CHC08 Community Services Training Package Version 4 HLTWHS300A Contribute to WHS processes Children s Services Learner Guide Version 2 INDUSTRY SKILLS UNIT MEADOWBANK Product Code: 5696
Acknowledgments The TAFE NSW Training and Education Support Industry Skills Unit, Meadowbank would like to acknowledge the support and assistance of the following people in the production of this learner resource guide: Contributors: Deborah Peters and Lisa Wallmeyer Teachers, Child and Family Services TAFE NSW Reviewer: Melissa Healy Teacher, Child and Family Services TAFE NSW Project Manager: Gail Horwood A/Education Programs Manager TAFE NSW Enquiries Enquiries about this and other publications can be made to: Training and Education Support Industry Skills Unit, Meadowbank Meadowbank TAFE Level 3, Building J, See Street, MEADOWBANK NSW 2114 Tel: 02-9942 3200 Fax: 02-9942 3257 The State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Training, TAFE NSW, Training and Education Support Industry Skills Unit, Meadowbank, 2012. Copyright of this material is reserved to TAFE NSW Training and Education Support Industry Skills Unit, Meadowbank. Reproduction or transmittal in whole or in part, other than for the purposes of private study or research, and subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act, is prohibited without the written authority of, TAFE NSW. Training and Education Support Industry Skills Unit, Meadowbank. ISBN 978 1 74236 405 6 Developed by Training & Education Support Industry Skills Unit, Meadowbank TAFE NSW 2012
Table of Contents INTRODUCTION... 9 1. General introduction... 9 2. Using this learner guide... 9 3. Prior Knowledge and Experience... 11 4. Unit of competency overview... 12 5. Assessment... 16 SECTION 1 PLAN AND CONDUCT WORK SAFELY... 19 Workplace safety legislation... 21 Physical/Environmental hazards... 22 Electrical or mechanical hazards... 26 Ergonomic hazards... 26 Biological/Chemical hazards... 31 Psychological hazards... 33 Stress... 42 SECTION 2 SUPPORT OTHERS IN WORKING SAFELY... 47 Contributing to WHS in the workplace... 48 NSW WorkCover... 49 The employer/worker responsibilities... 50 The worker... 52 WHS representatives (HSRs)/committees(HSCs)... 53 Grievances... 55 Training... 55 Injury management... 57 Developed by Training & Education Support Industry Skills Unit, Meadowbank TAFE NSW 2012
Workers compensation... 58 Workplace policies and procedures... 58 Manual handling... 60 Lifting... 60 Safe bending/stretching... 67 Safe standing... 71 Carrying children... 71 Other hazards... 71 Infection control and illness... 72 Contaminated waste disposal... 75 Exposure to biological hazards... 76 Personal, protective clothing... 76 SECTION 3 PARTICIPATE IN THE CONTROL OF EMERGENCY SITUATIONS... 79 Emergency... 80 Fire and evacuation... 80 Chemical dangers... 91 First aid equipment... 95 Human threat... 97 SECTION 4 SUSTAINABILITY IN CHILDREN S SERVICES... 99 ANSWERS TO ACTIVITIES... 109 Section 1... 109 Section 2... 112 RESOURCES... 115 Reference List... 116 Other References... 125 Developed by Training & Education Support Industry Skills Unit, Meadowbank TAFE NSW 2012
Section 1 Plan and conduct work safely Unit elements and performance criteria: Plan and conduct work safely 1.1 Plan work in accordance with relevant WHS legislation, standards, codes of practice/compliance 1.2 Identify hazards as part of work planning and work process 1.3 Address identified hazards prior to starting work using judgment within defined scope of responsibilities 1.4 Report residual risk according to organisation procedures 1.5 Report incidents and injuries in line with organisation policies and procedures 1.6 Undertake WHS housekeeping in work area 1.7 Monitor own levels of stress and fatigue to ensure ability to work safely and sustainably 4. Contribute to hazard identification, WHS risk assessment and risk control activities 4.1 Report identified hazards and inadequacies in risk controls within appropriate timeframes 4.2 Check the workplace for hazards using itemised checklist(s) in accordance with work procedures 4.3 Contribute to risk assessments 4.4 Provide input to development and implementation of control measures, with reference to the hierarchy of risk control Page 19 of 130
Getting started Before you begin, ensure you have access to the following resources: The Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (NSW). Available from: http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au in the Law and Policy section A copy of the relevant National Quality Standards and the Education and Care Services National Regulations, available at http//:www.acecqa.gov.au Access to the internet for research Page 20 of 130
