SITXWHS007

implement and
monitor work health
and safety practices

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First published 2022

Version 1.1

RTO Works
www.rtoworks.com.au
[email protected]

© 2022 RTO Works

This resource is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review as
permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission as
expressed in the RTO Works License Agreement.

The information contained in this resource is, to the best of the project team’s and publisher’s knowledge true and
correct. Every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy, but the project team and publisher do not accept
responsibility for any loss, injury or damage arising from such information.

While every effort has been made to achieve strict accuracy in this resource, the publisher would welcome notification of
any errors and any suggestions for improvement. Readers are invited to write to us at [email protected].

Hospitality Works is a series of training and assessment resources developed for qualifications within the Tourism,
Travel and Hospitality Training Package.

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Contents
1: Work health, safety and security information 7
2: Monitor safe work practices 17
3: Consultative arrangements 23
4: Identifying hazards and assessing risk 29
5: WHS training 37
6: WHS recordkeeping 41

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 SITXWHS007 Implement and monitor work health and
safety practices

Application
This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to implement
predetermined work health, safety and security practices designed, at management level, to ensure
a safe workplace. It requires the ability to monitor safe work practices and coordinate consultative
arrangements, risk assessments, work health and safety training, and the maintenance of records.
The unit applies to all tourism, travel, hospitality and event sectors and to any small, medium or
large organisation.
It applies to those people who operate independently or with limited guidance from others. This
includes supervisors and departmental managers.
This unit incorporates the requirement, under state and territory work health and safety (WHS)
legislation, for businesses to take a systematic approach to managing the safety of their workers
and anyone else in the workplace.

The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory
legislation, Australian/New Zealand standards and industry codes of practice.
No occupational licensing, certification or specific legislative requirements apply to this unit at the
time of publication.

Prerequisite
Nil.

Learning goals
 Provide information on health, safety and security.

 Monitor safe work practices.

 Coordinate consultative arrangements for the management of health, safety and security
issues.

 Implement and monitor procedures for identifying hazards, and assessing and controlling
risks.

 Implement and monitor health, safety and security training.

 Maintain WHS records and reports.

Fact Sheets
 Fact Sheet 1 - Following Hygienic Work Practices

 Fact Sheet 2 - Food Safety Programs

 Fact Sheet 3 - Food Safety Laws, Regulations and Standards

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  Fact Sheet 4 - Managing Food Safety Risks and Hazards

 Fact Sheet 5 - Safe Food Handling

Overlap alert
Learners may already be familiar with the following concepts:

 cleaning and sanitisation

 safe food handling

 hygienic work practices

 food safety programs and laws, regulations and standards

 HACCP.

You might consider a brief refresher with an emphasis on applying the existing knowledge and
skills in the context of workplace health, safety and security in a commercial kitchen.

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1: Work health, safety and security information

Work health, safety and security (WHS) is an incredibly important aspect of anyone’s role in a
workplace. Without WHS policies, procedures, legislation and regulations, the number of workplace
accidents, injuries and illness would be very high.
WHS applies to everyone in the workplace. It is not simply the responsibility of management.

SHA RE PLAT E

In a small group, work together to brainstorm a list of accidents and injuries you believe would be
common to workers in the food services industry.
Share your thoughts in a discussion facilitated by your trainer.

WHAT’ S COO KI NG ?

In 2018 Safe Work Australia published a document called Priority industry snapshot:
Accommodation & food services. This document includes some interesting statistical information
about those working in food services.
Go to https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/system/files/documents/1807/accommodation-food-
services-priority-industry-snapshot-2018.pdf and read the information.
Share your thoughts about this document with your group in a discussion facilitated by your trainer.

WHS laws, regulations, codes and standards

In the hospitality environment, specifically that related to commercial cookery, there are a number of
WHS requirements that must be followed. These relate to WHS and also to food safety.
Each state and territory in Australia has its own WHS/OHS (occupational health and safety) laws and
regulations, as well as its own regulator.

Definitions

a piece of legislation that outlines the broad responsibilities/policy

Act
principles.

guidelines about specific areas that explain how the Act should be
Regulations
applied.

provide employers and employees with assistance on how to make

Codes of practice
sure they are following their legal and regulatory requirements.

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 specifications, procedures and guidelines in a specific area that
Standards assist in maintaining quality, reliability, safety and consistency
(such as the Food Safety Standards).

government bodies in each state that deal with matters relevant to

WHS regulators
WHS and enforce the laws.

Let’s have a look at specific work health, safety and security requirements. Note that the relevant
state or territory is named after the Act or regulation.

 Act: Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (ACT)

 Regulation: Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (ACT)

ACT
 Codes: ACT Codes of Practice

 Regulator: WorkSafe ACT

 Act: Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW)

 Regulation: Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017 (NSW)

NSW
 Codes: NSW Codes of Practice

 Regulator: SafeWork NSW

 Act: Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic)

 Regulation: Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 2017 (Vic)

Vic
 Codes: Compliance codes and codes of practice

 Regulator: Work Safe Victoria

 Act: Work Health and Safety Act 2012 (Tas)

 Regulation: Work Health and Safety Regulations 2012 (Tas)

Tas
 Codes: Codes of practice

 Regulator: WorkSafe Tasmania

 Act: Work Health and Safety Act 2012 (SA)

 Regulation: Work Health and Safety Regulation 2012 (SA)

SA
 Codes: Codes of practice

 Regulator: SafeWork SA

 Act: Occupational Health and Safety Act 1984 (WA)

 Regulation: Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 1996 (WA)

