Bsbohs507b Answers

Occupational Health and Safety
Practitioner
Learning Guide
UNIT BSBOHS507B —
FACILITATE THE APPLICATION OF
PRINCIPLES OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
TO CONTROL OHS RISK
January 2008
®

BSBOHS507B – FACILITATE THE APPLICATION OF PRINCIPLES OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH TO CONTROL OHS RISK
ISBN X-XXXXXX-XX-X (web version)
ISBN X-XXXXXX-XX-X (paperback)
Published by WorkSafe,
Department of Consumer and
Employment Protection,
PO Box 294, WEST PERTH WA 6872.
Tel: Toll Free 1300 307 877.
Email: [e-mail]
Author: Geoff Taylor, assisted by Chris Taylor,
Work Safety and Health Associates, 18 Parklands Sq, Riverton WA 6148 Australia.
®
www.worksafe.wa.gov.au/institute
The SafetyLine Institute material has been prepared and published as
part of Western Australia’s contribution to the National Occupational Health and
Safety Skills Development Action Plan.
© 2008 State of Western Australia. All rights reserved.
Details of copyright conditions are published at the SafetyLine Institute website.
Before using this publication note should be taken of the Disclaimer, which is published at the
SafetyLine Institute website.
BSBOHS507B – FACILITATE THE APPLICATION OF PRINCIPLES OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH TO CONTROL OHS RISK
Contents
OVERVIEW.....................................................................................................................1
Assessment ...........................................................................................................2
Required readings and resources..........................................................................3
Further information.................................................................................................3
Your feedback........................................................................................................4
Glossary of terms...................................................................................................4
INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................6
Element 1: IDENTIFY THE POTENTIAL FOR ADVERSE EFFECTS ON HEALTH....11
1.1 Access external Sources of Information and Data .........................................12
1.2 Review workplace sources of information and data to assist in identifying agents ..................................................................................................................17
1.3 Consider the role of individual difference in susceptibility..............................19
1.4 Identify situations where health professionals may be required.....................20
Case Study 1 .......................................................................................................22
Activity 1...............................................................................................................24
Element 2: IDENTIFY THE POTENTIAL FOR ADVERSE EFFECTS ON HEALTH....25
2.1 Analyse job characteristics and work to identify situations with a potential for harm.....................................................................................................................26 2.2 Access workplace information and data to help identify situations with potential for harm .................................................................................................29
Case Study 2 .......................................................................................................33
Activity 2...............................................................................................................35
Element 3: FACILITATE THE CONTROL OF RISKS TO HEALTH IN THE
WORKPLACE ...............................................................................................................36
3.1 Apply the hierarchy of control.........................................................................36
3.2 Examine policies, procedures and schedules to minimise potential for harm39
3.3 Examine organisational communication processes to maximise clarity of roles and employee involvement ..................................................................................41
Case Study 3 .......................................................................................................44
Activity 3...............................................................................................................47
BSBOHS507B – FACILITATE THE APPLICATION OF PRINCIPLES OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH TO CONTROL OHS RISK
Element 4: DEVELOP STRATEGIES TO COMMUNICATE OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
INFORMATION AND DATA 48
4.1 Research and identify characteristics of target groups..................................49
4.2 Interpret and discuss workplace health effects with stakeholders .................51
4.3 Implement communication strategies in accordance with legal requirements
.............................................................................................................................52
4.4 Evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of health communication processes54
Case Study 4 .......................................................................................................56
Activity 4 ..............................................................................................................58
Element 5: MONITOR AND FACILITATE OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH EDUCATION
AND TRAINING ................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................59
5.1 Identify the need for health information and training, in consultation with stakeholders ........................................................................................................60
5.2 Identify personnel and resources to deliver the training ...............................61
5.3 Identify and allocate roles and responsibilities for delivery of training ...........62
5.4 Provide health information and education to managers and workers............63
5.5 Apply training, evaluation and monitoring processes ....................................64
Case Study 5 .......................................................................................................67
Activity 5 ..............................................................................................................68
Element 6: REVIEW AND EVALUATE THE OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH PROGRAM.69
6.1 Evaluate outcomes and document overall impact of the occupational health programs through an evaluation plan ..................................................................69
6.2 Evaluate and document the overall impact of the occupational health program
.............................................................................................................................72
6.3 Make recommendations for future programs as a result of the evaluation....72
Case Study 6 .......................................................................................................75
Activity 6 ..............................................................................................................77
REFERENCES USED IN THIS LEARNING GUIDE.....................................................78
BSBOHS507B – FACILITATE THE APPLICATION OF PRINCIPLES OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH TO CONTROL OHS RISK
ON-LINE UNIT TEST QUESTIONS ..................................................................79
INTEGRATED PROJECT..................................................................................80
ASSESSMENT..............................................................................................................81
Assessment portfolio from learning guide ............................................................81
Project review check-list.......................................................................................83
Third party (manager/mentor) report....................................................................84
Skills checklist......................................................................................................88
Interview questions ..............................................................................................90
BSBOHS507B – FACILITATE THE APPLICATION OF PRINCIPLES OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH TO CONTROL OHS RISK
JANUARY 2008 SAFETYLINE INSTITUTE PAGE 1
OVERVIEW
Welcome to the Unit of Competence BSBOHS507B – Facilitate the application of principles of occupational health to control
OHS risk.
“OHS” and “health and safety” are used in this guide even though relevant legislation and guidance material in some jurisdictions uses “OSH” and ”safety and health”.
This unit specifies the outcomes required to facilitate the application of principles of occupational health and implement strategies to control OHS risk.
The unit considers the impact of agents in the workplace on the health of workers, and the physical and psychological effects to workers’ health arising from work organisation and work processes. It covers knowledge of occupational health and strategies to deal with occupational health issues. The unit enables candidates to facilitate the application of principles of occupational health to control OHS risk in the workplace.
OHS practitioners will identify occupational health hazards and seek solutions and interventions to bring about change in the workplace. These practitioners will facilitate risk assessment and controls to reduce exposure to the effects of hazardous materials and hazardous
conditions.
The unit applies equally to a small, medium and/or large organisation, as well as a micro-business.
The Unit of Competence consists of six elements and 21 performance criteria, which are reflected in the format of this learning guide. Each section covers a competency element and each sub-section covers a required performance criterion. You can access a copy of the actual competency unit from the National
Training Information Service at: www.ntis.gov.au It is important that you read the Course Guide before commencing this learning guide, as it contains important information about learning and assessment. It is particularly important to read it if you feel you may already be able to provide evidence that you meet the performance criteria for this unit. You can access the Course Guide at: www.worksafe.wa.gov.au/institute BSBOHS507B – FACILITATE THE APPLICATION OF PRINCIPLES OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH TO CONTROL OHS RISK
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Assessment
Assessment is the process of checking your competence to perform to the standard detailed in each element’s performance criteria. At the end of each element of the learning guide are activities designed to enable you to collect evidence for assessment. They are also listed in the assessment section at the back of the guide.
A person who demonstrates competence in this standard must be able to provide evidence of the facilitation of strategies to assist with controlling OHS risks associated with occupational health issues. While there should be some access to a workplace, part of the assessment may be through simulated project activity, scenarios, case studies or role play. Where possible, you should have an
OHS practitioner as a mentor or coach to assist you to develop the practical skills to apply your knowledge.
When you have completed this learning guide you should contact a participating training provider (see www.worksafe.wa.gov.au/institute) who will, for a fee, be able to have your competency in this unit assessed by a qualified assessor and subject expert.
You will need to collect all the relevant material you access or develop as you work your way through this Learning Guide, and assemble it in a portfolio. This includes material you photocopy or download, items such as meeting notes or minutes, examples of documents from organisations (obtained with permission), any returned questionnaires, the products developed in completing this learning guide, and your on-line test record. You can then provide them to your assessor. Near the end is a range of questions which your assessor may ask in order to confirm that you have acquired the necessary skills and knowledge to be deemed competent.
When collecting material for your assessment portfolio, please ensure that you protect the confidentiality of colleagues, workers and other persons, and block out any sensitive information. If you have any doubts about confidentiality issues, contact the organisation concerned.
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Required readings and resources
The on-line Readings and Resources section at the SafetyLine
Institute website provides additional essential material to help you understand and complete the activities in this learning guide.
Further information
Some useful websites for information in occupational health include: • www.atsb.gov.au – air safety
• www.amsa.gov.au – maritime safety
• www.seacare.gov.au – Australian seafarer’s health and safety
• www.arpansa.gov.au – nuclear and radiation safety
• www.nopsa.gov.au – national oil and gas safety
• www.comcare.gov.au – responsible for workplace safety, rehabilitation and compensation in the Commonwealth jurisdiction
• www.ascc.gov.au – national Commonwealth Government occupational health and safety body
• www.worksafe.wa.gov.au – WA occupational health and safety
• www.docep.wa.gov.au/resourcessafety – WA mining and petroleum health and safety
• www.workcover.act.gov.au – ACT occupational health and safety
• www.workcover.nsw.gov.au – NSW occupational health and safety except mines
• www.minerals.nsw.gov.au – NSW mining health and safety
• www.osh.dol.govt.nz – New Zealand health and safety information
(act has national coverage)
• www.nt.gov.au/wha – NT occupational health and safety
• www.dme.nt.gov.au – NT mining health and safety
• www.whs.qld.gov.au – Queensland health and safety except mines
• www.nrme.qld.gov.au – Queensland mining safety
• www.eric.sa.gov.au – SA occupational health and safety
• www.wst.tas.gov.au – Tasmanian occupational health and safety
• www.workcover.vic.gov.au – Victorian occupational health and safety
• www.cdc.gov/niosh
• www.osha.gov
• www.hse.gov.uk
• www.msha.gov
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Your feedback
We are committed to continuous improvement. If you take the time to complete the on-line Feedback Form at the SafetyLine
Institute website, you will help us to maintain and improve our high standards. You can provide feedback at any time while you are completing this learning guide.
Glossary of terms
When they are first used, glossary terms are indicated in the learning guide with an asterisk (*).
Make sure that you are familiar with the Glossary of terms before going any further.
Accident a) Unplanned consequence of events, or a missing or inappropriate response. b) Any occurrence/event arising out of and in the course of employment which results in personal or property damage.
[Note: some authorities use the term incident in preference to the term accident]
Employee Person by whom work is done under a contract of employment or apprenticeship.
Employer Person by whom an employee is employed under a contract of employment or apprenticeship.
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Exposure standard A quantitative guideline or level, set for airborne concentrations of workplace contaminants, or for physical agents, to which most workers may be exposed without impairment to health or undue discomfort, according to the current state of knowledge. The guideline or level may also have legal force. For chemical substances and dusts, the standard can be set as a time weighted average over a working day, as a peak level not to be exceed at any time or as a short-term exposure level, allowable for 15 min up to four times per day. A warning on absorption through the skin may accompany the standard.
Hazard Hazard, in relation to a person, means anything that may result in injury to the person or harm to the health of the person.
Health Soundness of body and mind and freedom from disease.
Plant Includes any machinery, equipment, appliance, implement or tool and any component, fitting or accessory.
Risk Risk, in relation to any injury or harm, means the probability of that injury or harm occurring. Safety An individual’s perception of risk; or a state of mind where a person is aware of the possibility of injury or harm occurring at all times. Stressor (or agent) An agent or circumstance which stresses the body or mind and may cause unwanted or undesirable changes in their functioning.
Workplace Place, whether or not in an aircraft, ship, vehicle, building or other structure, where employees or self-employed persons work or are likely to be in the course of their work.
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INTRODUCTION
Occupational health*, as distinct from some areas of occupational safety*, deals more often with the health consequences of poor risk* control, some of which may not become obvious for many years. As an occupational health and safety practitioner, you may be asked to deal with, for example, needlestick injuries in health care workplaces, manual handling injuries in a warehouse, air contaminants in a glue-making factory, stress in childcare staff, or noise or shift rosters at a mine site. Respectively, these can cause health problems of infection with HIV or Hepatitis B or C, muscle cartilage or tendon damage, damage to sperm (as an example), heart condition or reduced immunity, hearing loss, and in the last example raise dietary gastrointestinal sleep and family problems.
If you wish to acquire more knowledge of the human biology needed to understand occupational health you may wish to consult, for example, Newton and Joyce’s Human Perspectives
Book 1 (see References).
The occupational health approach differs to the occupational hygiene approach by having a greater focus on following up the effects of hazards* on the body, and, for occupational physicians, their treatment where possible, as well as rehabilitation (although this is not addressed in this unit).
There are two aspects to following up the effects of hazards on the body – firstly where hazards are known, and secondly, where they are suspected. Some occupational health hazards are so wellknown that they figure in lists of prescribed diseases (or losses of function) and the sources of them in workers’ compensation legislation. For example, excessive noise and hearing loss, leptospirosis in animal handlers, skin cancer and work involving prolonged exposure to sunlight, Hepatitis B and health care work, or poisoning by halogenated hydrocarbon solvents and the use or handling of those solvents.
