The Importance Of Occupational Health And Safety Training For Employees

Benefits of OHS Training for Employees

1. Under the WHS legislation there are 5 situations when a person conducting a business or undertaking (employer) must consult with workers. Name 3 of them.

1. In a workplace it is essential to identify the hazards involved and accessing the risks associated with the hazard.

2.  Making appropriate decisions to control the risk identified (SafeWork NSW, 2022).

3. Monitoring the health and condition of the employees.
 

2. List 4 ways you can provide staff with workplace health and safety information.

1. Using proper labels and signs to inform the worker about the risk associated with the area.

2. Provide training regarding workplace health safety to the employees.

3. Rewards the employees for following the protocols established by the organization.

4. Keep the place of work clean.

3. An emergency evacuation plan is one example of a WHS procedure which helps to keep people safe. List 4 others relevant to your industry.

1. The code red emergency procedure – This protocol is established to ensure that the employees are safe inside the workplace are safe when the fire breakout. When the fire breaks out it is required to evacuate the building as per the guidelines established by the organization. 

2. the code orange emergency policy is to ensure no one is harmed while following the code red.

3. the code yellow is followed when there is an internal hazard that is spilling or leakage of gas or oil or contamination hazard.

4. The code blue protocol is followed when someone is injured and does not follow the procedures (The University of Western Australia, 2021).

4. List 2 methods of monitoring that staff are following WHS procedures.

1. Workshop to understand the staffs existing knowledge regarding the WHS procedure.

2. Training and assessment for understanding the WHS procedure.

5. List 5 types of document that would act as evidence of your company’s compliance with WHS laws.  

1. WHS policies, objectives and target 

2. WHS management plan

3. WHS emergency plan

4. WHS dashboard report 

5. WHS responsibility statement.

6. List 4 possible steps you could take if you observed a staff member not complying with your company’s WHS practices, or a hazard control measure was not working properly.  

1. It is essential to stop the employee from the work.

2. Then it is required to call the employee to reinforce the WHS policies and procedures among the employees 

3. Monitoring the employee if they are conducting the activities as per the WHS guidelines (Health & Safety Handbook, 2022).

4. Provide further training and conduct workshops to provide further training to the employees.

7. List 5 WHS issues or potential hazards you need to monitor in your department/industry on a daily basis. 

1. Slips and trips because of unmanaged wires and wet floor.

2. Musculoskeletal injuries due to carrying heavy objects and not wearing personal protective equipment. 

3. Fire hazards due to short circuit carelessness.

4. electrical hazards. 

5. chemical or contamination hazard (WHS risks, 2022).

8. List 3 matters you might discuss as part of making consultation arrangements. 

Legal Requirements and Procedures Related to Workplace Safety and Health

1. Identification of hazards in a workplace. 

2. Accessing the risk associated from the hazard.

3. Decision-making for mitigation of risk. 

9. Name 3 methods you can use to provide staff members the opportunity to contribute their views on WHS issues. 

1. Conducting staff meetings and worship.

2. Establishing health and safety committees. 

3. Electing a health and safety representative 

10. If you cannot resolve a staff member’s WHS issue or control a hazard yourself, name 3 people you might refer the issue to in order to find a resolution.  

Issues related to WHS can arise in the workplace to resolve the issues the people can help are:

1. Person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) officer

2. WHS safety representative.

3. Person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) supervisor.

11. A staff member has raised WHS issues in the workplace which now have been resolved.  Why is it important to communicate the result back the staff member who raised it?  

It is essential to not raise such issues again as not complying with the WHS policies and procedure is unethical.

12. Safe Work Australia’s Code of Practice “How to manage work health and safety risks” lists the instances when risk management must occur and hazard controls must be used.

List 5 instances when this needs to occur in an organisation 

1. It is needed, when a new device is installed in the workplace.

2. Changing the location of the workplace (Safe Work Australia, 2011).

3. Planning to improve the quality of service provided to the customers.

4. Responding to the incidents which have happened recently.

5. Analyzing the potential hazard that can happen in a workplace.

13. List 4 different types of WHS training methods.

1. The classroom-based training where the training is provided by the WHS instructors. 

2. Induction training are the training provided to the new employees which outline the policies and procedure regarding the organization.

3. The refresher training provides the rule out of any misconception regarding the WHS principles.

4. The toolbox task is the type of informal meeting conducted to understand the problems the employees are facing.

14. Give 2 examples of when you must provide WHS training to your staff.  

1. The time of hiring new employees to work for the organization include the organization policies and procedure.

2. When a new task or piece of equipment is launched into the place of work, proper training is required to ensure that it is operated safely (Alert force, 2022).

 
15. Give 4 examples of training you might organise with a specialist WHS training provider. 

1. Safe and secure premises.

2. Proper handling and movement of the heavy equipment’s. 

3. Consulting with the employees regarding the misconception about WHS policies and principles (Safetrac.com.au, 2022). 

4. Safe and smooth operations.

16. Give 3 reasons you should monitor the effectiveness of training programs?  

1. Evaluating the training helps the trainer and the representative to be in control of the training and modify the parts of training. 

Understanding WHS Risks and Hazard Communication

2. Assessing the training impact can aid in the detection of issues.

3. Evaluating the impact of training ties initiative to outcomes.

17. Where should Safety Data Sheets (SDS) be kept?  

SDS need to be kept within the work area so that employees can easily access it. It can be kept either in a paper format or can be electronically stored (OSHA.gov,2022).