WA
 Codes: Approved codes of practice

 Regulator: WorkSafe WA

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  Act: Work Health and Safety (National Uniform Legislation) Act 2011 (NT)

 Regulation: Work Health and Safety (National Uniform Legislation)

NT Regulations 2011 (NT)

 Codes: Codes of Practice and other guidance material

 Regulator: NT WorkSafe

 Act: Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)

 Regulation: Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)

Qld
 Codes: Codes of practice

 Regulator: Work Health and Safety Queensland

 Act: Work Health and Safety Act 2011

 Regulations: Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011

Commonwealth
 Codes: Model Codes of Practice

 Regulator: Safe Work Australia

WHS harmonisation
WHS legislation has been harmonised with the aim to have balanced and nationally consistent WHS
legislation. The Commonwealth legislation and regulations listed above are the framework to which
most Australian states and territories (with the exception of Victoria and Western Australia) have
modelled their own legislation and regulations.

WHAT’ S COO KI NG ?

Use the Internet and take some time to browse the website of your state or territory’s regulator. You
will find resources, industry specific WHS information and WHS news.
Take notes on what you learn.

WHS responsibilities
As mentioned above, everyone is responsible for a safe workplace. Let’s now look at the roles and
responsibilities of employers and employees in relation to WHS.

Duty holders
A duty holder refers to any person who is responsible for ensuring the safety of a group of people
or an organisation. The WHS Act and WHS Regulations require:
‘persons who have a duty to ensure health, safety and security to ‘manage risks’ by eliminating
health, safety and security risks so far as is reasonably practicable, and if it is not reasonably
practicable to do so, to minimise those risks so far as is reasonably practicable’
(source: https://www.comcare.gov.au/promoting/duty_holders).

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 A duty holder can be:

 a PCBU

 an officer

 a worker

 other, such as volunteer.

See http://www.comcare.gov.au/promoting/duty_holders for more information about duty holders.

Employer responsibilities
Employers are legally obligated to ensure that their workplace is safe for all employees and visitors.

 All employees must be provided with the necessary training and information to ensure they can
work safely (aside from the ‘standard’ WHS training, this will include food safety and chemical
safety).

 Information must be provided in a language and format that employees are able to read (not all
employees may be comfortable reading English-language documentation.

 Personal protective equipment must be available for all employees.

 All equipment on site must be safe and regularly maintained.

 Employers must ensure employees are not bullied, harassed or intimidated at work.

 Systems and processes must be in place

for hazards to be reported.

 The workplace environment must be free

of hazards and safe for employees and
visitors.

 Notifiable incidents must be reported to

the state or territory regulator.

 Physical health of employees must be

monitored (especially important in food
services).

 Employers must have a WHS record

keeping system in place.

 Employees must be encouraged and feel

free to contribute to consultative activities.

 WHS policies, procedures and forms

must be in place and employees must
know where to locate them. Image by Pixabay on Pexels

Employee responsibilities
Employees are also obligated to ensure that the workplace is safe for their fellow colleagues and
visitors.

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 Participate in WHS training as required of their job role, and any refresher training.

 Employees must have the required qualifications, certificates or licences that are relevant to their
job role.

 Be familiar with, and be able to access, WHS information related to their job role.

 Report any unsafe practices observed.

 Wear the personal protective equipment required of their role.

 Work and behave in a safe manner at all times, thus ensuring as much as is practicable, their
own safety and that their colleagues and visitors/customers to the workplace.

 Use equipment safely by following manufacturer’s instructions, reporting faults or other issues,
and using the equipment for its actual purpose.

 Follow instructions provided by the employer (unless they are deemed unreasonable).

SHA RE PLAT E

Share with the group why you believe employers and employees have the responsibilities listed
above, and what could happen if either party did not meet their responsibilities.
Share your findings with your group in a discussion facilitated by your trainer.

When we talk about safety, it is common to think only about physical safety. However,
safety also includes personal welfare/wellbeing. Occupational violence and bullying
and harassment have been given greater publicity in recent times. This type of
behaviour can come from not only those you work with, but also customers, suppliers
and others external from your workplace, but who you interact with as part of your job
role.

WHAT’ S COO KI NG ?

Have a look on your state or territory regulator’s website and see what you can find about
occupational violence, harassment and bullying.
Share your findings with your group in a discussion facilitated by your trainer.

WHAT’ S COO KI NG ?

Use the Internet and locate at least three examples of either news articles or case studies that
relate to poor work health, safety and security practices in the food services industry.
Share your findings with your group in a discussion facilitated by your trainer.

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WHS information
In any workplace there is a broad range of WHS information:

 policies

 procedures

 checklists

 forms

 fact sheets

 signage.
Just to name a few!
Regardless of how WHS information is presented, it must be
presented in a way that can be accessed and interpreted by all
employees.
Image by Taufan Kharunia on Pexels

WHAT’ S COO KI NG ?

Go around your workplace or the training kitchen/premises and see how many WHS-related pieces
of information you can find.
Share your findings with your group in a discussion facilitated by your trainer.

Many workplaces who encourage sustainable practices keep their policies, procedures, forms and
checklists on an intranet or on a drive that everyone can access. Other workplaces may have folders
with hard copy WHS paperwork available in easy-to-access locations. Signage should be placed in all
relevant locations where it is easy to see and read.

WHS record keeping

As part meeting their legal requirements, employers must keep records related to WHS, including
those related to:

 training

 licensing

 induction

 incident registers/reports

 minutes from any WHS meetings (we will discuss this more in topic 2)

 equipment maintenance, repair and inspection activities

 hazard identification and risk assessments

 safety data sheets

 safe work method statements

 health monitoring.