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Epidemiology can be used to identify where hazards are suspected by studying populations who have been exposed to a hazard, and comparing them with a similar group (control group) who have not been exposed; and allowing for ‘confounders’, which could also explain the observed difference in health status between the two groups.
Another important concept is ‘dose’. For many occupational health hazards the dose received will determine the degree of effect, and it is possible to set a level which will result in minimal effects. For airborne contaminants, dose is obtained by multiplying the concentration by the mean duration of exposure. However, some hazards such as blue asbestos seem to defy the dose concept.
That is, different people have contracted the disease known as mesothelioma (cancer of the lung lining) with greatly different doses of blue asbestos. The reason is not known, but clearly there is a degree of individual susceptibility involved.
In regard to occupational health as distinct from occupational safety, it is often harder to make a good financial case for introducing better risk controls, but it still exists. This is shown in the example below.
Example of present value of a future payout for occupational disease
Net present value of a future cost (or of future income) is calculated from NPV = Amount
(1+r)
n r is what is called the discount rate, the time value of money, and we will set it here at seven per cent, ie 0.07, the cost to a company of borrowing money. n is the number of years in the future that the amount is paid.
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Assume that the compensation payout for an occupational disease
15 years from now is $200,000 and 10 workers could be affected.
This could result from exposure to other people’s cigarette smoke, to welding fumes, or to excessive noise.
1.0715 = 2.76.
$2,000,000/ 2.76 = $724,637. So, on a strict cost-benefit basis
(assuming an organisation self-insured itself for workers’ compensation), there is no financial incentive to spend more than the $724,637 now on control measures. There are also tax offsets for interest charged to the company to take into account. Some controls, such as training, may be of the type that involve an annual recurring charge, not an upfront payment. In this case, the
NPV of the total expenditure over 15 years (not this time the worker payout) will be quite a lot less than the $724,637.
Of course, the moral argument for managing the risk is supported by OHS legislation; and workers’ compensation legislation requires the organisation to insure; but insuring against risk still requires the organisation to pay for risk controls to meet insurer requirements.
Content of unit
This unit deals specifically with risks to health from the workplace*.
Some problems, such as cumulative musculoskeletal injury and cardiovascular disease, can be derived from both workplace and non-workplace sources; for example, sleep patterns may be influenced by shift rosters and by living near a busy road, with possible impact on cardiovascular health (heart and circulation).
In this guide it has been necessary to draw a boundary between physical trauma, a ‘safety’ issue, and health problems. In some areas such as musculoskeletal injury, which can be of slow onset, this boundary is somewhat artificial. You will find in section 1.1 a list of the sources of problems which fall within ‘occupational health’. BSBOHS507B – FACILITATE THE APPLICATION OF PRINCIPLES OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH TO CONTROL OHS RISK
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Required knowledge and understanding The Activities at the end of each element will guide you to achieve the performance criteria for this unit. However, you will also need to acquire and demonstrate the necessary knowledge and understanding. Therefore, you should include relevant notes and supporting evidence in your assessment portfolio and ensure you can explain:
• structure and forms of legislation including regulations, codes of practice, associated standards and guidance material;
• methods of providing evidence of compliance with OHS legislation; • requirements under hazard-specific OHS legislation and codes of practice;
• hierarchy of control and considerations to choosing between different control measures, such as possible inadequacies of particular control measures;
• internal and external sources of OHS information and data;
• sources of occupational disease and their prevention;
• basic knowledge of toxicology of hazardous materials and potential health effects in the workplace; and
• organisational culture as it impacts on the workgroup and how the characteristics and composition of the workforce impact on risk and a systematic approach to managing OHS, for example: o structure and organisation of workforce (part-time, casual and contract workers, shift rosters, geographical location); o language, literacy and numeracy; and o gender/cultural background/workplace diversity.
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Required skills and attributes
You will also need to show you have the necessary skills and attributes for this unit. To do this, you should include in your assessment portfolio as much evidence as possible to show you can: • communicate effectively with personnel at all levels of the organisation and OHS specialists and, as required, emergency service personnel;
• prepare reports for a range of target groups including OHS committees, OHS representatives, managers and supervisors;
• apply continuous improvement and action planning processes;
• manage own tasks within a timeframe;
• employ consultation and negotiation skills, particularly in relation to developing plans and implementing and monitoring designated actions;
• analyse relevant workplace information and data, and make observations including of workplace tasks, interactions between people, their activities, equipment, environment and systems; • use language and literacy skills appropriate to the workgroup and task; and
• use basic computer and information technology skills to access internal and external information and data on OHS.
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Element 1: IDENTIFY THE POTENTIAL FOR
ADVERSE EFFECTS ON HEALTH
Element 1 considers how to obtain information from external and internal sources, being aware of possible differences in individual susceptibility to occupational health problems, and knowing when to call in people with more specialised expertise. It specifically covers the gathering of information to identify the potential for adverse effects on health.
In order to complete the first element of the competency unit successfully, you will have to show that you can:
1.1 Access external sources of information and data to assist in identifying agents* in the workplace with a potential to adversely affect health.
1.2 Review workplace sources of information and data to access information to assist in identifying agents in the workplace with a potential to adversely affect health.
1.3 Consider the role of individual difference in susceptibility to occupational disease or injury in identifying adverse effects on health. 1.4 Identify situations where health professionals may be required.
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1.1 ACCESS EXTERNAL SOURCES OF
INFORMATION AND DATA TO ASSIST IN
IDENTIFYING AGENTS IN THE
WORKPLACE WITH A POTENTIAL TO
ADVERSELY AFFECT HEALTH
There are abundant sources of information outside the enterprise or organisation which can be accessed to assist in identifying agents in the workplace with a potential to adversely affect health.
These agents are also referred to as stressors*; that is, if people are exposed to them in excess, they can stress the body, its physiology or its psychological functioning.
These agents can be categorised into a number of groups. For the purposes of this unit we will exclude agents which cause acute
(that is more or less instant) physical injury because they are dealt with in other units. However, some agents are included which can in some circumstances have an immediate physiological impact.
For example, low levels of a gas or vapour may have long-term effects, but high levels may cause almost immediate unconsciousness and death.
Agents or stressors
Agents or stressors include:
• chemical agents (gases, vapours, dusts, mists, fogs, liquids
(including mists and fogs, and solids (including smokes and fumes); • certain physical agents such as noise, vibration, ionising and non-ionising radiation (including certain forms of visible light or lack of it), and electromagnetic fields;
• those related to physical exertion including manual handling injuries and occupational overuse syndrome;
• organisational and other ‘workplace climate’ issues related to selection, training and supervision of staff which may
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JANUARY 2008 SAFETYLINE INSTITUTE PAGE 13 lead to harassment, so called ‘mobbing’ or personality clashes; • thermal environment, which includes heat or cold, humidity and airflow;
• biological agents (bacteria, viruses, fungi, amoebae, enzymes), including those which are borne by animals
(called zoonoses);
• smoking, alcohol and prescribed drugs; and
• ergonomics issues including those related to man-machine systems, manual handling and the pattern of work
(shiftwork, pace of work, job or task design).
Interactions between stressors are an important consideration, for example, smoking and asbestos exposure, alcohol intake with degreaser vapour, drug and alcohol use together, use of prescribed drugs which induce photosensitivity together with outdoor work, or extended working hours together with noise or airborne contaminants. In each case, the combined effect may exceed what would be expected from simply adding the individual effects. Exposure to multiple agents is also important; for example, nickel subsulfide, silica and asbestiform minerals (minerals which give rise to a fibrous dust) in underground nickel mining. The combined effect on the lung may be greater than the sum of the individual effects. Also, certain solvent (eg Toluene) used in rubber glues and thinners, combine with noise in affecting hearing.
Some examples of agents and their effects are given below.
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Fig. 1.1 Some agents and their effects
Agent (or stressor) Effect
Carbon monoxide gas Chemical asphyxia – oxygen displaced from haemoglobin Asbestos Lung scarring, lung cancer, cancer of the lung lining (mesothelioma)
Some solvents eg 1,1,1,-trichloroethane , some metals eg arsenic
Liver damage
Lead Bone marrow damage, anaemia
Some solvents (eg Toluene); some metals (eg
Uranium)
Kidney damage
Mercury, n-hexane, carbon disulfide, organophosphate pesticides
Nervous system damage
MBOCA (4, 4’- methylene bis orthochloroaniline) Bladder cancer
Epoxy resins Allergic contact dermatitis
Some solvents Irritant contact dermatitis
Isocyanates, fungi, foreign proteins Lung allergy
Caustic soda Skin and eye burns
Noise Damage to hair cells in organ of Corti and progressive loss of hearing, deterioration of social relationships
Vibration Spinal injury, vibration white finger
Ionising radiation Mutations, cancer, birth defects
Ultraviolet light (B and C) Burns, skin cancers incl. melanoma
Sedentary work at a keyboard Cardiovascular disease, carpal tunnel syndrome , tenosynovitis
Organisational issues, poor organisational culture Excessive stress, irritability, mental health, gastrointestinal disturbance
Hot thermal environment Heat stress, heat stroke
High altitude Pulmonary oedema
Elevated atmospheric pressure
(return from)
The ‘bends’ (due to dissolved nitrogen in the blood undissolving)
Biological agents HIV, legionella, bird handler’s lung, bird flu, leptospirosis, hepatitis B, humidifier fever
Excessive working hours Sleep deprivation, cardiovascular illness, disordered thinking
Substance abuse Addiction, mental disorder, deterioration of social relationships
Electricity Burns, death
Sensory overload or poor or error-prone information presentation
Impaired decision making, physiological and psychological stress
Manual handling Musculoskeletal injury
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External information
Information may be divided up into:
• information on the agents or stressors, where they occur, in what industries or occupations, and how they are used
(occupational hygiene); and
• information on the effects they have and treatment of those effects (occupational medicine), including injury management and rehabilitation.
In view of the nature of this unit, we will confine ourselves to the first category of information given above – although there are many overlaps.
External sources of information will include:
• codes of practice and other guidance material and information from government OHS and health authorities (telephone, email, paper and web-based) both within and outside the country; • information issued by designers, manufacturers, suppliers, erectors, installers and repairers of plant*, tools and equipment and manufacturers of substances (eg material safety data sheets); • international agencies (ILO, WHO, ISSA);
• textbooks on the subject;
• information issued by industry associations and unions;
• local, national and international learned societies and professional associations (eg Ergonomics Society, Australian
Institute of Occupational Hygienists, Australian College of
Occupational Medicine, Safety Institute of Australia,
International Commission on Occupational Health, American
Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists,
International Occupational Hygiene Association);
• private consulting companies; and
• relevant journals, both e-journals and paper-based.
Research on the topic may include studies of human populations; and it may also include animal studies (including tests on bacteria),
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Codes of practice and guidance material from OHS authorities are excellent sources of information. Also, a textbook, Enhancing
Safety, giving a good basic coverage in Chapters 8 and 9 of agents causing occupational health problems and the problems themselves, is given in the references. There you will also find another book, Textbook of Occupational Medicine Practice, giving more medical detail.
Relatively recently, some areas such as violence at work, bullying and ‘mobbing’ (unacceptable personal or group pressure on individuals), have received more attention. Undertake a search for information and see what you can find that has been published by
OHS regulatory authorities.
Example
Workplace agents acting on the body are often categorised by the target cells, organs, tissues, or systems they affect. There are two types of different effects on the skin produced by natural and artificial substances in the work environment. They are irritant contact dermatitis, such as is produced by the defatting actions of solvents, and allergic contact dermatitis.
In allergic contact dermatitis, the substance (the allergen), called a hapten, combines with protein in the epidermis. Macrophages
(mopping up cells) engulf the protein and take it to the lymphatic system. An antibody is produced at the lymph nodes, and this reacts with any more of the hapten-protein combination. This causes the release of histamines and the local effect is reddening, skin eruption, blistering, oozing and loss of surface skin cells.
Repeated assaults like this on the skin can lead to thickened skin with fissures. As the immune system is involved, the effect can also occur away from the original site of contact, such as the folds of the legs or elbows. The body become more sensitised so that exposure to a smaller amount of the substance can trigger a subsequent reaction. Some people are described as atopic – that is they are more sensitive to this type of effect than others, and this sensitivity can be detected with what is called an IgE test.
Q.: What is the target in irritant contact dermatitis? What is the target in allergic contact dermatitis?
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1.2 REVIEW WORKPLACE SOURCES OF
INFORMATION AND DATA TO ACCESS
INFORMATION TO ASSIST IN
IDENTIFYING AGENTS IN THE
WORKPLACE WITH A POTENTIAL TO
ADVERSELY AFFECT HEALTH
You will need to check the legislation relevant to your national (in the case of New Zealand), state, territory, maritime, offshore or
Commonwealth employment for any occupational health information and data which must by law be kept by the organisation, and the conditions under which it must be kept, including medical confidentiality in some cases. (A Medical Board of WA finding against a Royal Australian Navy (RAN) medical practitioner in 2005 highlights this.) Data on carcinogen use in the workplace may, by law, have to be held for many years.
