HTTOHS300A: Contribute to OHS
processes
Plan and conduct work safely
Contents
Plan work in accordance with relevant provisions of OHS
legislation, standards, codes and guidance material
3
Occupational health and safety and the law
3
Identify hazards as part of work planning and work process
9
Hazard identification
9
Methods of hazard identification
10
Reviewing OHS information
12
Address identified hazards prior to starting work
13
Report residual risk according to organisation procedures
14
Report incidents and injuries in line with organisation policies
and procedures
15
Undertake OHS housekeeping in work area
20
OHS housekeeping
20
Maintain and update own knowledge of OHS issues as they
apply to workplace systems, equipment and processes
21
Sources of information on work health and safety
21
Manage own levels of stress and fatigue to ensure ability to work
safely
2
26
Positive ways of coping with stress
29
Workplace bullying
31
Summary
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Plan work in accordance with relevant
provisions of OHS legislation,
standards, codes and guidance
material
OHS legislation grew out of the 1833 Factory Act passed by the British
government. This was the first of many Acts dealing with working conditions and
hours. The Factory Act and laid down rules prescribing, for instance, how many
hours children could work in a factory.
The current OHS legislation in Australia is based in part on recommendations
made in the UK Robens Report on occupational health and safety. This report
initiated a new style of legislation—a less prescriptive way of controlling the
workplace. The two main features of this report were:
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the imposition of general duties of care for health and safety at work
upon employers, contractors, manufacturers, occupiers and employees;
and
provision for the establishment of employee participation in occupational
health and safety.
These features have been included in all Australian OHS legislation.
In New South Wales the legislation is administered by WorkCover NSW, whose
primary objective is to work in partnership with the NSW community to achieve
safe workplaces, effective return to work and security for injured workers.
Occupational health and safety and the
law
Occupational health and safety (OHS) laws in New South Wales consist mainly of:
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a number of Acts of Parliament, and
regulations made under those Acts.
In addition, codes of practice and Australian Standards may also contain
requirements that apply in many cases.
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Codes of practice give practical guidance on ways in which the standards of health
and safety required by the law can be met. Australian Standards are documents
setting out technical matters such as design specifications or the proper use of
equipment. Australian Standards do not have the force of law unless they are
adopted (‘called up’) in the legislation.
The Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000
The main piece of health and safety legislation in NSW is the Occupational Health
and Safety Act 2000. This sets out the basic requirements that employers,
employees and other must follow.
The central requirement of this Act is the employer’s ‘duty of care’, that is, the
duty to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of all their employees and
other people at the workplace, including clients and visitors.
This means that employers, in consultation with workers, have to do everything
they reasonably can to identify all the hazards to health and safety that could
arise from their work operations. They then have to assess these hazards and
decide which ones have the potential to put people’s health or safety at risk, and
they have to control the risks so that no one is hurt by the work they do. They
must exercise due diligence in carrying out this process. Put simply, due diligence
means taking care. In the workplace, it means that employers must:
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take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances to protect the
health, safety and welfare of all workers
be able to prove to a court, if need be, that they were conscientious in
implementing the processes to manage the risk to workers.
This process of finding hazards, checking them out and fixing potential health and
safety problems is known as risk management. It has to cover all the work
activities involved in the operation of the business or organisation. Most modern
OHS legislation is based on the employer’s responsibility to manage health and
safety risks.
Activity 1
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Responsibilities of employers and employees
Employers’ responsibilities
Under the NSW Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000, employers must ensure
the health, safety and welfare at work of all their employees, and any other
people whose health or safety may be affected by the employer’s undertaking.
This is known as the general ‘duty of care’. To meet this duty of care, employers
must:
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ensure that systems of work and the working environment are safe and
without risks to health
ensure that plant (machinery or equipment) or substances used by
employees are safe and without risks to health when properly used
provide such information, instruction, training and supervision as may be
necessary to ensure the employees’ health and safety
ensure that premises (and means of access and exit) are safe and without
risks to health.
Employers in New South Wales must do these things in consultation with their
workers. Workers have rights which correspond to each of these things. For
example, workers have the right to receive enough information, instruction,
training and supervision to enable them to do their job safely.
Under the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 2001, which fleshes out
some of the requirements of the Act, employers must implement a risk
management process in order to eliminate or control all risks to the health and
safety of their employees and others such as contractors, visitors, or others
present at the workplace.
Activity 2
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Employees’ duties
Employees also have duties under the legislation. They must:
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do their work without endangering their own or anyone else’s health or
safety
not interfere with or misuse anything provided in the interests of health
and safety
cooperate with the employer’s efforts to control risks.
To properly fulfil these responsibilities, workers would need, for example, to
comply with the company’s rules and follow their procedures, as well as reporting
any hazards to their supervisor. Workers should also be involved in the process of
checking out hazards, assessing them and controlling risks.
Supervisors and managers should also be involved in risk management, according
to the scope of their responsibilities. They should try to solve health and safety
problems which are reported to them.
Activity 3
Responsibilities of others
Responsibilities of self-employed people
Self-employed people have responsibilities under the law which are very similar to
those of employers and employees. That is, they must do their work without
endangering their own or anyone else’s health or safety.