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We will discuss WHS record keeping further in topic 6.

WHS training
As mentioned above, WHS training is part of the responsibilities of both employers and employees:
the employers must provide it, and the employees must participate in it.
Training is important to keep your skills and knowledge up to date. In the context of WHS, it means
you will be prepared to identify and address, within your level of responsibility, workplace hazards,
and be able to work safely and not put yourself and others at risk of harm. WHS training often occurs
as part of induction and refresher trainer occurs at designated times.
We will discuss WHS training in more detail in topic 4.

Emergency and security procedures

Emergency procedures
All workplaces will have a set of procedures related to emergencies and securities. Emergency
procedures will address what to do in situations such as fire, flood or severe weather, bomb threat,
chemical spills, gas leaks and so on. Workplace accidents and injuries will often be addressed in
procedures related to first aid or similar.
These procedures will provide advice on when to call emergency services (000).
In a commercial kitchen, which has a high risk of fire, you must know the location of:

 first aid kits

 firefighting equipment including fire blankets, fire extinguishers, hose reels and so on

 nearest landline telephone if available (in case mobile phone access is not available)

 emergency exits.

WHAT’ S COO KI NG ?

Go around your workplace or the training kitchen/premises and look for the following:

 emergency evacuation plan

 emergency exits

 emergency/fire alarm button

 first aid kit/s

 safety signage.
Review the evacuation plan and the evacuation procedures that your trainer will provide.

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 WA TC H AN D L EAR N

Now that you have reviewed the emergency procedures, you will need to participate in an
emergency evacuation.
Like any emergency, you won’t know when this will happen or what the emergency is. Your trainer
is going to tell you at some stage during your learning for this unit that there is an emergency. You
must all take this seriously and leave the building safely, following procedures to meet at the
emergency assembly area.

Do not call for emergency services, this is only a drill!

Note that there will not be any alarms set off for this task – if you hear alarms or announcements
over a speaker system, you should assume that there is a real emergency evacuation required and
follow procedures.

WA TC H AN D L EAR N

Your trainer will provide you with a copy of an accident/incident form and explain how it is filled out
and what happens once it is completed.
Your trainer will give you a scenario. You will need to fill out the form and include all required
information.

WA TC H AN D L EAR N

Your trainer will show you the following equipment and where it is located:

 fire blankets

 fire extinguishers

 fire alarm

 fire hose reel.

Security procedures
Security procedures will address issues such as:

 cash management, for example:

o theft
o procedures on how money is handled on site
o transporting cash to the bank

 documents, for example information and data privacy, and communication of such
documentation

 equipment, for example:

o theft
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 o security of the building/venue (ie lock up, alarms etc)

 keys and/or swipe cards, including:

o distribution of keys/cards (ie who gets them)
o what happens when keys/cards are lost
o key/card registers
o return of keys/cards upon termination of employment.
Procedures will also include what must be done if a security risk has been identified.

Hazardous substances
In the commercial kitchen you will handle hazardous substances on a regular basis. This will include
at a minimum the cleaning products and pest control products used.
All workplaces are required to have a safety data sheet (SDS) register on site that provides
information about all hazardous substances available for use. SDSs include information about:

 safe handling  storage

 personal protective equipment required  mixing/dilution (and whether they can be

used with other substances)
 first aid procedures
 disposal.

The chemical label on the container will also provide safety information, yet in a shortened format.
Part of training must include chemical safety training, as incorrect handling and use of hazardous
substances can lead to fire, personal injuries and damage to equipment and surfaces.

WHAT’ S COO KI NG ?

Locate at least three hazardous substances that you will regularly use in the training kitchen or your
workplace and locate the safety data sheets for each.
Review the sheets carefully so you understand how to work with them safely. Also read the
chemical label carefully. Make sure you know what to do if you or someone you work with was
affected by the chemicals.
If there are any words or symbols in the SDS or on the label that you do not understand, use the
Internet to research them. A lack of understanding can be dangerous when working with hazardous
substances!

Food safety
Although food safety has a separate set of legislation, regulations and standards, it is still a key
component of ensuring a safe and healthy workplace for not just staff, but customers.
If your workplace is not following food safety laws, it is not a safe workplace! Poor food safety
practices lead to unhygienic workplace. This increases the chance of staff and customers becoming ill
through food and air borne illness.
The consequences of poor food safety practices can be far reaching, and can include prosecution,
employees being terminated, poor reputation to the business, fines and so on.
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 Image by Obi on Unsplash

Safe and hygienic work practices in the kitchen are addressed in the following units:

 SITXFSA005 Use hygienic practices for food safety (which you will already be
familiar with)

 SITXFSA006 Participate in safe food handling practices.

If you have already completed these two units you will have read the Fact Sheets
below. If you have, feel free to look over them again as a refresher or you can
move on.

TIM E FO R S OM E FACT S

Look at the following Fact Sheets:

 Fact Sheet 1 - Following Hygienic Work Practices

 Fact Sheet 2 - Food Safety Programs

 Fact Sheet 3 - Food Safety Laws, Regulations and Standards

 Fact Sheet 5 - Safe Food Handling

If you have already looked at these Fact Sheets you can move on or review them to refresh your
memory.

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2: Monitor safe work practices

As mentioned in the previous task, everyone in the workplace has a responsibility to ensure a healthy
and safe work environment. In this topic we will discuss how to monitor not only your own work
practices, but the practices of others around you.