Internal information
Useful information in the workplace may include:
• sick leave and absenteeism records;
• workers’ compensation claim files (parts of which are confidential unless the employee* grants access), but their summaries may be accessible;
• technical manuals on plant and equipment and tool usage;
• material safety data sheets;
• operating procedures, safe work procedures and work instructions; • accident* reports;
• records of biological and physiological function testing; for example, blood tests, lung function tests (see example below) and audiometric (hearing) tests;
• results of workplace environment testing (thermal, noise, radiation, chemical substances);
• results of ergonomics assessments of work stations;
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• employee* counselling reports (confidential, but summaries on a group basis may be accessible);
• supervisors’ diaries;
• discussions with employees, supervisors or health and safety representatives; • health and safety committee minutes; and
• audit documents and reports.
Try to obtain some of these from a workplace and see how they are set out. With permission, put a copy in your assessment portfolio. Example of monitoring for response to a workplace agent, using lung function tests
Lung function tests are an example of good practice as part of health surveillance of those exposed to allergens (eg grain dust).
These measurements include forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) which indicates rate of expiration, and forced vital capacity (FVC) which indicates total expiration volume, and can be measured with a an instrument called a spirometer. If the ratio of
FEV1 to FVC decreases, it can indicate narrowing of the passages of the upper lung due to, for example, an upper respiratory irritant.
If both FEV1 and FVC decrease but the ratio remains more or less the same, this can indicate an effect in the lower lung such as lung scarring. This could be the result of exposure to certain mineral dusts such as quartz from, for example, cutting concrete tiles with no dust suppression. In this case the total volume which can be expired and the rate at which it can be expired are both affected.
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1.3 CONSIDER THE ROLE OF
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCE IN
SUSCEPTIBILITY TO OCCUPATIONAL
DISEASE OR INJURY IN IDENTIFYING
ADVERSE EFFECTS ON HEALTH
Individuals may respond differently to some agents or stressors affecting health. Relevant factors (depending on the agent concerned) include:
• age and the effects of ageing on joints, cartilage, muscles, bones, blood vessels, immune system, mental function, etc;
• pre-existing damage to the musculoskeletal system;
• level of fitness;
• pregnancy and nursing mothers (where the impact may be on the foetus or new born);
• personality type;
• physical strength and endurance;
• use of medical or illicit drugs or alcohol;
• level of training and or intelligence;
• previous injury;
• time elapsed since last exposure;
• in the case of heat stress, acclimatisation, age, cardiovascular disease; • eye sight, and the wearing of contact lenses in chemical environments; • proneness to allergic reactions (lung, skin); and
• conditions such as diabetes.
In the area of exposure to chemical and physical agents, permissible levels of exposure are set “for nearly all workers” but some individuals may be more susceptible and the levels are not necessarily set to include pregnant or nursing mothers.
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As an example in the food arena, a canteen serving food on a remote mine site needs to consider those with an allergy (eg to peanuts). 1.4 IDENTIFY SITUATIONS WHERE
HEALTH PROFESSIONALS MAY BE
REQUIRED
When identifying the potential adverse impacts on health in the workplace you may need to seek specialised assistance. For example, your knowledge of workplace substances may be reasonable, but when investigating health impacts in a process plant where you know the inputs and outputs, you note there are
‘fugitive’ emissions of intermediate substances in the process. Or you may need help in identifying whether a dust is a nuisance dust or is hazardous; or in identifying the vibration spectrum of an offroad vehicle. In such cases, an occupational hygienist could help.
Occupational physicians could offer further advice based on their training or experience in industry about specific issues; for example, tenosynovitis.
A shiftwork expert may be able to assist in assessing current shift arrangements. Other experts could include a radiation physicist or an electrical engineer.
Competency check for Element 1
Key issues for each Performance Criterion in Element 1 are as follows: 1.1 Access external sources of information and data to assist in identifying agents in the workplace with a potential to adversely affect health:
• These may include ILO, WHO, government OHS authorities and Australian Safety and Compensation
Council (legislation, standards codes of practice, associated guidance material), national and state occupational disease/injury data, NICNAS (National
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Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment
System), books, journals, websites, including OHS databases. 1.2 Review workplace sources of information and data to access information to assist in identifying agents in the workplace with a potential to adversely affect health:
• These may include human resources, industrial relations or personnel management records, employees, safety representatives, supervisors, managers, hazard and incident investigation reports, written and verbal complaints, minutes of safety committee meetings, audit reports, material safety data sheets, employee survey questionnaires, manuals and specifications, working procedures, job safety analyses.
1.3 Consider the role of individual difference in susceptibility to occupational disease or injury in identifying adverse effects on health: • This involves considering occupational health hazards where individual susceptibility is most important; individual characteristics such as forms of impairment and pregnancy or lactation; and the employee’s circumstances outside work.
1.4 Identify situations where health professionals may be required:
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Case Study 1
A mechanical parts cleaning service used semi-automatic machines employing a variety of chemical agents to clean the parts, including caustic soda (sodium hydroxide). The service both cleaned parts itself and hired out the parts-cleaning machines, maintaining them as required, so it also used polyurethane paint for maintenance purposes. Polyurethane (two pack) paint can contain some free isocyanates, which may trigger lung allergy in some workers.
The workplace was served with an Improvement Notice by a state inspectorate, requiring all employees to be given appropriate induction training on the health hazards and toxic effects of the chemicals used.
Comment
Workplace management identified the need to contract an external
OHS consultant and trainer with particular skills in both assessing possible chemical sources of occupational health problems and in chemical safety and training.
The consultant developed a small training package suited to the type of employee and specific to the needs of workplace. The steps the consultant followed were:
1. Observe and note processes, equipment and work methods used and ask questions of employees, supervisors and managers.
2. Obtain the hazardous substances register. This listed 33 chemicals of which 19 were rated hazardous. They included a strong acid and a strong caustic although the commercial names were uninformative.
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3. Obtain an MSDS for all substances rated hazardous (and for any others in the list where there was doubt). (This workplace had all of these, but if it does not, can be asked to obtain them. The consultant can also seek further information from the supplier.)
4. Individual susceptibility should always be considered and the consultant should ask workers to identify relevant issues; for example asthma, because this workplace used isocyanate-based products and these can have more serious effects on someone who is asthmatic, depending on how they are used.
5. A short course of training with an assessment questionnaire to assess the training was developed, combining key aspects of the hazardous substances section of the OHS regulations with the hazards of the particular chemicals used in this workplace.
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Activity 1
Keep a copy of this Activity for your Assessment Portfolio.
Select a workplace of your choice and imagine a similar
Improvement Notice to that in Case Study 1 has been issued. The hazards could be chemical, physical (eg noise) or biological (eg the potential for legionnaires’ disease or HIV).
Your tasks are to:
1. Obtain external and internal sources of information and consider the issues, including relevant individual differences.
2. Draw up a checklist to identify the agents of concern. Include a column to indicate where you will obtain more information and complete it for each agent.
3. Include another column to show where you would call on further professional assistance, and complete it for each agent.
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Element 2: IDENTIFY THE POTENTIAL FOR
ADVERSE EFFECTS ON HEALTH
In Element 1 you gathered information to identify the potential for an agent to adversely effect health. In Element 2 we identify the specific workplace situations involving the agent that have the potential for adverse health effects and therefore consider:
• the working environment;
• the systems of work; and
• the people who may be at risk as the level of risk resulting from a hazard is dependent on all of these. In order to complete this element of the competency unit successfully, you will have to show that you can:
2.1 Apply knowledge of sources of occupational disease and injury to analyse job characteristics and nature of work and the context of work to help identify situations with a potential for physical or psychological harm to employees.
2.2 Access workplace and internal sources of information and data, taking account of privacy requirements, to assist in identifying situations with a potential for physical or psychological harm to employees.
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2.1 APPLY KNOWLEDGE OF SOURCES
OF OCCUPATIONAL DISEASE AND
INJURY TO ANALYSE JOB
CHARACTERISTICS, NATURE AND
CONTEXT OF WORK TO IDENTIFY
POTENTIAL FOR HARM
Once you are clear about the potential sources of occupational disease, ill health or disability and where you can get information on them, you can start to apply this to particular workers in particular jobs in particular workplaces, occupations or industries.
This requires consideration of job characteristics and the nature and context of the work. At this point we will refresh what we know of the workplace system and its interactions. See Figure 2.1 below. Fig. 2.1 The work system
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Consider a worker in a chemical process plant such as a nickel refinery. The worker may be required to sweep out dust in a conveyor belt tunnel. A work instruction (procedure) should be issued and it should take into account the need to avoid dust inhalation (materials), provide hearing protection (environment), and avoid the body becoming too overheated in what is a hot environment (environment again). From a safety perspective, the procedure must also avoid the worker being caught in the conveyor (equipment).
Job characteristics
Job characteristics may include:
• workplace processes and the hazards they produce;
• toxicology of hazardous materials;
• health effects of physical hazards such as noise, vibration, thermal extremes and radiation, including sunlight;
• job demands such as high physical, mental or emotional demands; lack of variety; short work cycle; workload (see the first example below);
• work load and scheduling issues such as pace, shiftwork, inflexible work schedules, unpredictably long or unsociable hours; • participation in decision-making and control of workload;
• inadequate or faulty equipment;
• effectiveness of different risk control strategies;
• relative costs of implementation of appropriate control strategies; and
• place of work; for example, badly designed workstation and workflow, or confined space or excavation (see the example below).
Example
Two men were using liquid nitrogen to create an ice plug in a natural gas line under construction. The gas line was being laid in a deep, open trench. The men were overcome after being enveloped in the cloud of very cold nitrogen gas which formed in the bottom of the trench. Nitrogen, while it makes up 21 per cent of the atmosphere, does not support life; it is the oxygen content which is important.
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Context of work
Context of work may include:
• organisational factors such as communication, levels of support for problem solving and personal development, changing employment patterns, and definition of organisational objectives;
• interpersonal relationships at work, including with supervisors and peers;
• role ambiguity, role conflict, role responsibilities; and
• career issues including promotion, job security and skills.
The context of work may be that a person may not have keyboarding skills, their supervisor is unhelpful, and they are subject to many interruptions (email pop-ups, phone calls – fixed and mobile – and enquiries from other staff) casing work overload and stress.
A second example of context of work might be a chemical product manufacturing plant involving loading of mixers with bagged raw material (nature of work), in a context of vapour emissions, risk of fire and excessive noise.
Mini-Activity
List some of the possible occupational health risks to which these workers may be exposed:
Isabella Ferrari – checkout assistant
Constantine Poulos – open pit mine worker
Fred Smith – pathology laboratory technician
Van Do – data entry clerk
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2.2 ACCESS WORKPLACE AND
INTERNAL SOURCES OF INFORMATION
AND DATA, TO ASSIST IN IDENTIFYING
SITUATIONS WITH A POTENTIAL FOR
HARM
Internal sources of information and data which may be accessed include: • occupational health and employee assistance staff;
• supervisors and managers;
• health and safety and employee representatives;
• health and safety committee minutes;
• material safety data sheets;
• work procedures and work instructions, including job safety analyses (JSA);
• process control documentation (hard copy or electronic);
• audit reports and accident reports;
• medical surveillance reports (but not so as to access individuals’ medical data without consent);
• permit to work, restricted area and isolation policies and procedures, and
• signs, including pipeline colouring and marking and dangerous goods signs.
Examples
Industrial radiography to test structures, pipes or welding poses a risk not just to employees or contractors doing it but to other employees in the area or passing by. This requires internal information to be available in advance to those in a supervisory role on where, when and how the work will take place. It may require appropriate personal monitoring as an additional check. It may require checks on the certification of those doing it, such as that issued by radiation health authorities.
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Similarly, the scheduling of work by people in a city office thousands of kilometres from a site where very high daytime temperatures are predicted, requires those scheduling it to have accurate information and the requisite OHS skills to plan it properly. Medical reports can allow opportunities to use epidemiology to confirm suspected sources of disease.
Example of epidemiology calculations
This data is from an industrial plant and uses what is called a case-control study. There were 315 workers in all, of which 93 had died. Subjects of study
Number of deaths
(exposed to contaminant Z)
Number of deaths
(not exposed to contaminant Z)
Cases with disease A
16 (a) 12 (c)
Controls – cases with all other diseases
16 (b) 49 (d)
An indirect estimate of the relative risk that a worker may have contracted disease A from contaminant Z is given by: a x d/ b x c = 16 x 49/ 16 x 12 = 4.1.
So the increased risk due to exposure might appear to be 16/315 divided by 12/315, that is 1.33. But in the control group this is
16/315 divided by 49/315, that is 0.326. So the true increased risk is 1.33/0.326 = 4.1.
The fact that there is a relative risk of 4.1 suggests that there may be a relatively strong link between contaminant Z and disease A.