Responsibilities of designers, manufacturers and suppliers
Other people also have responsibilities under OHS legislation. For example,
designers, manufacturers and suppliers of machinery, equipment, chemicals and
other substances must ensure that these things are safe to use, and don’t involve
health risks, when they are properly used.
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Responsibilities of controllers of premises
Controllers of premises also have responsibilities under the law. The Regulation
sets out risk management requirements for controllers of work premises (who
may not be the employers of the people working there). They must identify any
hazards arising from the premises that could harm someone when the premises
are being used as a workplace.
Key hazards that must be considered include the condition and layout of the
premises, the presence of confined spaces and the potential for falls. If a hazard is
identified, controllers of work premises must assess the risks, and control the risks
to the fullest extent possible, if it is not reasonably practical to eliminate them.
The Regulation also identifies mandatory controls that an owner must put in place
for falls, electricity and asbestos.
Responsibilities of others
Controllers of plant (equipment, machinery or appliances) or substances (for
example, chemicals) used at work also have responsibilities under the law.
Controllers of plant, for example, would include specialist contractors installing,
commissioning or dismantling a piece of plant in a customer’s workplace. In the
child care setting this could relate to the installation or removal of the play
equipment. The Regulation sets out risk management requirements they must
comply with.
Owners of plant affecting public safety also have responsibilities under the
legislation. This applies to plant such as lifts, amusement devices and pressure
vessels at all locations including non work places and domestic premises.
Principal contractors responsible for construction work also have responsibilities
under the law, consistent with employers’ responsibilities.
Activity 4
Involving employees in risk management can be done through the consultative
arrangements that have been agreed to at the workplace (eg health and safety
committee, health and safety representative or through other agreed
arrangements).
Codes of practice
Codes of practice provide practical guidance and advice on how to achieve the
standard required by the Act and Regulation. Codes of practice are developed
through consultation with representatives from industry, workers and employers,
special interest groups and government agencies.
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A code of practice is not law, but it should be followed unless there is an
alternative course of action that achieves the same or better standards.
Here is a partial list of codes of practice in force in New South Wales. Listed here
are only codes that apply across a variety of industries. Each sector, for example,
the construction industry, may have detailed codes of practice which apply only to
this sector.
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Code of Practice for Risk Assessment 2001
Code of Practice for the Control of Workplace Hazardous Substances 1996
Code of Practice: Safe Handling Storage of Enzymatic Detergent Powders
and Liquids 1994.
Code of Practice for Work in Hot or Cold Environments 2001.
Code of Practice for Noise Management and Protection of Hearing at
Work 1997.
Code of Practice: Occupational Health and Safety Consultation 2001.
Code of Practice for Manual Handling 1991
Code of Practice for Workplace Injury and Disease Recording 1991 (NSW
adopts AS 1885.1-1990)
Code of Practice for the Prevention of Occupational Overuse Syndrome
1996
Index of National Standards Codes of Practice and related Guidance Notes
http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/swa/HealthSafety/OHSstandards/IndexofN
ationalStandardsCodesofPracticeandrelatedGuidanceNotes.htm
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Identify hazards as part of work
planning and work process
Hazard identification
The first step in the risk management process is known as hazard identification. A
hazard is anything which can harm people. Risks to people’s health or safety arise
from hazards. All the types of potential hazards present in a particular job or task
need to be considered, and the risks presented by these hazards need to be
assessed to work out how likely they are to cause harm, and how serious the
harm might be.
Hazards arise from:
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the work environment
the use of machinery and substances
poor work design
inappropriate systems and procedures.
Types of hazards
Many kinds of hazards are found in workplaces.
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Chemical hazards are substances which can harm people’s health when
they are breathed in or absorbed through the skin, or when they irritate
the skin. Examples include some kinds of dusts, vapours and fumes.
Cigarette smoke is a chemical hazard, as are asbestos fibres in the air.
Substances such as pesticides, solvents, ozone, and toner can present
chemical hazards. Chemical hazards can poison people or make them ill, if
enough is absorbed into the body.
Physical hazards include electricity, noise, temperature, lighting, radiation
and vibration. For example, excessive noise can cause noise-induced
hearing loss, fine work done in poor lighting can cause eye strain, and
excessive heat can cause a range of health effects, like heat stress.
Biological hazards such as infectious diseases can also be present in
workplaces. For example, workers in a child care centre can get
contagious diseases from the children.
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© NSW DET 2010
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Lifting and moving loads can cause back injuries and other strain or sprain
injuries. Occupational overuse syndrome can result from work practices
and work organisation which involve people working in postures which
are uncomfortable or which do not involve enough variety.
Psychological stress can result from workplace violence, bullying, threats
or intimidation.
Employers need to identify whatever hazards exist in the workplace, and to do
this they should consult workers, to find out workers’ views of any threats to their
health or safety. Workers need to be able to contribute to this process by telling
their supervisor of any potential health and safety problems they find.
Workers should note matters such as trip hazards, unsafe electrical installations,
any type of unsafe situation or dangerous work practice, or anything else they
think might be a health or safety problem, and bring these to the attention of
their supervisor according to workplace procedure. Supervisors should take action
to rectify the problem.