Workplace policies and procedures

One of the core pieces of information that helps you to
work safely are WHS policies and procedures and
those related to health, safety and security. Key
policies and procedures include:

 work health, safety and security

 hazardous substances

 food safety

 risk assessment (may also be incorporated into

the WHS policy and procedure)

 incident and accident reporting (may also be

incorporated into the WHS policy and procedure)

 cleaning and sanitisation

 equipment use and maintenance

 security

 emergencies and evacuation.

All employees must be familiar with these procedures
and their requirements. They are generally given to
employees upon induction. Employees are notified
should any updates be made to these documents. Image by Polina Zimmerman on Pexels

WHAT’ S COO KI NG ?

Use the Internet to locate at least three different types of WHS policies and procedures. Try to find
some that relate to businesses in the food services industry.

If you are in a workplace, locate at least three WHS policies and procedures of that workplace.

WHAT’ S COO KI NG ?

Your trainer is going to run a quiz on safe work practices. For each scenario they put forth, you are
to write down whether the person or situation is in breach of WHS policies and procedures.

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Ongoing compliance
As the activity above would have shown you, it is well and good having WHS policies and procedures
in place, but there is always a risk that they are not followed. This can occur due to:

 feeling rushed and wanting to take short cuts to get a job done

 lack of training

 not being updated on specific changes to policies and procedures

 not being inducted properly

 being influenced by other people’s poor work practices

 tiredness and stress affecting your judgment

 being told by someone else to do something unsafe, and feeling like you must do so

 becoming indifferent or nonchalant to safe work practices (for example, you may have been
doing certain activities/work for such a long time that you end up on ‘auto pilot’).
Unfortunately, there are also those who simply don’t think WHS important and that all the policies,
procedures, training, and ‘talk’ are a waste of time and that you only need common sense.

Here are some safe work practices that can easily be monitored to ensure a WHS compliant
workplace:

 Observe your own work performance and role model healthy and safe practices.

 Observe the work of others and take action to talk to them about what they may be doing
wrong.

 Report immediately to your supervisor if you see something that could be hazardous.

 Clear hazards from the immediate work area and report.

 Complete all record keeping requirements.

 Follow the direction of:

o safety signage
o supervisors
o managers
o policies and procedures.

 Handle chemicals, poisons and dangerous materials safely

 Take short breaks away from stressful situations involving difficult colleagues and customers.

 Take designated breaks and rotating tasks.

 Use safe manual handling techniques for shifting heavy items.

 Use equipment designed to assist with or replace manual handling.

 Use ergonomically sound furniture and workstations.

 Wear personal protective equipment and clothing as required of the job.

 Apply safe posture and movements, including sitting, standing and bending.

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  Do not rush around a busy kitchen.

 Be aware of what other people are doing around you.

 Work safely with knives to avoid injury.

 Work safely with hot equipment to avoid injury.

What should you do when you see something wrong?

As soon as you see something that you believe is an unsafe or unhealthy practice, you should report
it immediately. If you are working in a team leader role, this will include talking to the person who is
demonstrating non-compliant behaviour and making sure they understand the impact of what they are
doing. It is also important at this stage to determine why the person is acting in such a way: getting
the cause of the problem can help you identify whether there is an issue among those in the team
(such as lack of training or awareness of safe work practices, stress etc) or whether the issue is with
the individual only.
Effective communication strategies are important when dealing with people who are demonstrating
non-compliant behaviours.
When we talk about effective communication skills, we are referring to:

this is when you are not just hearing what the other person says, but are
understanding what they are really saying; active listening involves
nodding, leaning forward and using positive body cues to encourage the
active listening
person to share their thoughts; a key aspect of active listening is to show
you are engaged and not distracted, as this gives the other person more
confidence to open up

there are a number of questioning techniques that can be used: the most
common are open questions (where you want detailed information to be
provided), closed questions (where you are looking for a specific answer
which may consist of a one-word answer or an exact answer) and
questioning
probing questions (where you want to dig deeper into something that the
other person has raised or mentioned in passing); questioning is the best
way to find out why the person is not demonstrating safe and healthy
work practices

these techniques can be used to confirm and clarify information and

instructions; with summarising, you are taking the key points from what
techniques
the other person has said and reflecting them in a succinct manner; with
such as
paraphrasing, you are taking what they have said and explaining it in
summarising
your own words, but not cutting down the message or the intent; these
and
techniques are good to get confirmation from the other person that you
paraphrasing
have understood them correctly, and it also shows that you have listened
carefully to them

the ability to adjust the way in which you communicate depending on the
style of audience (for example, it would be expected that you communicate more
communication formally with someone in your work team if you are having to discuss
their non-compliant practices)

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 not just being aware of your own body language, but that of others; a
person’s words may not reflect what is being shown by their facial
expression or posture; a good communicator is able to use their own
body language
body language to show interest and engagement, and is able to observe
the body language of others to interpret the meaning behind their words
or how they are feeling at that time

this can relate to the way in which a person speaks, the words they use
and the impact of these words; careful phrasing of requests, criticisms or
feedback is imperative as not everyone may interpret information the
respectful and same way as it was intended (especially important when communicating
sensitive in writing); you will also work with people from diverse backgrounds,
approaches abilities and cultures, therefore it is important that your communication is
respectful and sensitive (especially when there is the potential for
someone to claim they are being discriminated against or treated
unfairly).

