff do not have to handle that kind of waste.

Have you ever heard the saying: ‘bad things happen when good people do nothing’? Every employee

needs to proactive in keeping their workplace safe. If the manager or owner of the fitness facility does not

consider OHS to be important than it is your responsibility to make the workplace safe.



Carry Out General Maintenance Procedures As a Fitness Professional, you are required to ensure that the environment that you work in and that your

client exercises within is safe. In order to ensure this, you will be required to carry out general cleaning

and maintenance procedures. This involves:

Monitoring cleanliness, safety and tidiness of the workplace and removing general waste as

required, and

Identifying damaged items and equipment and notifying appropriate personnel

3.1 Monitor cleanliness, safety and tidiness of the workplace and remove general waste

as required In many large fitness centres, there are specialised staff who are responsible for cleaning and

maintenance. However, there are also many fitness centres that rely on their Fitness Professionals to do

this job. If you are planning on starting your own business, you will definitely do your fair share of cleaning

while you are building up your cash flow. Whatever the environment you will be working within at some

stage you will be required to monitor the cleanliness, safety and tidiness of the workplace and remove

general waste as required.

Most fitness centres will have a cleaning roster, which means all pieces of equipment, bathrooms and

floors are cleaned at least once a day, and twice a day in some larger fitness centres. A cleaning roster will

stipulate who is responsible for cleaning which part of the fitness centre and how this is to be carried out.

On completion of the cleaning a register will need to be completed by the responsible staff member to

acknowledge that the cleaning took place.

click here to access an example Cleaning Roster and Register

As a Fitness Professional you may experience other times when cleaning may need to occur. For example,

there may be a client who sweats profusely and comes in and gets on the treadmill for an hour every day.

As a result, sweat may cover the treadmill and the floor surrounding it. If this happens, you will be required

to clean it up as soon as possible to prevent an incident with other clients. Likewise, a client may spill their

protein shake down the stairs and in order to prevent someone from slipping you may be required to

clean it up.

At times you may be required to dispose of general waste. General waste may include

Foodstuffs,

Spillages and breakages,

Chemicals,

Blood and bandages, and

Paper and packaging materials

When you are dealing with general waste make sure you wear rubber gloves and wash your hands with

sanitizer once you have finished.

http://www.elearningspace.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/cleaning_roster.pdf



As you are moving around the fitness centre keep an eye out for things that need to be cleaned or tidied.

If you can, take care of it straight away. If you are with a client, make a note of it and rectify the situation

once you are free.

3.2 Identify damaged items and equipment and notify appropriate personnel Equipment in safe fitness centres undergoes regular inspection and repair. Just like there is a regular

cleaning roster, fitness centres also have daily, weekly, monthly and annually equipment maintenance.

Equipment is generally categorized as:

Innovative equipment,

Pin loaded machines,

Plate weight machines,

Free weights, and

Cardio machines.

Each type of equipment will have a slightly different maintenance routines and schedule and this will

generally be taken care of by equipment maintenance professionals. From time to time you will identify

or a client will bring to your attention that a piece of equipment is faulty, damaged on not working. When

this happens it is important that you are able to take charge and deal with the situation. A common

procedure may include:

Step 1: Take a look at the damaged piece of equipment and repair it if you are able to. If you

can, get the equipment functional and then report it in the “Equipment Maintenance Register”.

If you cannot, go to Step 2

Step 2: If you can remove the piece of equipment from the floor, do so. If not place an ‘out of

order’ sign on the piece of equipment and report it in the “Equipment Maintenance Register”.

Step 3: Follow up with management

Click here to access an example Equipment Maintenance Register

Some common faults, breakages and problems that you may come across with fitness equipment

include:

A slow leak in a fit ball,

Skipping rope breaks in half,

A tears in the upholstery of a piece of equipment,

A frey in a cable on a pin-loaded machine,

A missing or broken pin on a pin-loaded machine,

A crack or hairline fracture in a plate weight

A loose fitting on a dumbbell,

A treadmill or x-trainer that does not start,

A missing pin in an adjustable bench, or

A bent barbell.

http://www.elearningspace.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/equipment_maintenance_register.pdf

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