If the problem is not resolved, workers may need to report the matter to the
workplace health and safety committee or the OHS representative. If the matter is
still not resolved, workers could ask for advice from the state’s OHS authority,
which in New South Wales is WorkCover NSW.
Management should also investigate all accidents and near misses to work out
what could have been done to prevent them, and workers should co-operate fully
in these investigations, reporting incidents according to workplace procedures.
Activity 5
Methods of hazard identification
As we have seen, hazards arise from the workplace environment, the use of plant
and substances in the workplace, poor work design, inappropriate management
systems and procedures, and human behaviour. A set of procedures can be used
in your organisation to enable workplace hazards to be identified.
Safety audit
This is a systematic and periodic inspection of the workplace to evaluate the
effectiveness of the organisation's health and safety system. The audit may be
conducted by a safety consultant or workplace OHS professionals such as safety
officers. An audit usually contains a written report for management and is usually
referred to any OHS committee.
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Workplace inspections
These are regular inspections of the workplace by managers, supervisors and
safety committee members to determine by observation what hazards exist in the
workplace. Inspections involve consultation with supervisors and employees and a
report to management and/or the safety committee.
There is a Daily Hazard Identification Checklist compiled by Child Care of the
Tasmanian Department of Education which you could modify to suit your
purposes. You can find it at:
http://www.childcare.tas.gov.au/pdf/dailyhazardchecklist.pdf
Accident investigations
Many workplaces have a set of procedures for investigating and reporting on
accidents (and near misses) to identify the hazards that contributed to the
incident. Many accidents that involve ‘lost time’ should be reported to the state
authority (WorkCover NSW). Details of reporting requirements are on the
Accident Report form which is available from all WorkCover offices.
Consultation
Employees are often more aware of hazards and the possible ways of controlling
them, than management. Consulting employees can improve the assessment
process as well as improving cooperation with control measure eventually put in
place. If you have an OHS Committee, make sure it's accessible to everyone.
Analysis of injury and illness records
Workplaces are required to keep records of injuries and illness. Many workplaces
also generate reports and statistics based on workers' compensation claims.
These statistics can be analysed to show the presence of hazards in the
workplace.
Health and environmental monitoring
As with the OHS audits, monitoring may be done by OHS consultants or safety
officers to provide technical advice about suspected problems. Monitoring may
show that a substance or process is a hazard and its severity. In this way,
monitoring is associated both with hazard identification and workplace
assessment and evaluation. A workplace hazard can also be brought to
management's notice outside the routine investigating and reporting systems.
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© NSW DET 2010
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Complaints
Many workplace hazards are brought to the attention of a supervisor or manager
through a complaint being made by an employee.
Observation
A supervisor, manager or committee member, as part of his or her normal duties,
may observe a workplace hazard.
Employers need to identify whatever hazards exist in the workplace, and to do
this they should consult workers, to find out workers’ views of any threats to their
health or safety. Workers need to be able to contribute to this process by telling
their supervisor of any potential health and safety problems they find.
Workers should note matters such as trip hazards, unsafe electrical installations,
any type of unsafe situation or dangerous work practice, or anything else they
think might be a health or safety problem, and bring these to the attention of
their supervisor according to workplace procedure. Supervisors should take action
to rectify the problem.
If the problem is not resolved, workers may need to report the matter to the
workplace health and safety committee or the OHS representative. If the matter is
still not resolved, workers could ask for advice from the state’s OHS authority,
which in New South Wales is WorkCover NSW.
Management should also investigate all accidents and near misses to work out
what could have been done to prevent them, and workers should co-operate fully
in these investigations, reporting incidents according to workplace procedures.
Reviewing OHS information
Examples of workplace OHS information include:
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manufacturers instruction book for a piece of machinery
WorkCover guidance material
OHS Regulation requirements
industry Codes of Practices
Australian Standards
industry experience
material safety data sheets.
Activity 6
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© NSW DET 2010
Address identified hazards prior to
starting work
Assessing workplace risks means considering how likely it is that problems will
occur, and how serious the consequences might be.
Clearly, this is not always easy, but workers are often in the best position to know
which details of the task or process might involve the greatest risks of something
going wrong. ‘Near misses’, or incidents which could have resulted in undesirable
outcomes, can also provide information on the potential for accidents and injuries.
The seriousness of the potential consequences can be considered by asking
questions such as ‘Could anyone be killed?’ or ‘What could happen if…?’
Through a process of considering the likelihood and possible consequences of the
various hazards or risks which have been identified, the risks can be ranked from
highest priority to lowest priority. Risks that are potentially most serious and/or
most likely to cause health and safety problems should then be tackled first.
Assess the risk
Workers have a lot to contribute to this process of assessing risks, through their
familiarity with the details of the work process.
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Report residual risk according to
organisation procedures
What do we mean by residual risk?
This refers to those risks that are still obvious after all controls have been put into
place.
Can you think of some residual risks that may be evident in child care?
Some examples of residual risk in the child care service might include:
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Chemicals used in the service while stored in a locked cupboard away
from children still pose a residual risk because they are a source of
potentially hazardous chemicals including antimicrobials, solvents,
fragrance, surfactants etc and cleaned surfaces may retain hazardous
residues and volatile ingredients which are released into the air,
contributing to indoor air pollution.