Part of working with the person will include explaining (and perhaps demonstrating) the correct
practices. When explaining WHS practices, you should:

 use language that the other person can understand

 explain how the correct practice and their practices don’t align/match

 explain how their practices are unsafe and what could go wrong if they continue to do the unsafe
activity

 explain the impact of their practices on the workplace, including other employees

 explain the correct practice (with demonstration as required)

 provide the person with information to read and review as a form of refresher.

 determine whether the person needs any training.

When demonstrating activities/tasks to someone, you should consider the following:

 Show the person the right way to do the task, explaining any key steps and processes or why the
steps and processes lead to safe and healthy outcomes. Do this slowly so the person is able to
see exactly what you are doing. Allow the person to ask questions.

 Repeat the task but get the person to do the task by following you at the same time. Provide
feedback and allow them to ask questions.

 Let the person do the task themselves, with you observing. Provide feedback and allow them to
ask questions.
There is a simple way to remember this process:

 I do it

 We do it

 You do it.

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 WA TC H AN D L EAR N

Poor manual handling can lead to injuries. It’s surprising how many people either do not know how
to lift things properly, do not bother using the techniques they have learned, or do not realise they
have gone astray.
Your trainer is going to demonstrate how to use correct manual handling techniques.
The point of this activity is for you to see the way in which you should show someone how to do
something correctly, giving them the feedback and time to correct their actions.

As part of the activity, you will get a chance to lift an item using the techniques shown by your
trainer. Make sure you do this as shown.

WHAT’ S COO KI NG ?

You are going to role play a discussion with someone in your group. You will have seen this person
demonstrate some unsafe practices in the kitchen. You are to talk to them about:

 what you have seen

 why their behaviour was unsafe

 what could have happened next time such as the consequences of their behaviour

 how the practice should be performed

 how they will be monitored to make sure they are doing things properly in future.
Also encourage them to use this discussion as an opportunity to put forth their thoughts or opinions
about safe work practices.

You may need to complete an incident report and report to your supervisor. This will depend on your
workplace’s procedures and the severity of the situation you witnessed. However, reporting to your
supervisor is always the best approach because they will be able to put controls in place to reduce the
possibility of the situation occurring again.

Monitoring day-to-day effectiveness of WHS practices

Everyone in the workplace should take a proactive approach to WHS rather than a reactive approach.
This means that you are always looking out for health, safety and security issues and taking action
before there is an incident rather than taking action after an incident has occurred.
Ways in which to monitor effectiveness can include:

 talking to others in the workplace

 observing the practices of others

 checking your own practices

 taking action as soon as an issue is identified, even if it hasn’t led to an incident yet

 looking for potential hazards in the work environment, especially if situations, environments or
equipment change
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 having regular WHS meetings, or adding WHS to standard work meetings

 encouraging employees to put forth their opinions and thoughts about WHS (we will discuss this
more in the next topic)

 reviewing near misses to determine what caused them.

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3: Consultative arrangements

A person conducting a business or undertaking must consult, so far as is reasonably practicable, with
workers who carry out work for the business or undertaking and who are (or are likely to be) directly
affected by a health, safety and security matter. Consultation is a legal requirement. Consultation
should be a communicative, two-way process and consider the geographical location, availability and
diversity of workers. Effective consultation:

 considers workplace culture

 is led by senior management

 provides contribution and feedback

 integrates with other systems in the organisation.

Consultation can lead to fewer workplace injuries and it can provide a way to discuss and share WHS
concerns, identification of hazards and risks, implement solutions, and contribute to decision making.
Consultation can be through elected health and safety representatives and/or health and safety
committees.

Health and safety representatives

You may have already heard the term health and safety representatives (HSRs), or this may be the
first time you have heard about them.

Some workplaces will have an HSR. Some may have more than one, depending on its size and the
different types of work that is conducted. This person is normally elected by the employees to
represent them in relation to work health, safety and security issues. This role is important as not all
employees may feel comfortable approaching management about work health, safety and security
issues, especially if it involves reporting something they have seen another person do.
Employees can talk to the HSR about their concerns, who will then discuss them with management.
This encourages a consultative environment.

Image by Mealpro on Unsplash

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Health and safety committees
Health and safety committees consist of a group of workplace representatives who work with the
employer to discuss and act on WHS issues. The committee can include HSRs. Committees are
usually created in large workplaces so that representatives from different departments or areas can
come together to talk about health safety.
A good example of when a committee m required is in a hospitality venue that includes
accommodation, food and beverage services (such as a restaurant, bar and café), health and fitness
(such as gym and spa facilities), gaming facilities and events. Each of these venues will have quite
different concerns about health, safety and security.

LI FT THE LI D

Have a look on your state or territory regulator’s website about the role of an HSR and:

 how they are elected

 their responsibilities and powers

 how they work with both employees and the employer.

Share your findings with your group in a discussion facilitated by your trainer.

LI FT THE LI D

Watch the following video on a day in the life of a health and safety representative.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=a2tgvsCtKuA&feature=emb_logo
(01:48)
Share your thoughts with your group in a discussion facilitated by your trainer.

Effective consultation for health, safety and security risks

in the workplace

LI FT THE LI D

Your trainer will show a video developed by SafeWork NSW that discusses WHS consultation.
Consultation@work: the basics.
Video: https://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/safety-starts-here/consultation@work (04:40)
Share your thoughts in a discussion facilitated by your trainer.

Consultation gives people the opportunity to participate and share information about work health,
safety and security.

