CHC Community Services
Training Package Release 1.1
Learner Guide
Version 1
Training and Education Support
Industry Skills Unit
Meadowbank
Product code: 5780
HLTWHS001 Participate in workplace health
and safety: Children’s services
SAMPLE
© TAFE NSW (Training & Education Support, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2013
© TAFE NSW (Training & Education Support, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2012
HLTWHS001 Participate in workplace health and safety
Unit code Unit name Acknowledgments
The TAFE NSW Training and Education Support Industry Skills Unit, Meadowbank
would like to acknowledge the support and assistance of the following people in
the production of this learner resource guide:
Contributors:
Deborah Peters and Lisa Wallmeyer
Teachers, Child and Family Services
TAFE NSW
Reviewer:
Melissa Healy
Teacher, Child and Family Services
TAFE NSW
Project Manager:
Gail Horwood
A/Education Programs Manager
TAFE NSW
Further acknowledgments
A considerable amount of the material in this learner resource has been
developed from the following resource:
HLTWHS300A Contribute to WHS processes learner guide (2012)
Enquiries
Enquiries about this and other publications can be made to:
Training and Education Support Industry Skills Unit, Meadowbank
Meadowbank TAFE
Level 3, Building J,
See Street,
MEADOWBANK NSW 2114
Tel: 02-9942 3200 Fax: 02-9942 3257
ISBN 978 1 74236 488 9
© The State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Training,
TAFE NSW, Training and Education Support Industry Skills Unit,
Meadowbank, 2013.
Copyright of this material is reserved to TAFE NSW Training and Education Support
Industry Skills Unit, Meadowbank. Reproduction or transmittal in whole or in part,
other than for the purposes of private study or research, and subject to the provisions
of the Copyright Act, is prohibited without the written authority of, TAFE NSW.
Training and Education Support Industry Skills Unit, Meadowbank.
SAMPLE
© TAFE NSW (Training & Education Support, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2013
© TAFE NSW (Training & Education Support, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2012
HLTWHS001 Participate in workplace health and safety
Unit code Unit name Table of Contents
Introduction .................................................................................. 7
1. General introduction ........................................................................... 7
2. Using this learner guide ...................................................................... 7
3. Prior Knowledge and Experience .......................................................... 9
4. Unit of competency overview ............................................................. 10
5. Assessment ..................................................................................... 10
Section 1 – Follow safe work practices ........................................ 13
Workplace safety legislation ..................................................................... 13
Physical/environmental hazards ............................................................... 15
Electrical or mechanical hazards ............................................................... 19
Ergonomic hazards ................................................................................. 19
Biological/chemical hazards ..................................................................... 23
Psychological hazards ............................................................................. 25
Stress ................................................................................................... 35
Section Summary ................................................................................... 40
Section 2 – Contribute to safe work practices ............................. 41
Contributing to WHS in the workplace ....................................................... 41
NSW WorkCover ..................................................................................... 41
The employer/worker responsibilities ........................................................ 42
The worker ............................................................................................ 44
Grievances ............................................................................................ 48
Training ................................................................................................ 49
Injury management ................................................................................ 51
Workers’ compensation ........................................................................... 52
SAMPLE
© TAFE NSW (Training & Education Support, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2013
© TAFE NSW (Training & Education Support, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2012 Page 6 of 112
HLTWHS001 Participate in workplace health and safety
Unit code Unit name
Workplace policies and procedures ........................................................... 52
Manual handling ..................................................................................... 53
Lifting ................................................................................................... 54
Safe bending/stretching .......................................................................... 60
Safe standing ......................................................................................... 64
Carrying children .................................................................................... 64
Other hazards ........................................................................................ 64
Infection control and illness ..................................................................... 65
Contaminated waste disposal ................................................................... 68
Exposure to biological hazards ................................................................. 68
Personal, protective clothing .................................................................... 69
Section Summary ................................................................................... 70
Section 3 – Follow emergency procedures ................................... 71
Emergency ............................................................................................ 71
Fire and evacuation ................................................................................ 71
Chemical dangers ................................................................................... 81
First aid equipment ................................................................................. 85
Human threat ........................................................................................ 87
Section Summary ................................................................................... 89
Answers to activities ................................................................... 91
Section 1 ............................................................................................... 91
Section 2 ............................................................................................... 94
Resources .................................................................................... 97
Reference List ........................................................................................ 99
Other References .................................................................................. 107
Resource Evaluation Form ......................................................... 109
SAMPLE
© TAFE NSW (TES, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2013 Page 13 of 112
Unit code Unit name
HLTWHS001 Participate in workplace health and safety
Unit code Unit name Section 1 – Follow safe work practices
Workplace safety legislation
In the past, some workplaces have had unsafe and unhealthy work environments.