Infection control is managed at nappy changing time by wearing gloves,
disposing of contaminated waste in an appropriate bin and cleaning the
nappy change area after use. Residual risk remains however because
germs removed from the change mat surface can become airborne and
then can become ingested and the contaminated waste will need to be
taken out to the garbage bin posing a contamination risk to the carrier.
A child care centre that has a high voltage substation located in the
grounds of the service has managed the risk of children being
electrocuted by supervising children and ensuring the substation access is
restricted and locked, however residual risk maintains because the
transformer could catch on fire or explode and could prove a possible
cause of childhood illness when children are exposed to the magnetic
fields over a long period of time.
The presence of a child in an area with HIGH or MEDIUM risks is not acceptable.
Effective risk control measures must be implemented to bring the residual risk
level down to LOW before a child’s presence near a hazard becomes acceptable.
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© NSW DET 2010
Report incidents and injuries in line
with organisation policies and
procedures
Activity 7
Accidents
Accidents and incidents are unplanned and undesired events that result in injury
to people or damage to property, or at least, they have the potential to cause
injury or damage.
Accidents and incidents, including ‘near misses’, can tell us a lot about the types
of risks that can arise from work activities. Whether or not injuries or damage
result from an incident, investigation of the causes can be a valuable aid to hazard
identification and risk assessment. They can also reveal weaknesses in a system
which was supposed to control the risk.
For these reasons, it is important to report incidents and keep records of them.
Some kinds of accidents, incidents and dangerous occurrences, as well as some
kinds of work health problems, should be reported to WorkCover.
Accident investigation
The cause of an accident may not be obvious. Investigation may reveal several coincidental causes, making a chain of causation factors, none of which would have
been sufficient on its own to cause the accident. Poor maintenance, inadequate
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training, poor planning or too much pressure to meet deadlines can all contribute,
as can the work environment. The aim of the investigation is not to assign blame,
but to understand the various factors which contributed to the accident
happening, with a view to preventing it from happening again.
Incident notification records
Notification of work-related incidents to OHS authorities is a legal requirement of
both the workers compensation and occupational health and safety legislation. In
New South Wales this authority is WorkCover NSW.
The following is a list of relevant legislative provisions:
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Section 44 of the Workplace Injury Management and Workers
Compensation Act 1998
Clause 32 of the Workers Compensation Regulation 2003
Sections 86 and 87 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000
Clauses 341, 341A, 342, 343 and 344 of the Occupational Health and
Safety Regulation 2001
From 1 September 2003, work-related incidents under clause 341 are called
incidents. Previously, these incidents were called accidents and other matters.
Also from 1 September 2003, there is a new simplified incident notification
system in NSW. The types of incidents that should be reported include:
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Serious incident involving a fatality or a serious injury or illness. Notify
WorkCover immediately by phone and the workers compensation insurer
within 48 hours.
Incident involving an injury or illness to workers, where workers
compensation is or may be payable. Notify the workers compensation
insurer within 48 hours.
Serious incident with no injury or illness, but is immediately life threatening.
Notify WorkCover immediately by phone plus notify WorkCover within seven days
to make full report using the online form or a printed version.
Incident with no injury or illness, and is not immediately life threatening. Notify
WorkCover within seven days using the online form or a printed version.
These provisions include non-workers, for example visitors of customer at the
workplace.
When notifying, you will be asked questions about the incident. Some information
will only need to be provided when there has been a death, injury or illness. This
information is marked with an asterisk*.
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Employer information:
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name of employer
address (street address, suburb, postcode)
ABN number
type of industry.
Notifier information:
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name of notifier
phone number.
* Injured person details:
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name of injured, ill or deceased person
residential Address (street, suburb, postcode)
date of birth
phone number
non-worker category (eg. visitor, customer).
Incident details:
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date of incident
location of incident (location, street, suburb, postcode)
description of how incident happened
description of injury, illness or death*.
Insurers may ask for more information.
Occupiers of workplaces/employers must keep for at least five years the following
information about an incident:
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A record of the date, time, place and nature of the incident/injury
A record of the date of notification and the way in which the notification
was given
A record of any acknowledgement given by the insurer or WorkCover.
These records must be made available for inspection by a WorkCover inspector or
an authorised representative of the worker. An entry in the Register of Injuries is a
sufficient record and an injury to a worker for notification purposes.
(Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 2001 Clause 343 Retention of records
of notice).
Register of injuries
Under Section 63 of the Workplace Injury Management and Workers
Compensation Act 1998, employers are required to keep a register of injuries that
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is readily accessible in the workplace. The manager is responsible for this register
of injuries. The Register of Injuries a current record of any injuries suffered by
workers, whether they result in claims or not. You should fill in the Register even
if the accident is small and seems insignificant. You may need to provide this
information in case you have to make a workers compensation claim
Employers can draw up their own injury register. However, it must be reproduced
in the prescribed form:
Register of injuries logbook
Name of injured worker:
Address:
Postcode:
Age:
Occupation:
Industry in which worker was engaged:
Operation in which worker was engaged at time of injury:
Date of injury:
Hour: am pm
Nature of injury:
Cause of injury:
Remarks:
(Signed)
(Address)
(Date)
[Entries in this book should, if practicable, be made in ink]
Activity 8
Register of injuries—first aid
The sample Register of injuries logbook can also be used for the Register of
Injuries which should be kept within the First-Aid Kit.