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Consultation is a legal requirement and an essential part of managing health, safety and security
risks.
Consultation with employees must take place for work health, safety and security matters including:

 undertaking risk management activities

 proposing changes that may affect the health, safety and security of workers

 making decisions about any work health, safety and security procedures

 the adequacy of facilities for the welfare of workers.

When you share WHS duties with another employer or business, you must consult, cooperate and
coordinate with each other and any workers of the business whose health, safety and security is likely
to be affected.
Consultation arrangements include:

 establishing consultation arrangements that suit the consultation needs of employees

 electing health and safety representatives to represent and investigate health, safety and security
issues

 health and safety committees facilitating cooperation and helping to develop work health, safety
and security policies, standards, rules and procedures

Image by Mealpro on Unsplash

Information gained from consultation can occur through:

 examining Commonwealth and state or territory WHS Acts, regulations and codes of practice

 checking equipment before and during work activities

 consulting work team members through daily informal consultation as well as regular formal
meetings

 housekeeping

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 reviewing health, safety and security records, including hazard reports, hazardous substances
and dangerous goods registers, and injury records

 WHS audits and review of audit reports

 workplace inspections in area of responsibility.

The type of consultation procedures will vary, however there are some commonalities that apply, such
as:

 attendance of health and safety representatives at management and WHS meetings

 early response to employee suggestions, requests, reports and concerns

 election of health and safety representatives according to legislative requirements

 formal and informal WHS meetings

 development of health and safety committees

 individual performance management processes

 other committees, for example planning and purchasing

 requirements as specified in Commonwealth and state or territory WHS Acts, regulations and
codes of practice.

SHA RE PLAT E

Share with the group your thoughts about the following:

 What do you think makes effective consultation?

 What would be the benefits of consulting with employees when undertaking risk management?
Share your thoughts in a discussion facilitated by your trainer.

Consultative processes
A list of approaches to consultation has been provided below. The mechanisms used will vary
according to the size of the workplace but these are common ways of getting others involved.

 A diary, whiteboard or suggestion box used by staff to report issues of concern.

 Fact sheets to fully inform personnel about WHS rights and responsibilities.

 Formal WHS representatives and committees.

 Formal meetings with agendas, minutes and action plans.

 Informal meetings with notes.

 WHS discussions with employees during the course of each business day.

 Recording issues in a management diary.

 Regular staff meetings that involve WHS discussions.

 Seeking staff suggestions for content of WHS policies and procedures.

 Special staff meetings or workshops to specifically address WHS issues.

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 Staff handbook containing WHS information.

 Surveys or questionnaires that invite staff feedback on WHS issues.

Dealing with issues raised

Each workplace will have different processes, however the committee or the HSR will generally
present issues to management. This may occur at a formal meeting or via email. Management will
work with the committee or the HSR to come up with solutions or ways in which to handle the issues
raised. Let’s look at an example.

Vlad is the new HSR at Argus Hotel. Argus has a restaurant and accommodation of 30 rooms. Vlad
has noticed an increase in near misses and minor incidents recently across both the
accommodation and kitchen staff. He decides to create a survey to encourage anonymous
feedback from employees.
Vlad puts the survey forms in the staff room alongside a locked box. He gives employees a week to
fill out and return the survey.
Due to the anonymity of the survey, Vlad’s work is a success. He discovers:

 there are quite a few employees who are new to Argus

 new employees have not felt their induction training was enough

 two respondents said that the training received was some of the worst they have had during
their career

 some respondents said they don’t know where to find WHS policies and procedures.
Vlad uses this information and other details from his survey to create a report for management that
includes some graphs that visually represent the results. He includes his own recommendations
about what should be done, which will help guide management in the right direction. He distributes
the report to management via email, with the understanding a meeting will be held to discuss
actions to be taken.
Vlad meets with management a week later and they undertake a ‘walk through’ of the hotel to look
at areas that need improvement. Management speak to employees informally and encourage them
to provide further feedback.
Vlad is able to get the following actions taken:

 the induction process is reviewed and updated, with feedback provided from new employees

 WHS policies, procedures, checklists and forms are reviewed, updated and placed in a folder
in the kitchen

 steps are taken to have documentation and information uploaded to the staff online portal,
which will be located in a new section called ‘WHS’

 the hotel runs an emergency evacuation drill so that everyone knows the process

 the locked box remains in the staff room with a notepad and pen beside it so employees can
contribute their thoughts at any time.

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Outcomes of consultation
Once consultation has been undertaken it is important to communicate outcomes as quickly as
possible. This ensures employees have been kept informed and the any issues can be actioned
promptly. Outcomes may be communicated via:

 a formal meeting or presentation to discuss outcomes with employees

 publishing information on the Intranet

 sending an email with a report on outcomes

 distributing any analyses, documents or supporting information

 informal discussions with supervisors

 on a noticeboard in a communal area, such as the staff room.

Vlad sends an email to all employees at the hotel explaining the outcomes of the survey. He also
explains that a newsletter will be posted on the staff portal and on the noticeboard in the staff room.
He thanks employees for their time and support during the process and encourages them to
continue speaking up when they see things that they feel are not right. He reminds them of the
suggestion box and also says that he is available any time to chat about anything work health,
safety and security related.

WHAT’ S COO KI NG ?

Assume you work for the Argus Hotel in Vlad’s role. Create a WHS survey that could be given to
staff that would help them provide information about the workplace’s WHS practices and systems.
Try to think of at least 10 questions. Feel free to look online at other WHS surveys for inspiration.
You can use Survey Monkey or any other survey generation tool on the Internet, or create it using a
word processor.
Share your surveys with your trainer and group.