The example assumes that the workers are reasonably representative of the all people within their population.
It may be necessary to refine the figures to adjust for the age of workers. Biases may include the fact that some workers with disease A move to seek treatment, and that doctors who are aware of the possible link between A and Z over-diagnose disease
A. Other contaminants in the same plant with similar effects on the body may make the analysis more difficult.
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A cohort study is more expensive and compares a group of workers with a specially selected group of other workers or with the general population.
Individual differences
Individual differences in susceptibility to workplace agents must be considered when assessing the potential scope and impact of situations which could have an adverse effect on health. A landmark UK legal case (Paris v Stepney Borough Council 1951) centred on the heavier duty of care placed on an employer* when employing a worker with one good eye in situations where there is a hazard to sight; for example, use of certain classes of lasers or use of corrosive chemicals.
A person with a susceptibility to asthma is at a much greater risk working in an area that uses known triggers of lung allergy such as isocyanates (used for making plastic foam) for example.
Women
A second major area of susceptibility is during pregnancy and lactation. A landmark Human Rights and Equal Opportunity
Commission case centred on a pregnant woman working in an environment where lead was a hazard. Even the potential to be pregnant must be considered as often the first trimester is critical in exposure to chemicals or radiation. Another example is a person who suffered from ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) wanting to train as an electricity authority linesperson.
Youth
Youth is another susceptibility issue as inexperience must also be considered. There may be a tendency to take risks, to want to please, to show “I can do it”, particularly for women in previously male-dominated occupations and tasks. ‘Horseplay’ may be an issue where youths are involved.
Age
Perhaps some of these are more a case of individual differences which contribute to notions of susceptibility to an occupational health risk, rather than individual differences in intrinsic susceptibility. Under employment in the over-55 age group may to some extent exist because some employers are concerned that
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Competency check for Element 2
Key issues for each performance criterion in this section are as follows: 2.1 Apply knowledge of sources of occupational disease and injury to analyse job characteristics, nature of work and the context of work to help identify situations with potential for physical or psychological harm to employees:
• This includes consideration of workplace processes and hazards, toxicology of hazardous materials, health effects of, for example, noise, thermal environment or radiation, high mental or physical job demands, workload and scheduling issues (eg pace, shiftwork, inflexible schedules, unpredictable long or unsocial hours), value of ability to participate in decisions or control of workload, equipment fitness for use, different control strategies and their costs.
It also includes organisational factors (eg communication, levels of support for problem solving and personal development, changing employment patterns and clarity of organisational objectives), interpersonal relationships at work (horizontal and vertical), role ambiguity conflict and responsibilities, and career issues such as promotion, job security and skills.
2.2 Access workplace and internal sources of information and data, taking account of privacy requirements, to assist in identifying situations with a potential for physical or psychological harm to employees:
• See firstly 1.2 above. You then need to relate this to the situation in which the agent occurs or is used.
• Once again any individual susceptibility (eg pregnancy) must be considered together with the different aspects of the situation in which the source of a potential occupational health problem (eg ionising radiation) is used in, or occurs
(eg noise). Also see 1.3 above.
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Case Study 2
Biological safety cabinets
Biological safety cabinets (BSC) come in three classes.
The Class I BSC protects the personnel and the work environment, but doesn't protect the product. It is a negative pressure ventilated cabinet usually operated with an open front and a minimum face velocity at the work opening of at least 0.4m/s. The main difference between the Class I BSC and a chemical fume hood is that all the air is exhausted through a HEPA (high efficiency particulate absorbing) filter (either into the laboratory or to the outside). The Class II BSC protects personnel, product and the work environment. It has an open front with inward airflow for personnel protection, downward HEPA-filtered laminar airflow for product protection, and HEPA-filtered exhausted air for environmental protection. There are four types of Class II BSCs.
The Class III BSC operates with a totally enclosed ventilated cabinet with gas-tight construction in which operations are carried out through attached rubber gloves and observed through a view window which cannot be opened. It operates under negative pressure. BSC malfunction and test results
In one hospital, malfunction in the BSC resulted in the possible exposure of nursing personnel to a number of antineoplastic
(cancer fighting) drugs that were prepared in the BSC. The drugs can also be genotoxic; that is, poison the genes. Two types of
‘biomarkers’ of genotoxic agents are used: sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) and micronuclei. In this case, blood samples from the nurses were analysed for the biomarkers at two and nine months after replacement of the faulty BSC.
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At two months, both SCEs and micronuclei were significantly elevated compared to those of the matched control group. At nine months the micronuclei concentrations were similar to those of the two-month controls. SCEs were not determined on the second occasion. Investigators concluded that the elevation of the biomarkers had resulted from malfunction of the BSC which resulted in workers’ exposure to the drugs. They also concluded that the subsequent replacement with a new BSC contributed to the reduced effects seen in the micronucleus test at nine months.
Health care workers who work with such drugs may suffer from skin rashes, infertility, miscarriage, birth defects and possibly leukaemia or other cancers.
The workers may be exposed to the drugs on work surfaces, clothing, medical equipment, and inpatient urine and faeces. The drugs include those used for cancer chemotherapy, antiviral drugs, hormones, some bioengineered drugs and other miscellaneous drugs. The health risk depends on how much exposure a worker has to these drugs and how toxic they are. The exposure risks can be reduced greatly by using appropriate engineering controls such as a ventilated cabinet and using proper procedures and protective equipment when handling the drugs.
(Source NIOSH (2004): NIOSH Alert – Preventing Occupational Exposures to
Antineoplastic and Other Hazardous Drugs in Health Care Settings, based on
Kevekordes S, Gebel TW, Hellwig, M, Dames W, Dunkelberg H (1998) Human effect monitoring in cases of occupational exposure to antineoplastic drugs: A method comparison. Occup. Environ. Med 55, 145-49.)
Note: The general method used above is called biological monitoring. In this case, the hazard (faulty equipment) was already known. However, in some cases, detection of biomarkers or an abnormal level of a biological marker may serve to alert people to increased risk from a hazard because of unsuspected failure of risk controls. Normal levels for a range of occupational health hazards can be found in Biological Exposure Indices (see
ACGIH in References).
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Activity 2
Keep a copy of this Activity for your Assessment Portfolio.
Select a workplace which can provide a good example of the interaction of the work environment, work system and people, together with a particular occupational health hazard having potential adverse physical and/or psychological effects.
1. Draft notes for the OHS committee, including the following:
• Describe briefly the workplace chosen.
• Select the occupational health hazard.
• Outline the key relevant features of the work environment affecting the hazard in the workplace.
• Explain the work system in which the hazard is used or occurs. • Explain how features of the people working with or affected by the hazard may alter the level of risk or explain how the last three issues may create a hazard with its associated level of risk.
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Element 3: FACILITATE THE CONTROL OF RISKS
TO HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE
In Element 2 you identified the specific workplace situations that have potential for adverse health effects. Element 3 covers the structured approach to controlling occupational health risks. This includes the use of policies, procedures and schedules to reduce the risk. It also deals with ensuring that roles are clear and that employees are involved in control of risks.
In order to complete this element successfully, you will have to show that you can:
3.1 Apply the hierarchy of control to control risks to occupational health. 3.2 Examine workplace policies, procedures and schedules to minimise situations with a potential to adversely cause physical or psychological harm.
3.3 Examine organisational communication processes to maximise clarity of roles and employee involvement in these processes.
3.1 APPLY THE HIERARCHY OF
CONTROL TO CONTROL RISKS TO
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
The hierarchy (preference order) of control is:
• Elimination
• Substitution
• Segregation or isolation
• Engineering controls
• Administrative controls
• Personal protective equipment.
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These must be accompanied by management of the controls including training. You may wish to refer to BSBOHS404 for more detail on ways to apply the hierarchy.
Elimination
Eliminating the hazard is the best method of managing any risk the hazard poses.
Substitution
Substitution in relation to the hazard may be relatively simple or it may involve several issues. Substituting a hazardous chemical with a less harmful one provides a clear example of a straightforward one.
While a mechanical lift might eliminate the hazard, it may not be practicable; so what could be substituted? For manual handling hazards, modification of the weight being lifted by using smaller loads is another approach.
The use of substitution as a control must always be checked to ensure it doesn’t introduce another hazard. For example, noise from a chipping hammer to clean steel, if replaced by a chemical treatment, may require ventilation to remove acid fumes and flammable gas.
Segregation or isolation and engineering control
Segregation or isolation and engineering control combined offer important opportunities for dust, vapour and gas emission controls, as well as noise, vibration and radiation controls. With airborne contaminants, ventilation may be natural (assisted by engineering design of a building) or mechanical.
Mechanical ventilation can include general or directed dilution ventilation. It is also possible to use a captor hood to capture the contaminant at the source (here the source is outside the hood) or a receptor hood where the source is inside the hood and is segregated from the operator (see Case Study 2). Isolation generally refers to isolating the operator from the source and not vice versa.
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The principles of noise control involve tackling noise at the source, the path and/or the receiver; using isolation, segregation or other forms of engineering such as redesign of gear cogs.
Control principles for ionising radiation (electromagnetic radiation) involve duration of exposure, distance and shielding (ie isolation or segregation). An engineering control example applied to nonionising radiation would be interlocks used to prevent exposure to high energy laser radiation, direct or reflected.
Administrative control
An example of administrative control is if we decide to specify a team lift in manual handling. Administrative controls depend on people observing them but are nevertheless a key means of addressing some occupational health issues. One type of administrative control is the permit-to-work system for hot work
(including welding or work near hot surfaces) and confined space entry. Personal protective equipment
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is the least preferred control measure and should be a last resort. Therefore, for example, in work with chemicals, chemical penetration-resistant gloves and overalls, and goggles, should not be an excuse for poor engineering controls or failure to substitute safer chemicals or provide pumps and not dippers.
However, in outdoor work on a construction site, for example, an item such as an elastic soft brim which fits onto a hard hat is a vital addition to protection from solar radiation.
PPE must be used in association with administrative controls such as written procedures, adequate supervision and training, to ensure the PPE fits correctly and is cleaned, stored and maintained properly.
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Summary
Gases and vapours should be managed at source or by ventilation, not generally by using respirators. Noise similarly should, as far as is possible, be managed without hearing protection. Because radiation protection is based on “as low as reasonably achievable”, a lead-filled apron used in radiological work may form a supplementary measure to preventative measures based on time, distance, and isolation shielding.
3.2 EXAMINE WORKPLACE POLICIES,
PROCEDURES AND SCHEDULES TO
MINIMISE SITUATIONS WITH A
POTENTIAL TO CAUSE PHYSICAL OR
PSYCHOLOGICAL HARM TO EMPLOYEES
Policies
A workplace which is well organised for health and safety will have
’set the tone’ with a health and safety policy. It is from the policy that specific individual policies and procedures for the various parts of the operation develop or are developed.
Procedures
Procedures for tasks and processes must incorporate the results of job safety analysis, accident investigations and experience. If amendments are made, these must be communicated to those affected and incorporated in any training based on the procedure.
For more on policies and procedures look at Getting Started with
Workplace Health and Safety and Guidelines for Writing Work
Method Statements in Plain English
(http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/9FB1CA23-1DB0-
43EE-B8ACB3CB0F8E27B4/
0/guidelines_writing_work_method_statement_pl
ain_english_0231.pdf).
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Schedules
Schedules set for work can take the following forms:
• Impromptu and unplanned – a report, the draft of which should have been completed two days ago, is handed to a keyboard operator for processing with only hours to go before it is required for a key meeting. This could result in operators missing breaks and increasing the risk of overuse injury. Thought should be given to how the organisation should deal with unexpected absences due to sickness leave.
• Planned schedules which are poorly devised, not allowing time for, for example, housekeeping, maintenance or lubrication, or for equipment adjustment.
• Schedules and staffing rosters which are suitable for normal production, but not when the workplace is suddenly faced with an urgent order or increase in the order.
The overall policy must be that production should never overshadow health and safety.
Shiftwork-based organisations such as emergency services, police, hospitals and chemical process or manufacturing plants need to examine their shift rosters carefully so they are properly designed and sleep deficits avoided. Fatigue can have the immediate impact of increased risk of injury from falling asleep when driving, as well as longer-term (chronic) health effects.
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3.3 EXAMINE ORGANISATIONAL
COMMUNICATION PROCESSES TO
MAXIMISE CLARITY OF ROLES AND
EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT IN THESE
PROCESSES
Effective organisational communication includes:
• appropriate language;
• officially sanctioned and prescribed communication processes and routes, ie formal processes;
• informal communication processes;
• appropriate job descriptions;
• adequate safe work procedures and instructions;
• training; and
• OHS consultation – health and safety representatives and committees. Language
Diversity in first languages or in language fluency is an issue because poor understanding of procedures, inability to read safety signs or posters or to understand spoken instructions would create risks. Spoken and written communication must also take account of educational levels. Pay attention to sentence structure, length of sentences and choice of words. You may wish to use something like the SMOG index (see Occupational Health and Safety – Shaw,
Chase, Moore and Toohey) to assist in reviewing written material for understandability. Or see www.hsph.harvard.edu/healthliteracy/how_to/smog_2.pdf or see appendix D at: www.popcouncil.org/horizons/AIDSquest/appendix_a.html BSBOHS507B – FACILITATE THE APPLICATION OF PRINCIPLES OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH TO CONTROL OHS RISK
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Communication
It is vital that formal communication routes are effective. Training and job descriptions should be sufficient and clear so that people understand lines of reporting and who to access for particular matters; for example, critical situations or emergencies where different routes and procedures may apply.