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Workplace injury and disease recording
The Code of Practice for Workplace Injury and Disease Recording was adopted by
WorkCover NSW in November 1991. The object of this Code of Practice is to adopt
the Australian Standard title ‘AS 1885.1–1990 Workplace injury and disease
recording standard’, being a standard issued by Standards Australia. This standard
provides guidance to employers, self-employed persons and employees in the
recording of injuries and diseases in the workplace.
The main purpose of the Standard is to give employers a guide on how to
establish a relatively inexpensive and easy method of recording information on
workplace injury and disease.
Activity 9
The goal of an organisation’s recording system is to provide the data required
without duplication or double handling wherever possible. Some systems are
designed to provide separate internal reports. Some circulate all the information
to the units who maybe involved in OHS. Irrespective what system is used, the
data must be available in a manner that will allow analysis and action to be taken.
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Undertake OHS housekeeping in
work area
Ask a Child Care Adviser: safety checks in child care services. Extract from Putting
Children First, the Newsletter of the National Childcare Accreditation Council
(NCAC) Issue 25, March 2008, p.6–7:
http://www.ncac.gov.au/pcf/ACCA_Safety_Checks_Mar08.pdf
OHS housekeeping
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It is imperative that in any workplace, industry and organisation each
employee is proactive in maintaining a clear, clean and tidy work area.
Prevention of accident, injury and illness in the workplace involves a
commitment from management, the unions and employees. It cannot be
effective unless everyone fully participates.
It is the responsibility of each employee to maintain the equipment that
they use and to notify any malfunction to a supervisor.
Equipment must be kept clean, according to guidelines and must be
stored in the correct area as soon as possible after use.
Exits must be clearly marked and must not be blocked by equipment or
rubbish.
Rubbish should be cleared away regularly.
Staff must participate regularly in training provided regarding health and
safety.
http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/Documents/Publications/Industry/Ma
nufacturing/housekeeping_checklist_sample_4940.pdf
http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/Documents/Publications/Industry/Manufactu
ring/housekeeping_checklist_mach_manuf_equip_5328.pdf
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© NSW DET 2010
Maintain and update own knowledge
of OHS issues as they apply to
workplace systems, equipment and
processes
Sources of information on work health
and safety
Managing work health and safety risks is largely a matter of finding information
on what to do and how to do it. A vast amount of information is readily available
on health and safety. Once you are familiar with using the key sources of
information, it is often easy to find out what you need to know. This learning
object will give you practice in using a variety of sources of information to find out
how to protect your own and others’ health and safety.
Internet resources
For anyone who has Internet access, the quickest way to get information about
solving health and safety problems is to go to relevant websites.
A good one to start with is that of the Australian Safety and Compensation Council
(formerly the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission). The ASCC
leads and coordinates national efforts to prevent workplace death, injury and
disease, improve workers' compensation arrangements, and improve the
rehabilitation and return to work of injured workers (website at
http://www.workplace.gov.au/)
In September 2008 the federal government introduced legislation to establish
Safe Work Australia. This is a new national independent body to lead and improve
occupational health and safety and workers’ compensation arrangements in
Australia and will replace ASCC. http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/swa/
In New South Wales the government OHS body is WorkCover NSW:
http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx
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This site has OHS legislation and information on workplace hazards and how to
avoid them. To find out, for example, which codes of apply to a particular type of
work or what guidance material is available, this website would be the first place
to look. Many of these resources are available online, and those which are not can
be ordered as hard copy publications from the organisations which produce them.
Many resources are free, and provide excellent information about legal
requirements, health and safety problems in different industries and occupations,
and how to solve those problems.
Other state OHS authorities also contain valuable information, but remember that
their legislation may differ slightly to that of NSW.
Comcare Australia: http://www.comcare.gov.au/
Queensland Workplace Health and Safety:
http://www.deir.qld.gov.au/workplace/
Safetyline – WorkSafe Western Australia:
http://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/WorkSafe/
Victorian WorkCover Authority:
http://www.workcover.vic.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/WorkSafe
Workplace Standards Tasmania: http://www.wst.tas.gov.au/
WorkCover Corporation of South Australia: http://www.workcover.com/
WorkCover WA: http://www.workcover.wa.gov.au/Default.htm
These websites also feature links to other useful Internet sources of information,
for example the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety, at
www.ccohs.ca
Information about Australian Standards can be found on Standards Australia’s
website at http://www.standards.com.au/
Telephone advice/information
All of the State/Territory OHS authorities are sources of free advice and
information over the phone. Many of them have databases of frequently asked
questions (FAQs) and provide standard answers to these questions. If your query
is not on their set of FAQs, they will usually put you through to an expert who
should be able to answer the question.
Employer associations, industry organisations and unions are also often able to
answer questions over the phone. For example, the Labor Council of NSW or the
Workers Health Centre at Granville. Up to date contact numbers for these can be
found in the telephone directory.
