Assessment task3

Qus1: Why is it necessary to have a working knowledge of the legislation involved in

business? What is the aim of health and safety legislation and what responsibilities does it
place on employers? Discuss in 180-220 words.

Ans: It's important to have a working knowledge of the legislation involved with your business
so that, you can ensure that you are complying with the laws. By abiding by the laws you won’t
face costly legal battles in the future. It also assures you are providing quality goods and
services to customers. The aim of health and safety legislation is to provide all workers the
same standard of health and safety protection regardless of where they work or what they do.
Employers have responsibilities regarding health and safety in the workplace. They are legally
obliged to protect the health, safety and welfare of their workers and other people who could
be affected by work carried out by the workplace.

There are a number of key provisions of relevant legislation and regulations from all levels of
government that may affect aspects of business operations, such as:

 anti-discrimination legislation
 ethical principles
 codes of practice
 privacy laws
 financial legislation
 health and safety legislation
 consumer law
 credit procedures legislation and regulations

Under section 19(1) of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth) (the WHS Act), a person
conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) must ensure the health and safety of workers at
work in the business or undertaking, so far as is reasonably practicable.The employer’s duty of
care includes providing:

 a work environment without risks to health and safety

 safe systems of work
 information, training, instruction or supervision necessary to protect all persons from
risks to their health and safety.
 PCBUs must monitor the health of workers and conditions at the workplace to prevent illness
or injury. PCBUs must also consult with other involved duty holders such as contractors and
workers and health and safety representatives, when addressing risk factors.

Qus2: Consider the following questions:

a. What is a hazard?

b. What is a risk?

c. What is the purpose of a risk assessment?

d. How can hazards be identified?

e. What is risk management? In your discussion include the use of policies and procedures
to ensure an organisation meets its health and safety responsibilities.

Ans:

In your discussion include the use of policies and procedures to ensure an organisation
meets its health and safety responsibilities. Discuss in 220–250 words.

a. Hazard: Hazard refers to any condition, situation, practice or behaviour that has the
potential to cause harm, including injury, disease, death, environmental, property and
equipment damage. A hazard can either be a situation or a thing.
b. Risk: Risk can be the possibility that harm in the form of injury, illness, death or damage
may occur on being exposed to a hazard.
c. Risk Assessment: This is the process of assessing the risks associated with each of the
hazards identified so the nature of the risk can be understood. This includes the nature of
the harm that may result from the hazard, the severity of that harm and the likelihood of
its occurring.
d. Hazard Identification: This is the process of examining each work area and work tasks for
the purpose of identifying all the hazards which are inherent in a particular job. It is all
about finding what could cause harm in work task or area.
e. Risk Management: Risk management involves taking actions to eliminate health and
safety risks as far as is reasonably practicable. Where risks cannot be eliminated, the
implementation of control measures is required.

Asper the WHS Act, the PCBU’s have to follow certain procedures to manage health and
safety risks at the work place, which are listed below:

While undertaking risk assessments, PCBU’s have to consider the following factors:

 Type of hazard
  The consequences
 The likelihood of its occurrence
 The frequency and duration of exposure
 Who it may affect
 Skills, experience and age of people
 Layout and condition of the working environment

For identifying the hazards, PCBU’s are required to undertake the following course of
actions:

 Conduct workplace inspections

 Report incidents
 Register injuries
 Consult employees
 Take feedback from employees

The risk management are usually undertaken by the PCBU’s by following the hierarchy
of risk control:

 Elimination
 Substitution
 Engineering Controls
 Administrative Controls
 Personal Protective Equipment

Qus3: What is the hierarchy of control? Identify and briefly explain (150-180 words) the
risk control measures of the hierarchy of control in order. Provide an example of each
measure.

Ans: The Hierarchy of Control is a list of control measures, in order of priority, that's used to
eliminate or minimize exposure to the hazard.

1) eliminate the hazard finding a way to get rid of the hazard all together- eg. moving a noisy
machine to another location

2) substitution - replacing a hazardous practice or substance with one that less hazardous - eg.
replacing hand-set with a head-set when phones are constantly used
3) Engineering and isolating controls -isolating the hazard from the workers eg. anti-glare
screens on computers

4) administrative controls - establishing polices or procedures to reduce the exposure to risks

eg. job rotation and job variety

5) personal protective equipment - a short-term control until a more adequate control can be
put in place eg. eye protection for working with chemicals.

The risk control measures have been classified under 3 levels based on their reliability and safety
with Level 1 (Elimination) being the most safe and reliable while Level 3 (PPE) being the least
safe and reliable method. These are discussed below:

Level 1

i. Eliminate the hazards: This involves designing and reorganising the workplace in such a
way that hazards can be eliminated from the workplace.
For example:
 the need for excessive photocopying and collation can be eliminated if material is
circulated by electronic mail
 damaged equipment can be repaired promptly
 ensure new equipment meets the ergonomic needs
 a noisy machine can be moved to another area

Level 2

ii. Substitute the hazard with something safer: This involves where possible removing the
hazard or substituting it with less hazardous materials, equipment or substances.
For example:
 a telephone handset can be replaced with a head-set where there is constant use of
the telephone
 substituting a smaller package or container to reduce the risk of manual handling
injuries such as back strain
 substituting a hazardous chemical with a less dangerous one

iii. Engineering and isolating controls: This involves isolating the hazard from people using
provisions such as mechanical aids, barriers, machine guarding, ventilation or insulation.
For example:
 electrical cut out switches
 roll-over frames on vehicles
 duress alarms or mechanical screens to separate workers from violent or
physically aggressive clients
 isolating copying equipment in soundproof and ventilated rooms
 using anti-glare screens on computers
  using trolleys or mechanical lifting aids
 changing bench heights to reduce bending

Level 3

iv. Minimize the risk by adopting administrative controls: This involves establishing
appropriate procedures and safe work practices to minimize the risk.
For example:
 providing alternative tasks for workers so as to prevent continuous keyboard work
for long periods
 increasing job variety and introducing job rotation
 redesigning jobs
 regularly maintaining plant and equipment
 training and education to learn how to:
- identify and assess risks
- use methods of control
- know and apply the legislative requirements
- safely use mechanical aids and equipment

v. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Employees are to be provided with properly

maintained personal protective equipment and ensure that they are trained in its proper
use.
For Example:
 ear plugs in noisy areas
 eye protection when working with chemicals
 gloves to protect against infection

Qus4: What incidents must the regulatory authority be notified of? What information has
to be included in reports? Discuss in 150-180 words.

Ans: Incidents such as fatalities, serious injuries and illnesses and dangerous incidents must be
notified immediately to the regulatory authority. Information that's included are:

A notifiable incident is an incident involving the death, serious injury or serious illness of a
person or a dangerous incident. A serious injury or illness is one that requires the victim to have
medical treatment within 48 hours of exposure, immediate inpatient treatment in a hospital, or
immediate treatment for a serious illness or injury such as a head injury, spinal injury or burn.
Dangerous incidents are those that expose a person to a serious risk to their health and safety.
Examples include an uncontrolled escape, spillage or leakage of a substance, an electric shock, a
fall from height, or a collapse of a structure.

An incident report should include the following:

 the outcome of the incident

 details of person involved
 details of incident
 details of injury
 treatment administered
 details of witness / witnesses

Immediately after a notifiable incident occurs, the PCBU must notify the regulator by
telephone or writing. The PCBU must provide any information requested. If notification is by
phone, the regulator might require written notice within 48 hours. On the occurrence of a
notifiable incident, the person who has management or control of the workplace must ensure that
the site is not disturbed until an inspector has attended the scene or directs that the site does not
need preservation.