Supervisor job descriptions should include consideration of consultative processes and include this in key performance indicators. Clear lines of responsibility for occupational health issues are important. This can be set out in position description forms or job descriptions. Responsibility must be accompanied by sufficient authority to get things done. If a responsibility is delegated, the person it is delegated to must be held accountable for that responsibility, but also given enough authority to match the delegated role.
Health and safety representatives and committees play a vital part for employees to raise occupational health concerns.
Procedures
Procedures should ensure the smooth functioning of a workplace, and must build in health and safety considerations.
Training
Training is vital whether it consists of on-the-job mentoring or offthe- job sessions. The importance of good and well planned training cannot be overemphasised.
Job descriptions should indicate responsibilities for providing different types of training, and the skills of those designated to provide training must include training skills.
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Competency check for Element 3
Key issues for each Performance Criterion in Element 3 are as follows: 3.1 Apply the hierarchy of control to control risks to occupational health: • The key to this is applying the hierarchy in a flexible and practicable way, developing a suite of controls.
3.2 Examine workplace policies, procedures and schedules to minimise situations with a potential to cause physical or psychological harm to employees:
• This includes hours worked and shift rosters.
Descriptions of how to perform various tasks should be examined for their health and safety aspects. It is important to check that actual policies, procedures and schedules adhere to those laid down; for example, through inspections and job observation sampling. 3.3 Examine organisational communication processes to maximise clarity of roles and employee involvement in these processes: • This includes examining all forms of communication in the organisation – formal and informal, as well as training and position descriptions.
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Case Study 3
Some risks to health in the workplace may involve non-employees; for example, a legionnaires’ disease outbreak in a hotel, hospital or a shopping centre. An outbreak of legionnaires’ disease occurred in one New Zealand city. Sixteen people contracted the disease and three died. Four businesses showed positive results for legionella bacteria when their cooling towers were tested.
Comment
This is an issue where, as an OHS practitioner, you may not be aware that you might have a problem until approached by the public health authorities for a sampling program on your airconditioning system. This Case Study involves a biological hazard where individual susceptibility is very important. Increased risk exists for people over 50, males, those with an existing respiratory illness, cancer, kidney disease or excessive alcohol intake, smokers, those with renal disease or taking immunosuppressant medication.
The public health investigation in New Zealand showed that elderly people in certain parts of the city were at greater risk. Hot water supplies and hospitals were excluded as sources in this outbreak.
After isolating the organism in a cooling tower, the potential to spread from that site needs to be considered. Keep in mind that the organism can survive a wide range of pH (acidity/alkalinity) values, prefers stagnant pockets and develops in a biofilm on hard surfaces. Impact, draining, start-up or removal of clumps can all disturb it and create an aerosol.
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Control
• Recognise that you have a potential hazard – and in hospitals and aged care facilities this includes hot water systems and showers. • Identify whether the supplier’s maintenance recommendations are being implemented.
• Either ensure that in-house staff are trained and funded to provide maintenance of the air-conditioning system or that an adequately monitored contract to do this exists.
• Ensure that periodic testing of the organism is carried out as recommended by the supplier by someone with proper training.
• Communicate the need to check that all equipment using biological control agents is filled with proper chemicals of the proper strength and is operative.
Appropriate use of the hierarchy
From the above it is clear that the most appropriate steps in the hierarchy of control for this hazard are engineering and administration, with the latter including policy, procedures and schedules. Organisational communication should aim to involve employees, asking them to report any concerns they may have if they contract a respiratory illness. This is a difficult issue because it is not by any means clear what type of single instance of respiratory illness might raise suspicions about legionella. It will also involve clear lines of communication with public authorities.
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Alternative Case Study 3
A Japanese teacher’s family was awarded a large sum in damages. The private high school teacher died, allegedly from overwork. The judge ruled that there was a legitimate causal relationship between the teacher’s overwork and his death. The teacher had collapsed at a parents’ meeting and died 10 days later of a brain haemorrhage. The teacher, who had two children, had high blood pressure and was working extra hours as acting principal. His wife and two children charged that management failed to lighten his workload even though it knew of his illness.
Comment
In a situation like this consider firstly the organisational factors – communication, level of support and workload.
Psychosocial issues include high expectations by parents of the results of teaching in an expensive private school in a society with a very competitive job market.
Control
Your thoughts?
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Activity 3
Keep a copy of this Activity for your Assessment Portfolio.
In a suitable selected workplace identify the potential for two hazards, one biological, and one physical or chemical.
You have been asked to report back to the government OHS inspectorate after it has visited. It has asked you to report briefly within two weeks on the following:
• Briefly describe the workplace.
• Outline the two hazards selected.
• Describe the features of the occupational health condition it produces and how it is treated.
• Explain whether the hazard results from the materials used in the work (eg handling biological samples or using harsh cleaning agents), occurs as a result of the type of work (eg noise), or as a result of the work environment (eg solar radiation, excessive climatic heat/humidity, or psychological such as work pace), or from a combination of these.
• Outline the features of the context of the work which may influence the risks posed by the selected hazards.
• Describe the control measures you intend to use to manage the risk the hazards pose.
• Include consideration of the hierarchy of control, workplace policies procedures and schedules, and organisational communication processes to ensure employee involvement.
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Element 4: DEVELOP STRATEGIES TO
COMMUNICATE OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
INFORMATION AND DATA
One key requirement of OHS legislation is providing information to employees on the hazards and risk control measures to work safely. The effectiveness of the communication strategies is important. Strategies must take note of legislative requirements, and address issues such as the target audiences, where they are, who they are, when and how often communication is required, and how much and what type of communication, ie the process/es to be used. There is also flow the other way, where systems are needed to ensure that incidents are recorded and passed up the chain for analysis, action and continuous improvement.
The effectiveness of the communication processes used as part of a communication strategy must be evaluated.
In order to complete this element successfully, you will have to show that you can:
• 4.1 Research and identify target groups for advice.
• 4.2 Interpret and discuss health effects that may result from work and working environment with stakeholders.
• 4.3 Implement communication strategies in accordance with legal and ethical requirements.
• 4.4 Evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of health communication processes.
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4.1 RESEARCH AND IDENTIFY
CHARACTERISTICS OF TARGET GROUPS
The use of target groups is a well-known strategy to maximise the value of interventions. Target groups could include:
• shiftworkers;
• shopfloor workers;
• those doing a particular task or working in a particular team; • men or women;
• smokers;
• those working in noisy areas, areas involving manual handling, radiation, dust or chemicals; or
• those at a particular location.
Advice
Advice in the form of campaigns, leaflets, and training may be directed towards risk control measures or, for example, better handling a shiftwork lifestyle, including family arrangements, diet, and sleeping habits; for example see: www.marcsta.com/content/coursesextendedworkinghours.asp. There may be an emphasis on managing perceived offsets to stress such as tobacco, alcohol and drugs. On the job travel may involve managing disease risk (see Bugs, Bites and Bowels in the references or go to www.health.gov.au/internet/wcms/publishing.nsf/Content/healthpubhlth- strateg-quaranti-index.htm ).
Public health issues
The workplace can also be a useful place to use to address certain public health issues such as reducing the risk of breast cancer and screening for it, or reducing the transmission of HIV/AIDS.
Smokers can also be targeted by Quit campaigns and the supply of nicotine patches. An employee assistance program may be called upon where mental health or drugs issues are involved.
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Health and safety committees, work by OHS teams or practitioners, and the use of surveys can all be used to identify and research different groups and their needs. The following is an example of a survey of workplace stress using a questionnaire.
One of the side effects of stress is impaired decision-making, which may cause serious problems for an organisation generally, but also lead to accidents. Too many '3s or 4s indicate the need to re-examine the work environment and develop control options.
Organisational Symptoms Checklist
Each statement should be answered with a 1 for never, 2 for rarely, 3 for sometimes or 4 for often.
Statements
I am unclear of what is expected of me.
Others I work with are unclear about what my job is.
I have differences of opinions with my superiors about how the work should be performed.
My role at times is ambiguous.
Demands for my time by others are in conflict.
I often must work well beyond my 40-hour week.
I lack confidence in management.
I lack confidence in my immediate supervisor.
I am expected to interrupt my work immediately for new tasks or meetings. I only get feedback when my performance is unsatisfactory.
There is conflict between my unit and others I work with.
Decisions or changes are made without my involvement.
I am expected to accept too many decisions made without my input or knowledge. I do not have enough to do.
I have too much to do and too little time to do it.
I have to be cautious about what I say or do around my boss/peers.
My ideas are not appreciated or accepted by my boss.
I feel under-qualified for the work I’m doing.
They didn't teach us in school what we’re expected to perform here.
I must rely on other units to get my work done.
I have unsettled conflicts with my co-workers.
I receive no support from my supervisor.
I spend my time ‘fighting fires’ rather than working to a plan.
All meetings I go to are formal and don't address the ‘real’ issues.
I have often thought of looking elsewhere for work.
(acknowledgment to US National Institute of Mental Health – training program to prevent staff burnout).
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4.2 INTERPRET AND DISCUSS HEALTH
EFFECTS WITH STAKEHOLDERS
Stakeholders with whom health effects should be interpreted and discussed could include:
• workers themselves;
• managers;
• health and safety representatives;
• the OHS committee;
• families of workers; and
• the local community (eg where there are concerns about emissions beyond the workplace boundary).
Toolbox meetings and family events can also be used. In the event that preventative measures have not proved successful, there will be a need to explain to the worker what has happened and how the employer, the medical practitioner and rehabilitation personnel (if necessary) will handle it.
As a health and safety practitioner you may be involved in communicating the requirement not to take work clothing home if it is contaminated, or in communicating effective methods for workers and families to manage the physiological, family and social effects of shiftwork or fly-in, fly-out.
Communication may be one-on-one, and involve interpreting the result of a blood or urine test, or a lung function test, and then explaining its implications to the worker and his family. If a biological test reveals overexposure to a chemical, it may be necessary for the worker to take time off work, and this can be mandatory if required by a medical practitioner appointed by law.
For example, OHS regulations on hazardous substances include requirements to monitor, keep records of the results, give monitoring results promptly to those likely to be exposed and ensure that those results are accessible to those persons at all times (biological monitoring results would be available only to the person tested and, of course, the appointed medical practitioner).
These requirements are generally in OHS regulations dealing with hazardous substances.
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Senior management role
It is important that if the health problem developed is a serious one, senior management also talks to the worker’s family and do not just leave it to the professionals.
Community and government
We have included the community and government among the stakeholders because if there are multiple cases (or the possibility of) of the same problem in a workplace, it often becomes a matter of public and political concern. For that reason, government authorities such as health and OHS may need to be involved.
4.3 IMPLEMENT COMMUNICATION
STRATEGIES IN ACCORDANCE WITH
LEGAL REQUIREMENTS
Legal and ethical considerations govern communication strategies.
Health matters must be handled sensitively and ethically whether they are actual or potential. Confidentiality between an occupational health or other physician and the relevant worker is essential and permission must be obtained to divulge information, for example, to a physiotherapist who will need certain information on which to plan a proper program.
Hazardous substances regulations specify the need to provide material safety data sheets to workers, disclose ingredients in chemical mixtures, correctly label workplace chemicals, provide access for workers to a register of the chemicals used in the workplace, and provide access for workers to the reports of risk assessments of hazardous chemicals. The period of time for which records must be kept are generally specified in OHS regulations, while use of known carcinogens and certain specified substances; for example, isocyanates and lead, may be subject to approval by the OHS authority and to special conditions.
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Dangerous goods legislation also specifies placarding of workplaces, primarily to ensure the health and safety of emergency personnel and the community.
In identifying target groups, again sensitivity and concern for confidentiality are important. It would not be acceptable to set up a meeting and inform the group of male workers invited that we’ve called it to discuss their high cholesterol, prostate specific – antigen (PSA), reduced lung function or hearing loss results.
Individual counselling may be the method of choice.
On the matter of legal requirements, certain types of diseases – notifiable diseases – must be reported to the heath authorities, and, in some legislation, incidents which may have an effect on safety or health must also be reported; and the communication procedures must follow the processes laid down.