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In-house sources of information
If you are searching for information about health and safety in the company or
organisation where you work, internal records may give you the answers to what
you need to know. For example, if you work with chemicals (known as ‘hazardous
substances’ in health and safety), information about safe use of the chemicals can
be found on the label, or on the material safety data sheet (MSDS). An MSDS is an
information sheet listing the main ingredients of the product, health hazard
information, and precautions for safe use. The law requires the MSDS to be
readily available so that workers can get health and safety information in addition
to what is on the label.
If you are, for example, a member of a workplace health and safety committee, or
an OHS representative at a workplace, you should be able to access other records
kept by the employer, such as accident reports and records of risk assessments for
risky jobs or hazardous substances. (Because the legislation requiring employers
to make risk assessments is fairly recent, many employers will probably not yet
have complied with this requirement.)
Registers of injuries kept as part of first aid or workers compensation records can
also be valuable sources of information about the types of injuries and accidents
which have occurred in the workplace.
The law requires employers to make available certain categories of information to
OHS representatives and members of health and safety committees, eg. decisions
that have health and safety implications, and relevant information to enable
employees to participate effectively and make informed decisions.
Activity 10
Special information collections
Most public libraries do not have extensive collections of OHS information. Some
libraries such as that of the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission
(which has now moved to Canberra), WorkCover NSW and the Workers Health
Centre, however, have specialised in these subjects and have comprehensive
collections of information.
Government bookshops also have a wide range of health and safety information.
In Sydney, Government bookshops are at 32 York St Sydney, and at Shop 24,
Horwood Place, Parramatta.
A number of private sector organisations also produce OHS information, such as
CCH Australia, and Butterworths. The information they produce is usually in the
form of subscriber services which provide comprehensive guides to what the law
requires. Up to date numbers for them can be found in the telephone directory.
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Videos
Videos can be useful training aids. Many government OHS authorities such as
WorkCover NSW have produced videos which are available for sale or loan. The
National Occupational Health and Safety Commission has a large collection of
health and safety videos for loan, as do a number of private companies which are
listed in the Yellow Pages under Training Films and Videos.
Journals, bulletins and newsletters
Some Australian health and safety journals and newsletters which are useful
sources of OHS information are:
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Australian Safety News (from the National Safety Council)
The Journal of Occupational Health and Safety—Australia and New
Zealand (from CCH Australia)
Occupational Health Newsletter (from Newsletter Information Services)
Worksafe News (from the National Occupational Health and Safety
Commission)
WorkCover News (from WorkCover NSW)
Research and emerging issues from Safe Work Australia:
http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/swa/HealthSafety/EmergingIssues/
WorkCover: A magazine for the workplace on prevention, compensation and
injury management.
http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/Pages/SearchResults.aspx?k=workcover%20n
ews
Subscription journals
National Safety Council of Australia Ltd: http://www.nsca.org.au/
NCA produce National Safety Magazine. You must subscribe to this journal.
CCH Australia: The Journal of Occupational Health and Safety—Australia and New
Zealand. The most respected peer-reviewed safety journal in Australia, providing
you with interpretations of current legislation plus analyses of various safety
management strategies. First published in 1985, this journal is essential reading
for committed OHS professionals.
http://www.cch.com.au/au/onlinestore/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=1411
Information on hazards
Part of the process of identifying and controlling hazards relies on finding out
what you can about how likely it is that someone could be harmed, how serious
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the injury or illness may be, and how the hazard can be controlled. Review any
available information about the hazard, such as:
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information supplied to you by the manufacturer of the product or
equipment (handbooks/operating manuals)
material safety data sheets (MSDS) prepared by the supplier of a
hazardous substance
experience from the workplace with the hazard or similar hazards, such as
workers’ experience or injury data
control measures outlined in Chapters 4–8 of the Occupational Health and
Safety Regulation 2001
WorkCover NSW guidance material to help you assess potential risks for
particular hazards, processes and work tasks
Australian Standards that set out specifications for a range of equipment,
products and materials to ensure that they are safe and of a good quality.
codes of practice to give you direction and guidance on the identification
and control of specific hazards.
Material safety data sheets (MSDS)
MSDS are prepared by the supplier of a hazardous substance and should be
available on request from the supplier. On the Internet there are a number of
sites which hold compilations of MSDS. Here are two:
http://www.ilpi.com/msds/index.html
http://physchem.ox.ac.uk/MSDS
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Manage own levels of stress and
fatigue to ensure ability to work safely
Stress is unavoidable and is real issue for all work places. Child care is no
exception. While a certain amount of stress is a normal part of life and can
motivate us to learn and improve, high levels of stress can cause fatigue, illness,
exhaustion and burn out.
There is a lot of information stress and depression on the Internet. Begin by
visiting:
Health Insite, Australian Government:
www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/Work_Related_Stress
Better Health Channel, Victoria Government:
www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Workrelated_stress?OpenDocument
Medline Plus (USA): www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/stress.html
Fatigue
Fatigue is weariness from physical or mental exertion. It is therefore important
when working that regular breaks are provided so that an employee can continue
to perform effectively. When a person is suffering from fatigue they are more
prone to accidents and injury. It is for this reason that a person should not be
requested to work for long periods without a break or to do excessive amounts of
overtime.