18. List 5 pieces of information you can find on an SDS.    

1. Emergency contact numbers.

2. Identifying the product details and identification of the chemicals utilized during the process (Worksafe.tas.gov.au, 2021)

3. Identification of the hazards.

4. Hazard and precautionary statement (Worksafe.vic.gov.au, 2022).

5. Information regarding the hazardous products and bi-products.

 
19. What information can you get from a completed risk assessment document?

• Determined hazards in the workplace.
• Implementation of the control measures.

20. List 4 pieces of information that should be recorded as a training record for a staff member who has undertaken WHS training. 

1. Workplace health and safety committee meeting minutes.
2. Equipment records which include the inspections, repair and maintenance of the record.
3. Training and induction records.
4. Register of injuries.

21. How can you minimise the environmental impacts of storing documents and files?

• Storing the details in the world wide web to reduce the usage of paper.
• Remote working.
• Hiring locally to reduce the pollution.

22. Under the WHS legislation, what is an employer’s duty of care in relation to providing a safe workplace?

Employers have to ensure, where required, appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves and clothes to reduce the risk of mishaps or bad health consequences as much as is practically reasonable (Legislation.tas.gov.au, 2022).

23. If a business chooses to have direct, regular contact between employer and employees instead of appointing a WHS Committee or appoint WHS Representatives, have they failed to meet the requirements of the WHS act? Why/Why not?

The employee has failed to meet the demand as they could not have an in-depth idea about the WHS policies and procedures (Ilo.org, 2022).

24. If a WHS Committee raises a WHS issue with an employer, and the employer does not consider the issue in a timely fashion, has the employer failed to meet their legal requirements? Why/Why not?

The employee was unable to satisfy the requirement because they lacked a thorough understanding of the WHS policies and procedures (OHS Reps, 2022).

25. What is the role of a WHS Committee?

The WHS committee is a forum workplace where health and safety issue are discussed. It allows for the business representative and employees to gather and develop strategies to improve the workplace health and safety issues regularly.

26. List 2 penalties a judge may impose on you if you fail to meet your duties under the WHS act. 

1. Fines and deduction (Business.qld.gov.au, 2022)

2. Confinement. 

Reference

Alert force. (2022). 5 reasons to provide OHS training to your employees. Retrieved 13 January 2022, from https://alertforce.com.au/5-reasons-to-provide-ohs-training-to-your-employees/

Business.qld.gov.au. (2022). Penalties for breaches to work health and safety law | Business Queensland. Retrieved 13 January 2022, from https://www.business.qld.gov.au/running-business/whs/whs-laws/penalties

Health & Safety Handbook. (2022). What to do if a worker does not follow a safe work procedure | Health & Safety Handbook. Retrieved 13 January 2022, from https://healthandsafetyhandbook.com.au/bulletin/what-to-do-if-a-worker-does-not-follow-a-safe-work-procedure/

 Ilo.org. (2022). Convention C155 – Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155). Retrieved 13 January 2022, from

https://www.ilo.org/dyn/normlex/en/f?p=NORMLEXPUB:12100:0::NO::P12100_ILO_CODE:C155#:~:text=Employers%20shall%20be%20required%20to,of%20adverse%20effects%20on%20health.

Legislation.tas.gov.au. (2022). View – Tasmanian Legislation Online. Legislation.tas.gov.au. Retrieved 28 January 2022, from https://www.legislation.tas.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2012-001.

OHS Reps. (2022). 2.2 Issue Resolution Procedures. Retrieved 13 January 2022, from

https://www.ohsrep.org.au/2_2_issue_resolution_procedures

OSHA.gov (2022). Hazard Communication Standard: Safety Data Sheets. Retrieved 13 January 2022, from https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3514.html

Safe Work Australia. (2011). HOW TO MANAGE WORK HEALTH AND SAFETY RISKS Code of Practice. Retrieved 13 January 2022, from https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/system/files/documents/1702/how_to_manage_whs_risks.pdf

Safetrac.com.au. (2022). Minimise Workplace Hazards. Retrieved 13 January 2022, from

https://www.safetrac.com.au/ohs-training/

SafeWork NSW. (2022). Duty to consult. Retrieved 13 January 2022, from https://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/legal-obligations/employer-business-obligations/duty-to-consult#:~:text=As%20an%20employer%2C%20you%20must,to%20eliminate%20or%20control%20risks&text=making%20decisions%20about%20consulting%20procedures,and%20providing%20information%20and%20training.

The University of Western Australia. (2021). Safety, Health and Injury Management. Retrieved 13 January 2022, from https://www.safety.uwa.edu.au/incidents-injuries-emergency/procedures

WHS risks. (2022). WHS Hazards and risks. Retrieved 13 January 2022, from https://idfnsw.org.au/whs-hazards-and-risks

Worksafe.tas.gov.au. (2021). Acts and Regulations. Worksafe.tas.gov.au. Retrieved 28 January 2022, from https://worksafe.tas.gov.au/topics/laws-and-compliance/acts-and-regulations.

Worksafe.vic.gov.au. (2022). Safety data sheets – WorkSafe. Retrieved 13 January 2022, from

https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/safety-data-sheets