The reader may wish to refer to the Code of Ethics of the
International Commission on Occupational Health. (See
References and www.icoh.org.sg)
Example
A university occupational physician consulted to an organisation making nylon flock. He diagnosed some workers with interstitial lung disease. He found that this backed up similar findings by researchers in another country in a similar plant owned by the same company. He informed the company and the national occupational safety and health research organisation of his findings; then prepared an abstract on the topic for a coming scientific meeting. The company insisted that the abstract be withdrawn, and the university and its consulting affiliate also urged him to do so. It argued that a confidentiality agreement on trade secrets applied. It also decided to close the occupational health service. The ICOH Code of Ethics does require not disclosing industrial or commercial secrets, but also requires that information necessary to protect the health and safety of the workers or the community cannot be concealed. (Source: adapted from ICOH QNL Nov
1997)
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4.4 EVALUATE AND MONITOR THE
EFFECTIVENESS OF HEALTH
COMMUNICATION PROCESSES
There are a range of methods for evaluating the value of health communication processes. Outcomes may be measured directly – such as fitness and body mass index. Fitness might include blood pressure, exercise recovery rate and so on. This could evaluate the success of a ‘Gutbuster’ program (see Case Study 6).
The effectiveness of communication on preventive measures in the workplace may be assessed with inspections of, for example, cleaning of work surfaces, maintenance of exhaust ventilation, or job performance sampling to find out if procedures designed to maximise occupational health are being followed – such as correct wear and storage of personal protective equipment, and not taking shortcuts. Other approaches
Other approaches include structured interviews and surveys; for example, measuring how many workers have quit smoking or reduced their usage, how many have improved their physical exercise regime, and have diet change programs had any impact?
These all focus on outcomes. Survey methods can also be used to measure how well health communication has been comprehended. A survey of the frequency of toolbox meetings and occupational health issues covered at them provides an example of a positive performance indicator rather than simply negative measures such as incidence of particular health problems. BSBOHS507B – FACILITATE THE APPLICATION OF PRINCIPLES OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH TO CONTROL OHS RISK
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Competency check for Element 4
Key issues for each performance criterion in this section are as follows. 4.1 Research and identify characteristics of target groups:
• This includes size of workforce group or team, exposure to workplace agents, location of workers, types of roles and responsibilities, language and literacy, cultural background and empowerment and how these influence communication strategies such as accessing information and data, and the need for a non-intimidating and sensitive approach.
4.2 Interpret and discuss health effects with stakeholders that may result from work and the working environment:
• This requires an inclusive approach involving all stakeholders and in accordance with OHS legislation, using consultation and provision of information.
4.3 Implement communication strategies in accordance with legal and ethical requirements:
• This includes relevant legislative requirements on certain substances, agents and processes, privacy legislation, considering workers with special needs, confidentiality in providing individual health information.
4.4 Evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of health communication processes:
• It is important to check the comprehension, uptake and application of information, and the outcomes.
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Case Study 4
A plant producing aluminium window frames received complaints of excessive noise from nearby residents. Environmental consultants were brought in and as part of their survey occupational noise levels were also assessed. Noise levels in certain sections of the plant were found to have exceeded action levels set by the OHS authority.
Control of this noise led to several options: Time management within noisy areas – this was thought to be impractical. The second possibility was reduction of noise at source and this was achieved with some machines, providing an occupational payoff and also satisfying nearby residents. Where machinery modification was not practicable, hearing protection was the method of choice. Note that the OHS practitioner should access the relevant legislation and codes of practice, and databases which share, for example, solutions on noise control – in particular industries and processes.
See, for example: Victorian Workcover’s SHARE Solutions – http://svc034.wic117dp.server-web.com/awards/ Comment
The target group in this example will be those in the areas where hearing protection must be worn. In order to achieve effective hearing conservation, the type of protection will need to be matched to the preferences of the group and the noise profile of the particular machine operations.
Workers in those areas (and others who go into those areas) need to be informed and trained about the risks of noise, the relevant legislation and codes of practice, effective usage and care of hearing protection; and the specific strategies the organisation has in place to address the issue such as hearing conservation areas and audiometric testing.
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During the process, workers may have additional solutions to reduce noise at source. Measuring existing hearing may also take place to assess whether certain people working in noisy areas are at greater risk of developing communication difficulties because of existing hearing loss. So this audiometry may be done for ethical reasons or may be a legal requirement under the relevant OHS legislation. Not to do it could involve a later common law claim especially from someone who already has impaired hearing.
Clearly the target group needs to be monitored to assess the degree to which hearing protection is used and cared for.
Evaluation of checks on this by inspections and job observation sampling can be used to maintain the system, and reinforce the message through toolbox meetings and additional OHS information and training.
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Activity 4
Keep a copy of this Activity for your Assessment Portfolio.
Select a suitable workplace for addressing two occupational health issues of your choice. For example, they could be noise, hazardous substances, drugs and alcohol, fitness (diet, cardiovascular health, smoking), radiation, or infection by needlestick injury.
Identify the stakeholders and how you would address the problem, any legislation, codes of practice or guidance notes, what communication strategies you would use, any legal or ethical requirements, and how you would assess the effectiveness of the communication process.
Provide a short report to management. It should cover the following: • Which workplace did you select?
• Which two occupational health issues did you choose?
• Identify the stakeholders, and their interest in the matter.
• Who are the target groups to which you will communicate occupational health information and data?
• How did you select and research them?
• Identify key points on each health effect you would address in discussion with stakeholders.
• Explain any legal requirements or ethical constraints on your communications.
• Outline two different ways (one for each health effect) that you could use to evaluate how well the message has been received by the target groups.
• How would you assess the effectiveness of the occupational health incident reporting system?
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Element 5: MONITOR AND FACILITATE
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH EDUCATION AND TRAINING
In the previous element you considered discussion of health effects with stakeholders and communicating those effects.
In this element you consider the need for that training in consultation with stakeholders. You also consider who should deliver the training, the physical and financial resources needed and roles and responsibilities for training. The information provided must be ‘user-friendly’, and there will be a need to evaluate the training.
An important aspect is consideration of the legal requirements for training. OHS Acts contain a general requirement for provision of information, instruction and training. There are also specific regulatory requirements for induction and training in relation to health hazards; for example, hazardous substances, covering health risk and toxic effects, control measures, correct methods of use, correct care and use of personal protective equipment, and details of health surveillance. These requirements apply, for example, to use of glutaraldehyde as a sterilant by hospital workers. The legal requirements on personal protective equipment could include those requirements applying to supplied air respiratory equipment for use in certain toxic or oxygen-deficient atmospheres. Specific requirements also exist for work in confined spaces.
Consult your legislation as well as any training requirements in codes of practice or guidance notes.
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In order to complete this element of the competency unit successfully, you will have to show that you have satisfied the following performance criteria:
5.1 Identify the need for health information and data and training in consultation with workplace stakeholders.
5.2 Identify personnel, including health professionals and resources, to deliver the occupational health training.
5.3 Identify and allocate roles and responsibilities for delivery of training. 5.4 Provide health information and data, and education to managers and workers in a manner that facilitates understanding and uptake.
5.5 Apply training, evaluation and monitoring processes.
5.1 IDENTIFY THE NEED FOR HEALTH
INFORMATION AND DATA, AND
TRAINING IN CONSULTATION WITH
WORKPLACE STAKEHOLDERS
In Element 4 we identified some of the stakeholders in workplace health. These included employees; supervisors; managers; health and safety representatives; health and safety committees and their members; families of employees; and in some cases, the local community. In larger workplaces, collection of health data may take place using an in-house or partly in-house team. The occupational health nurse may be in-house, the occupational physician contracted-in. In smaller workplaces an outside consultancy can be used. Unfortunately, many smaller workplaces cannot or do not provide this collection of data unless an undesirable health effect actually occurs.
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Provision of appropriate training should be decided through the consultative process. This issue certainly falls within the functions specified in OHS Acts for health and safety representatives and committees. OHS representatives and committees should be involved in consultations on the analysis of OHS training needs, taking in to account Acts, regulations, codes of practice, guidance notes and standards; or if these representatives and committees do not exist in a workplace, there should be consultation between the employer and employees on these issues.
Smaller organisations can now get some free advice from a federal
DEWR–ASCC (Department of Workplace Relations–Australian
Safety and Compensation Commission) contractor, in WA from
WorkSafe, or in Queensland from Workplace Health and Safety.
Mandatory data transfer
For the mining industry, periodic compulsory medical test results and the results of dust and contaminant monitoring are collected by the government authority as a ‘stakeholder’. The health and safety committee and health and safety representatives should also be ‘in the loop’ with due regard to privacy.
It is important to consult the various stakeholders through OHS committees, management meetings and toolbox meetings to identify information and training needs. For more on training needs assessment see: www.adulted.about.com/od/trngneedsasst/Training_Needs_Asses sment.htm
5.2 IDENTIFY PERSONNEL INCLUDING
HEALTH PROFESSIONALS AND
RESOURCES TO DELIVER
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH TRAINING
In relation to training, we have noted that health professionals can be brought in as part of this training. Outside resources may be essential for smaller organisations and can include health promotion practitioners from government or private providers.
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Where possible, use relevant units from national training packages designed for particular industries, see: www.ntis.gov.au
Physical resources
Resources may include videos or DVDs, appropriate literature, stickers, and medical and biological test equipment. Resuscitation and first response (first aid) should be considered as they may be appropriate, eg if toxic or irritant gases are a stressor in that workplace. Training in biological hazards such as needlestick injuries in a hospital might require items such as syringes; syringe disposal units; an overhead projector or PowerPoint equipment; some microscope slides; a video or DVD on transmissible diseases and cytotoxic drugs and the corresponding player unit; and training notes and training assessment forms.
For chemicals, resources might include chemicals; labels; placards; the hazardous substances register; air and airflow monitoring equipment; examples of MSDS; examples of biological monitoring reports; and personal protective equipment.
5.3 IDENTIFY AND ALLOCATE ROLES
AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE
DELIVERY OF TRAINING
From a legal perspective, the duty to provide information and training, including induction training, rests with the employer. The employer must also ensure training from a recognised provider is available for health and safety representatives. The actual training role will depend on the size, structure and nature of the organisation. Supervisors or the health and safety or training officer may provide site induction training. If specialist training is necessary, an occupational hygienist may provide (or assist in providing) training in chemical hazards, an ergonomist in ergonomic problems, an occupational nurse in biological monitoring etc.
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An effective example of external provision of a general induction, including occupational health, is given below.
Common inductions
In the mining industry in Western Australia, a contractors’ organisation has been set up to provide a common induction – widely recognised across the industry and based on the competencies in the national metalliferous mining training package. It saves those who move from mine site to mine site undergoing multiple general inductions, and leaves site personnel free to back the induction up with training on site-specific aspects.
Similarly, but in accordance with legislation, the construction industry throughout Australia intends to provide induction training through a national competency unit.
Role of the OHS practitioner
The general OHS practitioner or specialised OHS practitioner, such as the occupational health nurse, can play a training role in both large and small organisations, whether they are in-house or contracted-in. The important thing is to decide who will take on the occupational health training role, what responsibilities they will have, and what authority, resources, time and budget they will be given (or if brought in, allocated for the last three).
5.4 PROVIDE HEALTH INFORMATION
AND DATA, AND EDUCATION TO
MANAGERS AND WORKERS IN A
MANNER THAT FACILITATES
UNDERSTANDING AND UPTAKE
Occupational health training should be affordable (at least from a time perspective) accessible and appropriate.
Language
Medical terms are often derived from Latin and an effort should be made to present them in straightforward simple language.
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Sometimes it will be necessary to explain basic human biology before occupational health issues can be discussed.
To assist readability, the SMOG test referred to earlier could be used when reviewing training material, see: www.hsph.harvard.edu/healthliteracy/how_to/smog_2.pdf Alternatively, reviewing the phrasing and word choice could be sufficient. Style of training
Training should be interactive, not just lecture style, and can take place both on and off the job. It should be stimulating and interesting enough to engage the trainee’s attention, and should include practical activities; for example, correctly putting on a respirator or inserting earplugs.
If possible, demonstrate noise level inside an earmuff. Use perfume to check the value of a cartridge respirator for gas. Have different styles of safety glasses on hand. Blow into a lung function test device. Make up a couple of simulative urine samples with a colour chart to discuss dehydration. Carefully explain permissible levels and why they are permissible.
Maximise the use of as many senses as possible in training, but remember people learn best by doing. Utilise their existing knowledge and skills and focus on their particular concerns.
5.5 APPLY TRAINING, EVALUATION
AND MONITORING PROCESSES
As monitoring and evaluation in general is discussed in the next
Element, here we will discuss only the evaluation of training. This can involve the immediate impact of the training and its impact back on the job, both short and long-term.
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Methods
A variety of methods such as questionnaires and interviews can be used to evaluate a program of training or a training session. If the subject matter is assessed, the assessments can be evaluated to see how well the training objectives were met. Also, a series of questions can be posed about trainee reactions to the different subjects, sessions and presenters, see: www.path.org/files/RH_PPIK_4.pdf#search='training%20session% 20assessment%20questionnaire
Evaluation
Training can be followed up by job observation sampling in the workplace. When a training issue is identified as a possible contributing factor, it is important to find out why the previous training was not followed and feed that back into the training program. This approach can be used to apply continuous improvement to the occupational health training provided.