Workers had been frequently injured and disabled by usually preventable
workplace accidents and incidents. An injured worker results not only in the
worker suffering, but also impacts on the employer. An injured employee was
usually unable to earn an income, meet the cost of medical expenses incurred by
the injuries and frequently unable to ever return to work. The employer was
faced with loss of productivity, staff shortage, unhappy workforce and high costs
of replacement and retraining.
Workplaces in Australia today must abide by WHS legislations. These are
designed to ensure excellent workplace conditions and safeguard the health and
safety of employers, employees, clients and visitors. It is the responsibility of
all workers in the workforce to identify, control and manage all potential
and actual hazards.
There are several legislations and regulations that you must become familiar with
over the course of your study. These will enable you to protect yourself and
those you work with from preventable workplace accidents and injuries. The
main NSW WHS legislation can be found at the following web site:
http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au
SAMPLE
Page 14 of 112 © TAFE NSW (TES, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2013
HLTWHS001 Participate in workplace health and safety
Unit code Unit name
Activity 1.1
List 5 possible hazards you may find when entering an education and care service.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
SAMPLE
© TAFE NSW (TES, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2013 Page 15 of 112
Unit code Unit name
HLTWHS001 Participate in workplace health and safety
Unit code Unit name Risks can range from the ordinary to the extraordinary, for example: an educator
may catch an infection from an ill co-educator who did not wash their hands, or
an ill client just by being in the same environment as them. They may slip and fall
on improper floor coverings or may be stressed by a discriminatory staff member.
The job of maintaining the WHS standards in a workplace requires constant
vigilance and attention to detail. It is not a job that can be, or should be, done
by one or two people but by all educators in the workforce. Everyone, from the
most junior to the most senior educator, must be involved in risk management
and take responsibility for the safe working of their environment.
Identification of risks and hazards is the first step in risk management. Risks can
be divided into groups for ease of identification.
Physical/environmental hazards
Physical hazards are related to the working environment. Imagine that you have
a job that involves a large amount of computer hours. You are allocated a poorly
lit, small room with little air flow and a desk and chair that are at inappropriate
heights. Eventually your body and mind will feel the effects of these adverse
conditions. Your environment directly affects your health and safety. Seemingly
simple factors such as insufficient lighting can cause many potential problems –
for example difficulty reading instructions causing errors to be made, tripping
over or standing on unseen objects, eye strain or headaches.
One of the most common physical/environmental hazards in education and care
services is air quality. We must ensure sufficient natural air flow in the indoor
environment rather than the use of heating and cooling systems. Where air
conditioners are used the filters must be cleaned on a regular basis and the
heating cooling systems maintained regularly. It is also important to ensure
children spend time outside in the fresh air on a daily basis when possible.
SAMPLE
Page 16 of 112 © TAFE NSW (TES, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2013
HLTWHS001 Participate in workplace health and safety
Unit code Unit name
There is a vast potential for hazards in the physical environment. Untidy work
areas, protruding objects, falling objects, rugs to trip on, wet, slippery floors,
broken or old equipment. Even the basic requirements of sufficient heating,
cooling, lighting, and ventilation will make a difference to your health.
Activity 1.2
Based on your current place of work or study, list five (5) physical/environmental
hazards.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
SAMPLE
© TAFE NSW (TES, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2013 Page 17 of 112
Unit code Unit name
HLTWHS001 Participate in workplace health and safety
Unit code Unit name
NSW Workcover provides strict regulations on workplace climate controls,
lighting, heating, noise levels and air quality.