It is an employee’s responsibility to come to work rested and ready to commence
their shift. If unwell it is more sensible to take sick leave and recover than to try
and work in a less than optimal state of health. Maintaining the lowest possible
levels of fatigue ensures that the quality of service remains high.
Stress in the workplace
Stress is a natural and healthy response to life. It is an automatic physical
response to our changing circumstances. Our bodies prepare us to take action and
avoid danger; muscles tighten, blood pressure rises, heart rate increases, and
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extra adrenaline rushes through the system. Some degree of stress is necessary to
keep us alert and ready to meet life's challenges, but too much stress can harm
your physical and mental well being.
Don't let this happen to you
Affects of stress
Burnout occurs when a person has been exposed to unacceptably high levels of
stress for too long. Almost everyone feels tired and stressed at work at times but
this is usually balanced by relaxation. When the stress and fatigue become almost
continuous, the person ceases to be able to function, physically or mentally, to
their normal standard.
How would your work be affected if you could not function to your normal
standards? Would this affect your safety, or your client's safety?
Physical and emotional effects of stress
Prolonged stress is damaging to the body. Many people live in a chronic state of
stress, ‘ready for action’ at all times. The resulting fatigue and high levels of
hormones, such as adrenalins and cortisol, inhibit the functioning of the brain and
immune system. Some of the more serious diseases that have been linked to longterm stress include heart and circulatory diseases, cancer, and mental illness.
Stress is linked to:
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reduced immune response—this results in frequent viral or bacterial
infections such as colds and flu, herpes and sinus infections
increased incidence of asthma and allergies
loss of learning, memorising and lateral thinking abilities—people find it
harder to remember information
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Gastrointestinal disorders - various digestive disorders including peptic
ulcers and Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Other noticeable changes that may occur with chronic stress include:
Physical
Emotional and behavioural
Increased heart rate
Over excited
Stomach upsets
Feeling nervous, anxious or afraid
Rapid breathing
Confusion or forgetfulness
Increased perspiration
Excessive worry
Feeling faint or lightheaded
Irritability
Dry mouth or throat
Poor concentration
Cold hands and feet
Bored or apathetic
Skin rashes
Depression
High blood pressure Short tempered
Trembling muscles or twitches Sleeping for
longer or shorter hours
Tense and stiff muscles
Accident prone
Speech stutter or stammer
Insomnia
Clenched jaw or grinding teeth
Difficulty making decisions
Headaches or eye tension
Unusual mood swings
Low back pain
Repetitious movements eg foot tapping
Fatigue
Make mistakes in routine tasks
How many of these physical and emotional symptoms sound familiar to you?
Many of these symptoms can be caused by other illnesses. If you have any of
these symptoms over an extended period of time, you should consider having a
medical check up and analysing your stress levels.
Sources of occupational stress
Working conditions: Noise, light, ventilation, physical comfort, rest facilities and
appropriate equipment all play a part in determining stress levels. Working alone,
especially in physically risky conditions will also increase stress levels, eg a social
worker making home visits where there is a threat of physical violence.
Work load: Doing too much, either at work, or a combination of work and home
activities, or doing jobs which are beyond your skill or training level will contribute
to stress.
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Role conflict: Disagreements about what the job should involve, or ambiguity
about the job role.
Responsibility for others: This source of stress particularly relates to human
service professionals. Stress levels will increase when the staff member is unable
to meet client needs, or has to impose unpleasant actions on the client, eg
bathing a child who hates water.
Relationships at work: Trust and open communication are necessary to promote
effective work relationships. Social activities to build rapport between staff
members may help to reduce stress levels.
Decision making: Managerial responsibility involving making decisions about
resources may cause stress. The lack of access to decision making can also cause
stress. People who do not feel included in the organisational structure and
decision making processes may feel disempowered.
Sources of stress we take for granted: Most people recognise that major events,
such as losing a job, moving house, a major illness, or the death of someone close,
will cause a high level of stress. What is less often acknowledged is that many
daily events that we take for granted are also increasing our tension levels.
Activity 11
Positive ways of coping with stress
Camilla has been working at the dental surgery for seven years. She has young
children, and a partner who also works long hours. Because the surgery has been
short staffed she has been unable to take leave owed to her for some time.
Camilla always feels tired, and feels she is increasingly forgetful. She stays calm at
work, but often gets irritable as soon as she walks into the house in the evenings.
In the last two months she has been sleeping poorly. For the last four years her
mother-in-law has been unwell and has needed more support such as transport
and shopping. This seems to take up more and more of the weekends and
evenings. Although she has always got on well with her mother-in-law, Camilla is
feeling heightened irritation and resentment towards her. All this has put
considerable strain on Camilla's relationship with her partner.
Activity 12
Individuals can take responsibility for their own stress management by taking
good care of their general physical and mental health. Improving health for stress
management involves:
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Reducing the physical impact of stress by relieving muscle tension,
lowering heart rate etc., after stressful experiences
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Improving physical fitness and general health in order to prepare the body
to deal effectively with stress next time.
Seven simple strategies that work:
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Slow down your breathing: Take a few deep breaths, exhaling slowly each
time.
Use exercise to wind down: Physical activity releases the energy and
muscle tension built up by stress.