Review
It is important to ensure that amendments to work instructions or procedures are incorporated into the training.
Competency check for Element 5
Key issues for each Performance Criterion in this section are as follows: 5.1 Identify the need for health information and data, and training in consultation with workplace stakeholders:
• This includes occupational health requirements in legislation and codes of practice, a training needs analysis, and the use of existing training package modules where possible, such as in the case of first aid.
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5.2 Identify personnel including health professionals and resources to deliver occupational health training:
• Effective trainers, adequate physical and financial training resources, including empowering workers to mentor other workers. 5.3 Identify and allocate roles and responsibilities for the delivery of training:
• This will follow from the nature of the training (eg general or specialised) and be included in position description forms or job descriptions or contracts.
5.4 Provide health information and data, and education to managers and workers in a manner that facilitates understanding and uptake:
• It is important to check the comprehensibility, understanding, retention, application of information and the outcomes; and to ensure that outcomes of health surveillance, such as biological monitoring and audiometry, and airborne contaminant monitoring and noise survey results are communicated effectively.
5.5 Apply training, evaluation and monitoring processes:
• Training assessments can be evaluated to see how well the training objectives were met, and training can be followed up by job observation sampling in the workplace.
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Case Study 5
Ethylene oxide is used for sterilising surgical equipment, but poses significant concerns in relation to toxicity and potential carcinogenic and reproductive effects. An independent occupational and environmental health clinic developed a training program for hospital sterilisation workers.
Comment
The training was participatory, involving workers in design, implementation and follow-up. Adults learn and change behaviour better if they participate, rather than using a trainer-centred approach. This includes adapting the subject matter to suit the workers’ needs. People learn better if they build their own understanding based on their own terms and frames of reference.
So the learners’ existing viewpoint, knowledge, motivation and the relevance of the training to them are important to the learning process. Therefore, the workers' involvement was emphasised in the first session. The trainer and others were to be resources and trainees were asked what issues should be addressed in the training. These were noted and formed the basis for training needs and goals. Other items to consider are:
• how to recruit trainers for the training
• setting the training objectives and outcomes – it may be possible to draw on units in existing packages
• the training techniques to be used – interactive, small group, demonstration, hands on, etc.
After training, questionnaires and follow-up sessions evaluated outcomes. There were also discussions between trainers and trainees, informal interviews, and trainer observations during scenario exercises. The post-training questionnaires (anonymous; multiple choice) backed up informal findings.
(With acknowledgement to La Montagne, Kelsey, Ryan and
Christiani, AJIM 22, 651-664. © John Wiley Inc, used with permission.) BSBOHS507B – FACILITATE THE APPLICATION OF PRINCIPLES OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH TO CONTROL OHS RISK
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Activity 5
Keep a copy of this Activity for your Assessment Portfolio.
In a suitable selected workplace of your choice, write a short training needs analysis reviewing the occupational health training which is provided. Include the following:
• How is the need for different forms of training identified?
• How are target groups identified, or is the whole workforce included? • What consultative approaches are used to develop training?
• What resources and personnel are used to deliver the training?
Why?
• How are the roles and responsibilities for training allocated?
• How is general occupational health information provided to staff, apart from through structured training?
• How is the occupational health training monitored and evaluated? BSBOHS507B – FACILITATE THE APPLICATION OF PRINCIPLES OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH TO CONTROL OHS RISK
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Element 6: REVIEW AND EVALUATE THE
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH PROGRAM
Finally, in this Element you consider evaluation of specific occupational health programs, the impact of the overall program, and why inputs such as the occupational health communication strategies and processes did or did not result in the desired outcomes. From this, recommendations can be made to improve future programs.
In order to complete this element of the competency unit successfully, you will have to show that you can:
6.1 Evaluate outcomes of occupational health programs through the evaluation plan.
6.2 Evaluate and document the overall impact of the occupational health program.
6.3 Make recommendations for future programs as a result of the evaluation. 6.1 EVALUATE OUTCOMES AND
DOCUMENT THE OVERALL IMPACT OF
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH EDUCATION
PROGRAMS THROUGH AN EVALUATION
PLAN
Running an occupational health program, as with any other program in the OHS plan, requires periodic evaluation to see how successful it has been.
Some outcomes in occupational health may require years of follow-up well beyond the expected time many employees will be with the organisation. This type of follow-up is only really possible with well-funded studies using adequate resources to track the people involved.
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The evaluation plan for the occupational health program, as distinct from evaluation of training, includes target group identification, consideration of the longer-term impact on the workforce resulting from interventions, and improvements to the workplace resulting from the overall program.
For example, the target group may be those workers who work in designated hearing conservation areas. The impact on the workforce in this case would be, in part, measured by the correct wearing of hearing protection. If it was a chemical program, the impact might be measurable by measuring airborne levels of the vapour, or by measuring the chemical or its metabolite (body breakdown product) in blood or urine.
Improvements to the workplace for a hearing conservation program could include installation of quieter machinery, better sound absorption or shielding on existing machinery, or enclosure of the noisiest machines.
Workplace-measurable outcomes
However, other types of programs do have measurable outcomes within timeframes of interest to stakeholders. For example, biological monitoring can be carried out of a toxic agent’s metabolite (a substance the body’s biochemical processes convert it to), or of a relevant biomarker in blood or urine. An example is blood cholinesterase testing in those using organophosphate pesticides. Film badges can be used to evaluate exposure to various forms of ionising radiation such as those in radiology laboratories, and personal noise dosimeters can do the same for noise.
Input evaluation
On the input side of occupational health, evaluation could include, for example, the rate of success of programs designed to get workers to wear brims on hard hats, safety glasses, suitable gloves, hearing protection, or respirators (which should only be used short-term), or the reduction of contaminant emissions, such as dust, through revised procedures.
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Methods
Evaluation methods can include:
• Epidemiological studies – for community-driven programs with an expected long timeline before meaningful results might be observed. One method of doing this is to use a control group who have not been subject to a health intervention, and see if there is any difference between them and the group subject to intervention, in relation to the change sought.
• Observations on the job, with the results subjected to proper statistical techniques, to see if there is a real difference after a change, such as acceptance of new protective eyewear on the job, or correct use of a new procedure or piece of equipment. Refer to any standard text on statistical techniques (see references for further information). • Confidential questionnaires.
• Structured interviews.
• Results of, for example, fitness and blood lipid tests, again checking them using statistical techniques.
• Other types of biological monitoring.
• Use of personal monitors, such as the film badges mentioned earlier or thermoluminescent dosimeters for ionising radiation, or absorptive badges for airborne chemical exposure.
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6.2 EVALUATE AND DOCUMENT THE
OVERALL IMPACT OF THE
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH PROGRAM
Corporate memory is vitally important to the good management of an organisation, because managers, workers and occupational health professionals move on. So once the individual areas or sub-programs (eg hearing conservation, manual handling, hazardous chemicals or radiation protection) have been assessed, the results and recommendations should be properly recorded and documented. Inspections and reports to health and safety committees also form part of the auditing of health and safety management systems.
Proper documentation of the overall impact of the program will generally form part of annual or periodic reports to management to allow them to assess the ongoing value of the programs and subprograms.
Sometimes OHS or heath authorities may review targeted programs in a range of organisations, collate the individual company experiences and evaluate their success.
6.3 MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
FUTURE PROGRAMS AS A RESULT OF
THE EVALUATION
Conclusions should be made on what worked or didn’t work, and when, where and why it worked or didn’t work, as well as a review of costs. Recommendations should follow and be implemented to ensure they form part of future programs or sub-programs. Even a limited program in a small organisation should be evaluated if money and resources are to be best utilised in the future.
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Some examples of actions which were successful might include the following:
• Safety glasses use has improved because glasses have been introduced which appeal to workers – they are fashionable as well as meeting the standard.
• A shiftwork, or a fly-in, fly-out management program has been made more successful because of the provision of computer/Internet access; so that workers on remote sites can read bedtime stories to their children by webcams.
• The introduction of portable pumps has removed the need for dipper or bucket transfer of solvents.
Some examples of lack of success could include the following:
• A better procedure for managing tender preparation was introduced to reduce stress, but it failed due to lack of proper training or provision of training resources.
• In workplaces with language and ethnic diversity: not tackling the language issue before moving on to the occupational health programs or sub-programs themselves.
• Failure to gain adequate acceptance of the sub-program through the workplace consultation process.
• Insufficient funding or resources to support the program or sub-program. Recommendations can then be made for the steps which should be taken to ensure future success. The key is to ensure that the source/s of the lack of success has/have been correctly identified.
Other general issues may arise; for example, results of audits or inspections may show that the target group was inadequately identified; or geographical location or individual workforce characteristics such as literacy may have been given insufficient attention. BSBOHS507B – FACILITATE THE APPLICATION OF PRINCIPLES OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH TO CONTROL OHS RISK
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Competency check for Element 6
Key issues for each performance criterion in this section are as follows. 6.1 Evaluate outcomes and document the overall impact of occupational health education programs through an evaluation plan: • This includes target group identification, impacts on the workforce and in particular the target groups, and impacts on improvements to the workplace resulting from interventions. It is important to use valid and reliable evaluation not just a ’feel good’ approach.
6.2 Evaluate and document the overall impact of the occupational health program:
• This is essentially a summation of what has been achieved in individual areas of the occupational health program, and will serve as a check on the design of the overall strategy.
6.3 Make recommendations for future programs as a result of the evaluation: • These need to be based on valid and reliable feedback, be practicable and written in a form suitable for the relevant management level to consider, and discussed through consultative mechanisms.
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Case Study 6
A program was developed to reduce waistlines. It was workplacebased, initially supported by government but later privately funded.
Its focus was the weight problems in male workers. The training and other materials and design of the program were specifically developed for middle-aged overweight men. Heavy drinking and
‘beer guts’ resulting from heavy drinking, lack of exercise and poor diet, may result from the demands of an away from home working lifestyle. The team worked with suitable staff in a company to run the program in a workplace. There were a number of sessions, with a view to getting the target group to change their lifestyle in small manageable steps. The key issues were better diet, reduced alcohol consumption and more exercise. There was a newer second stage aimed at stress and cancer. Various funding arrangements have been used.
The impact of the program was evaluated by monitoring the immediate objective using two easy-to-measure metrics. Most participants achieved a reduction in waist measurement. (72% achieving the goal of a 5% reduction). After 18 months, average weight loss was 4.4 kg. Some slipped back, but others went further. The change in waist measurement can be translated into reduced risk of cardiovascular disease or diabetes. Direct enhancement of immediate health status could also possibly be checked by using an appropriate questionnaire on quality of life.
Evaluating another secondary impact – company performance issues such as absenteeism, staff turnover, premature death or disability – could be monitored, perhaps by using a carefully selected control group. This process, however, would be lengthy and needs large sample sizes to be statistically significant.
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Ideally, the benefits should exceed the costs of implementation.
Risk factor modification, worker health status, worker morale, productivity and profit could all be explored, but this poses a complex task.
(Acknowledgement to Segal, L. Issues in the Economic Evaluation of Health Promotion in the Workplace, used with permission, and to Gary Egger.)
Comment
Evaluation of some areas of occupational health programs can be difficult, because work is not an isolated factor affecting well-being.
Lifestyle, psychological factors and work all interact. However, in the case study given above, evaluating the primary objective in the target group is relatively simple.
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Activity 6
Keep a copy of this Activity for your Assessment Portfolio.
In a suitable workplace of your choice, identify an occupational health program which is being run or could be run. This could include the more traditional ones such hearing conservation, chemical hazards, manual handling and biological hazards, such as prevention of infection by HIV/AIDS or Hepatitis B and C.
It could venture into sexually transmitted diseases other than
HIV/AIDS (partly sexually transmitted), managing a shiftwork lifestyle, fatigue management, diet, exercise, work life balance, smoking, substance abuse, or infection.
Or you may wish to include community health issues which are targeted through some workplaces, such as cancers (eg lung, breast, bowel, prostate, skin, cervix, testicular); women’s diseases
(osteoporosis, menopause-related illness, and urinary tract infection), eye disease, or blood disease (eg anaemia).
Explain how you would go about evaluating the program, and document and communicate the results of your evaluation, in a report to senior management.
Include the following:
• Describe the workplace – type of work, number of workers, worker profile (eg gender; age).
• Outline the occupational health program you have chosen.
• What were (or would be) the goals of the program?
• What specific targets were (or could be) set? These could be inputs (for programs with no measurable early outcomes such as osteoporosis) or outcomes (eg cardiovascular fitness programs).
• What tools were used (or would you use) for evaluation?
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REFERENCES USED IN THIS LEARNING GUIDE
• Koh, D., Chia, K.S., and Jeyaratnam, J. (2001). Textbook of
Occupational Medicine Practice. Singapore, World Scientific.
