BSB41419 Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety

Contribute to implementation and maintenance of WHS consultation and participation processes

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to contribute to implementing and maintaining work health and safety (WHS) consultation and participation as prescribed in legislation.

It also covers contributing to communicating relevant information, identifying feedback opportunities, and improving consultation and participation.

The unit applies to those working in a broad range of WHS roles across all industries.

Write complex documents

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to plan, draft and finalise complex documents.

The unit applies to individuals who work in a range of business environments and are skilled in the creation of documents that are more complex than basic correspondence, memos and/or forms and that require review and analysis of a range of information sources.

Implement continuous improvement

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to implement continuous improvement of systems and processes of an organisation. It includes using systems and strategies to encourage the team to participate in the process, monitoring and reviewing performance, and identifying opportunities for further improvements.

The unit applies to managers who are responsible for implementing the continuous improvement process to achieve the objectives of the organisation.

Demonstrate leadership in the workplace

This unit covers the skills and knowledge required to lead teams and individuals by modelling high standards of conduct to reflect the organisation’s standards and values.

The unit applies to individuals who are making the transition from being a team member to taking responsibility for the work and performance of others and providing the first level of leadership within the organisation. These leaders have a strong influence on the work culture, values and ethics of the teams they supervise.

Contribute to WHS risk management

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to contribute to WHS risk management, which includes the processes for identifying work health and safety (WHS) hazards and assessing and controlling the risk relating to those identified hazards.

It involves contributing to the development, implementation and evaluation of risk controls according to legislative and organisational requirements.

The unit applies to those working in a broad range of roles across all industries. WHS hazard identification and risk control processes are those defined in written workplace procedures.

Contribute to implementing WHS management systems

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to contribute to implementing a plan for a work health and safety management system (WHSMS) that applies to own role.

The unit applies to individuals with responsibilities for contributing to the implementation of an organisation’s WHSMS as part of their work health and safety (WHS) responsibilities in a range of industry and workplace contexts.

NOTES

1. The terms ‘occupational health and safety’ (OHS) and ‘work health and safety’ (WHS) are equivalent, and generally either can be used in the workplace. In jurisdictions where model WHS laws have not been implemented, registered training organisations (RTOs) are advised to contextualise this unit of competency by referring to existing WHS legislative requirements.

2. The model WHS laws include the model WHS Act, model WHS Regulations and model WHS Codes of Practice. See Safe Work Australia for further information.

3. For the purposes of this unit of competency ‘safe systems of work’ refers to a formal procedure that results from systematic examination of a task in order to identify all the hazards. It defines safe methods to ensure that hazards are eliminated or, where this is not possible, risks are minimised.

Contribute to workplace incident response

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to assist with actions and activities performed in response to workplace incidents according to work health and safety (WHS) legislative and organisational requirements.

The unit applies to those who contribute to workplace incident responses by undertaking a varied range of activities in a structured and familiar work environment as defined in written procedures. It applies to people who work in a broad range of WHS roles across all industries.

NOTES

1. The terms ‘incident’ and ‘accident’ are equivalent. Specific state/territory legislation may use one or the other. In jurisdictions where model WHS laws have not been implemented, RTOs are advised to contextualise this unit of competency by referring to the existing state/territory OHS legislative requirements and industry-specific legislative variances.

2. The terms ‘occupational health and safety’ (OHS) and ‘work health and safety’ (WHS) are equivalent, and generally either can be used in the workplace. In jurisdictions where model WHS laws have not been implemented, registered training organisations (RTOs) are advised to contextualise this unit of competency by referring to existing WHS legislative requirements.

3. The model WHS laws include the model WHS Act, model WHS Regulations and model WHS Codes of Practice. See Safe Work Australia for further information.

Assist with managing WHS compliance of contractors

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to assist with managing the work health and safety (WHS) implications of using contractors. It involves identifying contractor duties, establishing organisational WHS compliance requirements associated with those duties, establishing and communicating the requirements expected of contractors, monitoring contractor compliance with WHS requirements, and implementing required responses to identified non-compliance.

The unit applies to those who work in a broad range of WHS roles across all industries in organisations that use contractors to supply services, including labour hire and temporary workers, cleaning, catering, security, maintenance, repairs, installations and alterations, and major contracts and projects, as relevant to the organisation. This includes casual and volunteer workers. It does not cover visitors, or outworkers or suppliers of goods, materials or products to workplaces.

Develop processes and procedures for controlling hazardous chemicals in the workplace

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to develop processes and procedures for controlling hazardous chemicals in the workplace, and then monitoring their effectiveness. The unit requires the application of knowledge associated with work health and safety (WHS) legislation, and organisational policies and procedures relating to controlling hazardous chemicals.

The unit applies to those who work under supervision and use some discretion and judgement to respond to monitoring hazardous chemicals in the workplace. It applies to hazardous chemicals with the potential to harm human health, which may be solids, liquids or gases – pure substances or mixtures. When used in the workplace these substances often generate vapours, fumes, dusts and/or mists.