Relax your muscles directly: The stress response produces muscular
tension and this causes aches and pains. Relaxing your muscles could
involve:
Tensing muscles before you consciously relax them. You can achieve this
with simple activities such as shrugging the shoulders, rolling the neck
from side to side, clenching and releasing your hand.
Massage. For deeper muscle relaxation massage your own scalp, hands or
feet. Or get someone else to give you an all over massage.
Warmth. Use warm water or hot packs to relax tense muscles.
Posture: Your body has to work harder if you are standing or sitting
incorrectly. Check your posture regularly, especially if you have to perform
the same task for extended periods of time. Change your position as often
as possible, stretching your muscles as you move.
Release tension emotionally: Physical activity helps to use up the
adrenalins created by stress. When physical activity is not possible, try
releasing tension by sharing your feelings with someone else. Putting
feelings into words helps to release pent-up emotions and assists in
problem solving. Laughter has been called "the best medicine", and not
without cause. Stress often makes us focus on the serious and negative
aspects of our life. Laughter releases chemicals such as endorphins which
help us to feel more relaxed and often enables us to see things from a
more balanced perspective.
Slow down: Deliberately slow your movements down - walking, driving,
working. The calmer pace will reduce the impact of stress on your body
and help to prevent accidents.
Take a break: Allow for adequate rest breaks in your work day. Not taking
breaks in order to save time increases the risk of accidents. When you
take a break try to find a physical environment and an activity that are
different from your usual work environment. This may mean something as
simple as going for a walk. It could also mean temporarily switching from
one job to another.
A program of physical care should include activities that occur before exposure to
stress, during stressful periods, and afterwards.
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Program of physical care
Before
During
After
Activities for good
health
On the spot relaxation
Activities that relax or
that burn energy
Regular exercise — aerobic,
weight bearing, flexibility
Posture
Relaxation
Controlled breathing
Massage
Muscle tense and relax
Warm baths
Time out
Exercise
Laughter
Dancing
Slow down
Singing
Medical check ups
Diet
Sleep
holidays
Laughing
Venting emotions
Workplace bullying
What is workplace bullying?
Bullying is a form of harassment. Bullying behaviour is based on the misuse of
power in human relationships. From an occupational health and safety
perspective, workplace bullying is defined as: repeated, unreasonable behaviour
directed towards a person or group of persons at a workplace, which creates a risk
to health and safety.
‘Unreasonable behaviour’ is behaviour that is offensive, humiliating, intimidating,
degrading or threatening. It includes, but is not limited to
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verbal abuse
initiation pranks
excluding or isolating employees
giving a person the majority of an unpleasant task
humiliation through sarcasm, or belittling someone’s opinions
setting impossible deadlines
constant criticism
manipulating the impression of others to split the work group into taking
sides
‘Repeated behaviour’ refers to the nature of the behaviour, not the specific form
of the behaviour. Therefore, repeated unreasonable behaviour may be a pattern
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of diverse incidents, often escalating over time, eg. Verbal abuse on one occasion,
personal property intentionally damage on another occasion.
‘Occupational violence’ is defined as any incident where a person is physically
attacked or threaten in the workplace. If bullying involves assault or threat of
assault, criminal laws may apply and it may therefore become a police matter.
What is not bullying?
It is important to differentiate between a person’s legitimate authority at work,
and harassment or bullying. All employers have a legal right to direct and control
how work is done, and managers have a responsibility to monitor workflow and
give feedback on performance.
Feedback or counselling on work performance or behaviour differs from bullying
in that feedback or counselling is intended to assist staff to improve work
performance and/ or the standard of their behaviour if an employee has
performance problems, these should be identified and dealt with in a constructive
way that is not humiliating or threatening.
Ways in which workplace bullying can be harmful to organisations.
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high levels of absenteeism and staff turnover.
breakdown of teams
breakdowns of workplace relationships
reduce efficiency, productivity and profitability
increased costs associated with counselling.
Each individual will act differently to bullying behaviour but some of the effects
can include.
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high levels of distress
ill health
insomnia
loss of self esteem
reduced work performance
depression
panic attacks.
Sometimes employees are too scared to report workplace bullying in fear of losing
their job, accepting it as part of the work culture, feeling powerless due to their
position in the organisation or just embarrassed.
Employers must take all reasonably practical steps to protect their employee’s
health, safety and welfare. Workplace bullying and occupational violence create
an unsafe working environment. Therefore, employer’s obligations extend to
eliminating or reducing the risk of bullying and violence in their workplaces.
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Reference: WorkCover NSW (2002) Violence in the workplace. WorkCover
NSW, Sydney
Summary
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OHS policies and procedures developed by the child care service must
meet OHS legislation, standards, codes of practice and compliance codes.
Identifying risks and hazards is everyone’s responsibility in the work
environment
Implementing Daily Safety checklists in the centre are an effective way to
identify the many hazards that are evident in the child care service.
Once a hazard has been identified it is the carers responsibility to assess
the level of risk posed and either act to reduce or remove the hazard or to
report these hazards in line with the service policy and procedure
Carers must keep their OHS knowledge up to date.
Stress is a major hazard in child care services and managing stress levels of
workers is both a management issue and an individual’s responsibility.
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