• ACGIH (current edition). Biological Exposure Indices. Cincinnati,
ACGIH.
• International Commission on Occupational Health. International Code of Ethics for Occupational Health Professionals. www.icohweb.org
• MARCSTA and Circadian Technologies (2001). Managing a Shiftwork
Lifestyle – A Personal Approach. Perth, MARCSTA
• Newton T.J. and Joyce A.P. (2001). Human Perspectives Book 1.
Sydney, McGraw-Hill
• Norman, D. (1988). The Psychology of Everyday Things. New York,
Basic Books.
• Shaw, J. Chase R., Moore L., and Toohey J. (1994) Occupational
Health and Safety. Sydney, Harcourt Brace. Part 7
• Taylor, G.A., Easter, K.M., and Hegney, R.P. (2003) Enhancing
Safety – A Workplace Guide 1, 4th ed., Perth, WestOne Services.
Chapters 7-9. See also www.enhancingsafety.com
• Taylor, G.A., Easter, K.M., and Hegney, R.P. (2003) Advancing Safety
– A Workplace Guide 2, 3rd ed., Perth, WestOne Services. Chapters
2, 4
• Taylor, G.A. (1999). Statistics and Probability Workbook ABD 717.
Perth, WestOne
• Training packages: www.ntis.gov.au
• Victorian Workcover Authority (1997). Getting Started with Workplace
Health and Safety.
• Wilson-Howarth, J. (2002) Bugs, Bites and Bowels 3rd ed. London,
Cadogan Publications Ltd.
• Workcover NSW (1998). Guidelines for Writing Work Method
Statements in Plain English.
• WorkSafe WA. Guidance Notes on Dealing with Bullying in the
Workplace – a Guide for Employees, Dealing with Bullying in the
Workplace – a Guide for Employers
• WorkSafe WA Code of Practice on Call Centres
• WorkSafe WA Code of Practice on Working Hours
• WorkSafe WA. Code of Practice on Workplace Violence.
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On-line unit test questions
As a final Activity, check your understanding of facilitating strategies to assist with controlling OHS risks associated with occupational health issues by answering the on-line test questions for the unit at the SafetyLine Institute: www.worksafe.wa.gov.au/institute The test questions have been taken from the Readings and
Resources for this unit as well as from this learning guide.
Keep a copy of your student record in your Assessment
Portfolio as evidence you have correctly answered the on-line test questions. Please note that you may be further questioned about the test questions during your Assessment
Interview.
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Integrated project
Keep a copy of this Project for your Assessment Portfolio.
By completing the activities, you have undertaken the actions necessary to facilitate the application of the principles of occupational health to control OHS risk.
While these activities have to be individually identifiable for assessment purposes, you should also present them in a way that provides an integrated report for your workplace and demonstrates that you can take the actions necessary to facilitate the application of these principles.
This will also give you the opportunity to check that you have provided evidence that you have:
• the required knowledge and understanding; and
• the required skills and abilities, which are outlined in the
Introduction to this unit.
You should try and integrate evidence of the required knowledge and skills into your report.
In your report, include reference to any legislation (Act or regulations), codes of practice, guidance notes or adopted standards in your jurisdiction which apply to your specific examples. Summative presentation
In addition to the written report, you are required to make an oral presentation to a workgroup (or a simulated workgroup), on the actions necessary to facilitate the application of occupational health principles.
You may select the format and approach that you consider is most appropriate to the workgroup, but you should take account of the
Project Review Checklist (see further on) that will be used to assess you.
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ASSESSMENT
Assessment portfolio from learning guide For BSBOHS507B – Facilitate the application of principles of occupational health to control OHS risk.
Note to participant
Any documentation provided as evidence must be prepared by you to a satisfactory standard and be in accordance with workplace procedures. When collecting material for your assessment portfolio, please ensure that the confidentiality of colleagues, workers and other persons is protected, and block out any sensitive information. If you have any doubts regarding confidentiality issues, contact the organisation concerned.
Participant’s name: _______________________________
Date: _______________________________ the box when you complete an activity from the Learning
Guide. Add the material from the activity to your assessment portfolio. Activity 1 Activity 2 Activity 3 Activity 4 Activity 5 Activity 6
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PAGE 82 SAFETYLINE INSTITUTE JANUARY 2008 On-line test questions Integrated project and presentation
Note:
Attach a copy of this document to your assessment portfolio, so that your assessor can see you have completed all the activities.
Assessor’s
signature:
Date:
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Project review check-list
For BSBOHS507B – Facilitate the application of principles of occupational health to control OHS risk.
Participant’s name: _______________________________
Date: _______________________________ the box if the learner has completed the following: Presented a written report on facilitating the application of principles of occupational health to control OHS risk. Given a summary oral presentation to a workgroup (or a simulated workgroup), that included and explained the following required knowledge and understanding: • Structure and forms of legislation including regulations, codes of practice, associated standards and guidance material. • Methods of providing evidence of compliance with OHS legislation. • Requirements under hazard-specific OHS legislation and codes of practice. • Hierarchy of control and considerations to choosing between different control measures, such as possible inadequacies of particular control measures. • Internal and external sources of OHS information and data. • How the characteristics and composition of the workforce impact on risk and a systematic approach to managing OHS; eg structure and organisation of workforce (casual and contract workers/shift rosters), language/literacy. • Hazards relevant to the particular workplace. • Sources of occupational disease and their prevention. • Basic knowledge of toxicology of hazardous materials and potential health effects in the workplace.
Assessor’s Signature: _________________________________
Date: ___________________________
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Third party (manager/mentor) report
For BSBOHS507B – Facilitate the application of principles of occupational health to control OHS risk.
Note to participant
Where possible, you should have an OHS practitioner as a mentor to assist in developing your practical skills in applying your knowledge. Your manager is also an important source of feedback on your competence, although from a different perspective. The assessor will arrange to meet with you and your mentor, coach or manager to discuss completion of the third party report. The third party report will support integrated assessment of this unit.
The mentor, coach or manager is required to provide the assessor with any relevant information. This report will be forwarded by the assessor to the candidate for inclusion in their assessment portfolio. The following is provided as the basis for a checklist for you and your mentor, coach or manager. Where you have both mentor and manager, you should complete separate forms. The checklist has been designed to reflect the performance criteria and to collect information about your demonstration of competence in the workplace. The assessor may use additional questions to address any need for supplementary evidence to support your competence.
Checklist
Did the Candidate satisfactorily: Yes No
1.1 Access external sources of information and data to assist in identifying agents in the workplace with a potential to adversely affect health? 1.2 Review workplace sources of information and data to access information to assist in identifying agents in the workplace with the potential to adversely affect health?
1.3 Consider the role of individual difference in susceptibility to occupational disease or injury in identifying adverse effects on health? 1. Identify the potential for adverse effects on health from agents in the workplace 1.4 Identify situations where health professionals may be required?
Comments:
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Did the Candidate satisfactorily: Yes No
2.1 Apply knowledge of sources of occupational disease and injury to analyse job characteristics and nature of work and the context of work to identify situations with the potential for physical or psychological harm to employees?
2 Identify the potential for adverse effects on health related to the interaction of the work environment, work systems and people
2.2 Access workplace and internal sources of information and data, taking account of privacy requirements, to assist in identifying situations with the potential for physical or psychological harm to employees? Comments:
3.1 Apply the hierarchy of control to control risks to occupational health?
3.2 Examine workplace policies, procedures and schedules to minimise situations with a potential to adversely cause physical or psychological harm?
3 Facilitate the control of risks to health in the workplace 3.3 Examine organisational communication processes to maximise clarity of roles and employee involvement?
Comments:
4.1 Research and identify target groups for advice?
4.2 Interpret and discuss health effects that may result from work and working environment with stakeholders? 4.3 Implement communication strategies in accordance with legal and ethical requirements?
4 Participate in the development of strategies to communicate occupational health information and data 4.4 Evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of health communication processes?
Comments:
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Did the Candidate satisfactorily: Yes No
5.1 Identify the need for health information and data, and training in consultation with workplace stakeholders? 5.2 Identify personnel, including health professionals, and resources to deliver the occupational health training? 5.3 Identify and allocate roles and responsibilities for delivery of training? 5.4 Provide health information and data, and education to managers and workers in a manner that facilitates understanding and uptake? 5 Monitor and facilitate occupational health education and training 5.5 Undertake training, evaluation and monitoring processes?
Comments:
6.1 Evaluate outcomes of occupational health programs through the evaluation plan?
6.2 Evaluate and document the overall impact of the occupational health program?
6 Review and evaluate the occupational health program
6.3 Make recommendations for future programs as a result of the evaluation? Comments:
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Comments: Further comments by assessor (if required)
Keep a record of the following:
Name of person completing checklist:
Background/
experience in topic (if any) Date:
Relationship to person being assessed (tick) Mentor/coach for Months Manager for Months
Other Months
(explain)
Team Manager/Mentor’s Signature: _______________________
Assessor’s Signature: _____________________________
Date: ______________________________
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Skills checklist
For BSBOHS507B – Facilitate the application of principles of occupational health to control OHS risk.
Candidate’s name
Assessor’s name
Work activity Application of principles of occupational health
Unit of competency BSBOHS507B – Facilitate the application of principles of occupational health to control OHS risk
Location
Instructions:
The candidate facilitates strategies to assist with controlling occupational health risks (may be simulated).
When facilitating strategies to assist with controlling occupational health risks, did the candidate demonstrate or provide evidence of the following abilities:
Yes No
Ability to communicate effectively with personnel at all levels of the organisation and OHS specialists and, as required, emergency service personnel?
Ability to prepare reports for a range of target groups including OHS committees, OHS representatives, managers and supervisors?
Ability to apply continuous improvement and action planning processes?
Ability to manage own tasks within timeframe?
Ability to employ consultation and negotiation skills, particularly in relation to developing plans and implementing and monitoring designated actions?
Ability to analyse relevant workplace information and data, and make observations including of workplace tasks, interactions between people, their activities, equipment, environment and systems?
Ability to use language and literacy skills appropriate to the workgroup and the task?
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Ability to use basic computer and information technology skills to access internal and external information and data on OHS?
The candidate’s overall performance met the standard: Yes No
Comments/observations:
Assessor’s signature
Candidate’s signature
Date of assessment
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Interview questions
For BSBOHS507B – Facilitate the application of principles of occupational health to control OHS risk.
Note to participant
The questions listed below cover the performance criteria for this unit and support your required knowledge and skills. The assessor can add to or modify these questions to suit the particular context.
Candidate’s name
Assessor’s name
Work activity Application of principles of occupational health
Unit of competency BSBOHS507B – Facilitate the application of principles of occupational health to control
OHS risk
Location
Instructions:
The candidate is required to provide verbal answers (using examples where possible) to the following questions that will be asked by the assessor. It is suggested that the interview should be a ‘conversation’. The interviewer should be prepared to insert his or her own questions to explore weaknesses, or other queries, that arise during the ‘conversation’.
Did the candidate satisfactorily answer the following questions:
Yes No
1. Name three occupational health hazards and describe the appropriate control measures. 2. As there is a large amount of occupational health on websites now, should you check the validity of the information and if so how?
3. What types of workplace information and data do you believe are of most use in addressing agents in the workplace which may affect health?
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Did the candidate satisfactorily answer the following questions:
Yes No
4. Individual susceptibility to some workplace agents varies. For which agents do you consider it is more important, and why?
5. Explain the difference between job characteristics, nature of work and the context of work. Describe an example of how the two interact, creating a potential for physical, physiological and psychological harm.
6. When can privacy requirements interfere with identifying situations which may cause harm to employees’ health? How would you deal with this?
7. How would you assess the scope and impact of individual susceptibility to a workplace agent in a particular workplace? 8. The hierarchy of control is an apparently straightforward approach to managing workplace health risks. By giving a couple of examples, show how choices of control measures on the hierarchy may be limited.
9. Explain how policies, procedures and schedules in a workplace can lead to adverse physical, physiological or psychological effects. Identify at least three key things to look for.
10. Describe what you believe makes communication in organisations effective in the area of occupational health, and why? 11. In communicating to the workplace about occupational health issues, indicate whether you think the information should be targeted, and how you would select the target groups. Why?
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Did the candidate satisfactorily answer the following questions:
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12. Give some of the stakeholders relating to the matter of effects on health from work.
Select one stakeholder group and explain your approach to interpreting and discussing occupational health issues with them. Are there any legal or ethical requirements you need to apply in doing this? 13. What would be your approach to monitoring and evaluating communication on occupational health issues in the workplace?
14. Explain how you would work with workplace stakeholders to develop suitable occupational health training.
15. Would you feel competent to deliver this training yourself? If so, are there any areas where you would look for outside
(or other) trainers? If so, explain how you would select a suitable trainer.
16. Describe how you would evaluate understanding and uptake of training.
17. Describe your planning to evaluate an occupational health program in a workplace. Are there any recommendations you anticipate you might need to make?
The candidate’s required knowledge was satisfactory: Notes/Comments:
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