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4: Identifying hazards and assessing risk

The terms hazard identification and risk assessment are used a lot when talking about workplace
safety.

A hazard is the thing or situation that causes injury, harm or damage.

A risk is the chance of a hazard hurting you or somebody else or causing some damage.

If you can remove or at least control a hazard, you can reduce the risk involved.
Hazards may be associated with the following:

 the physical environment, for example:

o crowds
o electricity and gas
o flooring

o lighting
o noise levels
o pests
o working space

 plant and equipment, for example:

o major equipment in the kitchen, including ovens, stoves, fridges, freezers, cool rooms,
mixers and so on
o small appliances
o beverage dispensing systems using inert gases
o knives and other sharp utensils

 working practices, for example:

o length of time spent doing a certain task
o allocation of breaks
o rostering and shift allocation
o opening and closing procedures
o standard operating procedures for work-related tasks

o manual handling

 security issues, for example:

o customer behaviour

o storage of cash, documents and keys

o personal safety
o theft and robbery.

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 SHA RE PLAT E

In a group, think about the work completed in a commercial kitchen and brainstorm hazards that
were not in the list above.
Share your thoughts with your trainer and the rest of the group.

Identifying safety risks

All workplaces should have procedures in place that explain how and when hazard identification
activities are undertaken. Aside from formal processes, there are a number of ways that all
employees can keep on top of hazard identification, which can include:

 taking regular walks around the workplace and looking for anything that may be a concern

 observing how plant and equipment are used

 looking at how plant and equipment are installed

 identifying what chemicals are available and what they are used for

 observing handling of hazardous substances

 observing employees for practices that are not safe, healthy or that put themselves or others
(and the premises) at a security risk

 examining the general state of housekeeping.

Furthermore, if someone in the workplace tells you about a hazard or mention something that you feel
is a problem, you must take action to report it.

An employer should:

 analyse incident reports, worker complaints, reasons for sick leave

 review plant and equipment maintenance records

 source safety data sheets and instruction manuals from manufacturers and suppliers

 source information from industry associations, unions and their state or territory regulator.
Legislation dictates that hazard identification activities must also occur when changes to the
workplace are implemented, including:

 before the premises are used for the first time

 before and during the installation or alteration of any plant

 before changes to work practices are introduced

 when any new information relating to health, safety and security risk becomes available.

SHA RE PLAT E

In a group, discuss why you think the legislation indicates the above requirements for hazard
identification.
Share your thoughts with your trainer and the rest of the group.

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 LI FT THE LI D

In this video WorkSafe Victoria safety inspectors discuss how to perform safety inspections.
Top tips for doing a safety inspection in your workplace.
Video: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/resources-and-publications/video-and-audio/top-tips-
doing-safety-inspection-your-workplace (05:39)
Share your thoughts about this video with your group in a discussion facilitated by your trainer.

Risk management
The video you just watched discussed the process of identifying hazards and taking action to assess
and control them.
Risk management is the process of reducing or managing the risks when working with a hazard or in
a hazardous situation. Risk management is made up of the following stages:

Identify any potential hazards (dangers).

Assess the risks (that is, determine the result of any potential injury and the likelihood of it
occurring).

Control the risks.

Monitor the effectiveness of implemented controls.

Risk assessment
To be able to manage risk you need to recognise the hazards you
may encounter in the workplace. This is done by completing a risk
assessment.
A formal process to assessing hazards and risks involves:

 conducting an inspection of the premises

 consulting with others.

 observing workplace policies and workplace-specific

procedures.
A risk assessment requires a risk analysis and a risk evaluation to
be completed. By assessing the likelihood and consequence of
the risk you will able to understand the situation better and
respond in an appropriate way.

Image by ThisisEngineering RAEng on Unsplash

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Risk analysis involves considering the causes and sources of risks and comprises three factors:
consequence, likelihood and risk.

Consequence What would be the outcome of the event occurring?

How severe would the outcome be?

Likelihood What is the chance of the event/consequence happening?

Has the event/consequence happened before?
Is it likely to happen again?

Risk level The combined result of likelihood and consequence

You can analyse the level of risk by using a table to identify the severity or insignificance of the
consequence:

CONSEQUENCE
LIKELIHOOD
Insignificant Minor Moderate Major Severe

Almost certain M H H VH VH

Likely M M H H VH

possible L M H H VH

Unlikely L L M M H

Rare L L M M H

You can then evaluate how soon you should act to remove or control the hazard to achieve an
‘acceptable’ level of risk. Any task with a very high level of risk level is unacceptable.

Risk level Action

Very high The proposed task or process activity must not proceed. Steps must be taken
to lower the risk level to as low as reasonably practicable using the hierarchy
of controls.

High The proposed task or process activity can only proceed, provided that:

 The risk level has been reduced to as low as reasonably practicable

using the hierarchy of controls

 The risk controls must include those identified in legislation, Australian

Standards, code of practice etc.

 The risk assessment has been reviewed and approved by the supervisor
or other relevant personnel

 A safe working procedure or safe work method has been prepared

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 Risk level Action

 The supervisor must review and document the effectiveness of the

implemented risk controls.

Medium The proposed task or process can proceed, provided that:

 The risk level has been reduced to as low as reasonably practicable

using the hierarchy of controls

 The risk assessment has been reviewed and approved by the supervisor
or other relevant personnel

 A safe working procedure or safe work method has been prepared.

Low Managed by local documented routine procedures, which must include

application of the hierarchy of controls.