Workplace safety legislation In the past, some workplaces have had unsafe and unhealthy work environments. Educators had been frequently injured and disabled by usually preventable workplace accidents and incidents. An injured educator results not only in the educator suffering, but also impacts on the employer. An injured employee was usually unable to earn an income, meet the cost of medical expenses incurred by the injuries and frequently unable to ever return to work. The employer was faced with loss of productivity, staff shortage, unhappy workforce and high costs of replacement and retraining. Workplaces in Australia today must abide by WHS legislations. These are designed to ensure excellent workplace conditions and safeguard the health and safety of employers, employees, clients and visitors. It is the responsibility of all workers in the workforce to identify, control and manage all potential and actual hazards. There are several legislations and regulations that you must become familiar with over the course of your study. These will enable you to protect yourself and those you work with from preventable workplace accidents and injuries. The main NSW WHS legislation can be found at the following web site: http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/ Page 21 of 130
Activity 1.1 List 5 possible hazards you may find when entering a children s service! 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Risks can range from the ordinary to the extraordinary, for example: an educator may catch an infection from an ill co-educator who did not wash their hands or an ill client just by being in the same environment as them. They may slip and fall on improper floor coverings or may be stressed by a discriminatory staff member. The job of maintaining the WHS standards in a workplace requires constant vigilance and attention to detail. It is not a job that can be, or should be, done by one or two people but by all educators in the workforce. Everyone, from the most junior to the most senior educator, must be involved in risk management and take responsibility for the safe working of their environment. Identification of risks and hazards is the first step in risk management. Risks can be divided into groups for ease of identification. Physical/Environmental hazards Physical hazards are related to the working environment. Imagine that you have a job that involves a large amount of computer hours. You are allocated a poorly lit, small room with little air flow and a desk and chair that are at inappropriate heights. Eventually your body and mind will feel the effects of these adverse conditions. Your environment directly affects your health and safety. Seemingly simple factors such as insufficient lighting can cause many potential problems Page 22 of 130
for example difficulty reading instructions causing errors to be made, tripping over or standing on unseen objects, eye strain or headaches. One of the most common physical/environmental hazards in children s services is air quality. We must ensure sufficient natural air flow in the indoor environment rather than the use of heating and cooling systems. Where air conditioners are used the filters must be cleaned on a regular basis and the heating cooling systems maintained regularly. It is also important to ensure children spend time outside in the fresh air on a daily basis when possible. Activity 1.2 Based on your current place of work or study, list five (5) Physical/Environmental hazards. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. There is a vast potential for hazards in the physical environment. Untidy work areas, protruding objects, falling objects, rugs to trip on, wet, slippery floors, broken or old equipment. Even the basic requirements of sufficient heating, cooling, lighting, and ventilation will make a difference to your health. Page 23 of 130
Activity 1.3 What possible health problems may the following environmental hazards cause? Poor lighting Hot working environment Dusty environment Noisy environment NSW WorkCover provides strict regulations on workplace climate controls, lighting, heating, noise levels and air quality. All workplaces must be sufficiently lit to enable workers to work safely without glare or reflection. Flickering or broken lights should be fixed immediately. Adequate air movement is necessary to ensure the environment does not become too hot and stuffy by using fans, opening windows or utilising air conditioners. In the winter sufficient adjustable heating is necessary to ensure comfort. If a worker is to be exposed to loud noise over a length of time, ear protection must be provided and used. Page 24 of 130
Activity 1.4 * Read the Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011, http://www.acecqa.gov.au * Note that the Education and Care Services National Regulations are updated at regular intervals, so ensure that you access the most current version. Referring to one of the above documents list all the main references to health and safety in the Education and Care Services National Regulations regarding the physical environment. Page 25 of 130