All workplaces must be sufficiently lit to enable workers to work safely
without glare or reflection. Flickering or broken lights should be fixed
immediately.
Adequate air movement is necessary to ensure the environment does not
become too hot and stuffy by using fans, opening windows or utilising air
conditioners. In the winter sufficient adjustable heating is necessary to
ensure comfort.
If a worker is to be exposed to loud noise over a length of time, ear protection
must be provided and used.
Activity 1.3
What possible health problems may the following environmental hazards cause?
Poor lighting
Hot working environment
Dusty environment
Noisy environment
SAMPLE
Page 18 of 112 © TAFE NSW (TES, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2013
HLTWHS001 Participate in workplace health and safety
Unit code Unit name
Physical hazards can be easily missed in environments where there are large
volumes of people or where it is very busy. Time is not always taken to fix or
even to notice a potential hazard. When the workplace is busy, replacing a bulb
or turning down the heating is not a priority. Objects and equipment are not
always placed in the correct places and potentially can be trip hazards or fall
down on educators causing injury.
Activity 1.4
* Read the Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011,
http://www.acecqa.gov.au
Note: that the Education and Care Services National Regulations are updated at
regular intervals, so ensure that you access the most current version.
Referring to one of the above documents list all the main references to health
and safety in the Education and Care Services National Regulations regarding the
physical environment.
SAMPLE
© TAFE NSW (TES, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2013 Page 19 of 112
Unit code Unit name
HLTWHS001 Participate in workplace health and safety
Unit code Unit name To lessen these hazards arising, employers must ensure:
There are routine checks of the physical environment
The work environment is organised and controlled
Staff must be aware of the importance of hazard identification.
Electrical or mechanical hazards
In all workplaces there is electrical or mechanical equipment that requires care
when using. This equipment includes dishwashers, light switches, toasters,
photocopiers, heaters etc. Even the simple task of using a photocopier must be
done with some care. For example ensuring that there is adequate access to the
photocopier, the room is well ventilated and care is taken when repairing paper
jams or replacing cartridges. All pieces of useable equipment should have
operation and maintenance instructions either attached to the machine or in an
accessible storage file. Any equipment in the workplace must to be used
according to the manufacturers’ instructions and only for the purposes stated by
the manufacturer.
All electrical circuitry or appliances must be checked, fitted and maintained by
properly qualified electricians. Equipment must be checked and tagged at least
every twelve months with some equipment required to be checked and tagged
more frequently, usually every six months. In workplaces where children attend,
or may visit, all power points must have safety plugs inserted, ensuring there is
no access to the electrical circuitry. Cables and wires must not create a trip
hazard. The use of cable ties or underground cables is essential. Electrical points
cannot be overloaded. It is very tempting to use a multi socket to allow more
electrical items to run off one circuit, however, this can lead to dangerous
overloading of the socket. Each workplace must be fitted with a safety cut-out
switch that will be of significant assistance should any power problem occur.
Ergonomic hazards
Ergonomic hazards are those related to the physical workplace tasks that
educators are required to perform such as lifting, carrying, data entry, putting
away stores, emptying bins or sweeping the floors. All of these tasks can cause
accidents or injuries if:
Unsuitable equipment is provided to undertake tasks, e.g. there is no
adjustable ladder to reach equipment on high shelves.
Tasks are performed in an unsuitable environment, e.g. you have very
little space to manoeuvre heavy equipment causing you to lift improperly.
SAMPLE
Page 20 of 112 © TAFE NSW (TES, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2013
HLTWHS001 Participate in workplace health and safety
Unit code Unit name
To reduce ergonomic hazards the employer must certify that:
1. The equipment used in the workplace is appropriate for that particular
workplace.
2. The design of the workplace is safe and operational.
3. Work procedures/practices are safe.
Activity 1.5
Provide an example of how your employer supports each of the following:
Supply of appropriate equipment
Safe/operational workplace design
Safe work practices
SAMPLE