The hierarchy of controls

The best way to have an injury-free workplace is to get rid of hazards. If the hazard cannot be
eliminated completely, then the risk needs to be minimised. The hierarchy of controls are the actions
that can be chosen from to control the hazard. These are known as hazard control measures.

Control measures: Can be done by:

Elimination Removing the hazard completely

Substitution Substituting the hazard with something safer

Engineering measures Making changes to plant and equipment or

isolating workers from it

Administrative/safe work practices Minimise any remaining risk with administrative

controls, such as training

Personal protective equipment If a risk still remains, use personal protective

equipment to keep employees safe

Controls are generally implemented either at the site of the hazard or where it comes from, where it
travels or its path, or with the employee.

LI FT THE LI D

Read SafeWork SA’s detailed article about hazards and risks for kitchen workers. There are some
great control measures included.
Website: https://www.safework.sa.gov.au/workers/types-of-workers/kitchen-workers
Share your thoughts about this article with your group in a discussion facilitated by your trainer.

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 WHAT’ S COO KI NG ?

Divide into small groups. Ensure that you divide the work equally.

 Using the hazard checklist provided by your trainer, complete a simple hazard inspection
checklist and look over the training kitchen (or your workplace) for hazards.

 As a group, determine the level of risk.

 Use the hierarchy of controls and identify what controls could be put in place. Are there any
controls currently in place that may not be working?

Present your findings to your trainer and the group.

Monitoring controls
Just because a hazard has been identified and actions have been taken to address it, this does not
mean that business can go on ‘as usual’ and everyone forgets about the hazard.
Not all controls implemented may work, and this can be due to a number of reasons:

 employees are not trained on the new processes or systems put in place

 new systems and processes are not communicated

 the control is only suitable in specific circumstances (that is, the full range of conditions relevant
to the hazard were not considered)

 the controls introduce another hazard.

Monitoring should occur on an ongoing basis, making sure that the hazard has been effectively
controlled and that no new issues are arising. This can be done by:

 regularly observing the work activity or process and seeing the effectiveness (or otherwise) of the
implemented control (for example, how many people are using safety guards on that have been
installed on kitchen equipment, or how many people are using manual handling equipment to
move heavy loads)

 looking for new hazards (for example, has the introduction of manual handling equipment such
as trolleys lead to an increase of near misses because people are not manoeuvring them safely
through the kitchen)

 determining whether the problems have in fact been solved or simply lessened in impact or
volume (for example, how many employees are still complaining of back ache or similar, or how
many employees are still using poor lifting techniques when moving loads on to the trolleys)

 making sure awareness of the hazards and controls have been communicated (for example,
does everyone know that there are trolleys available to help move heavy loads?)

 asking employees whether they believe the controls are working (for example, you may find out
that the trolley wheels don’t turn corners very well and are causing some issues that could lead
to accidents or breakage)

 reviewing accident/incident records and looking for a decrease in reports related to the specific
area.

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HACCP
We have discussed hazards and risks from a ‘generic’ work health, safety and security perspective,
but when working in a commercial kitchen environment you also need to consider hazards and risk
from the food safety perspective.
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) is the process used to control food safety risks.

TIM E FO R S OM E FACT S

Look at the following Fact Sheet:

 Fact Sheet 4 - Managing Food Safety Risks and Hazards

Review the section on HACCP. If you have already read this Fact Sheet, feel free to look over it
again as a refresher or you can move on.

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5: WHS training

WHS training is essential for any workplace to maintain health, safe, hygienic and secure practices.
The cost of WHS training may be seen as expensive or unwarranted for some workplaces, but this
cost needs to be taken into consideration against the cost to a business of accident, injuries,
equipment damage, wastage, customer illness, reputation damage and, at the most extreme, death.

WHS training should start with induction. All new employees in the workplace should be provided with
information and resources related to WHS including:

 policies and procedures

 forms

 checklists

 fact sheets (such as those developed by the state or territory regulator)

 any instructional procedures for specific equipment they will be using

 information about safety and hygiene

 access to safety data sheets for any hazardous substances being handled

 access to personal protective equipment they will need to wear.

New employees must also be shown the emergency
evacuation procedures and the location of first aid
kits, fire-fighting equipment and evacuation plans.
They should also be introduced to any specific WHS
personnel, such as HSRs, fire wardens and first aid
officers.

Training should also be undertaken in the following

circumstances:

 when procedures, processes or systems change

 introduction of new plant or equipment

 if a person changes job role/responsibilities

 every 12 months as refresher training.

Image by DDP on Unsplash

SHA RE PLAT E

As a group, discuss the benefits of WHS training.

Your trainer will facilitate a group discussion.

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 SHA RE PLAT E

Discuss the induction process that occurred as part of your course. What feedback do you have
about it?
Your trainer will facilitate a group discussion.

LI FT THE LI D

Look online for some examples of WHS induction procedures.

Your trainer will facilitate a group discussion where you will share the procedure you found and
discuss your thoughts about it.

Identifying training needs

There are number of ways to determine what WHS training is needed:

 review accident/injury register to look for trends (such as specific tasks that were being
performed, specific work areas, equipment being used, time of day etc)

 review hazard identification checklists to see what areas seem to have a lot of hazards, or
hazards that have been assessed with a high risk level

 looking at the skill sets required for job roles

 any specific licensing or qualifications needs

 observing employees and how well they are complying with WHS requirements

 asking employees for feedback about what they feel they need training in.

SHA RE PLAT E

As a group, discuss what type of WHS training a new employee in a commercial kitchen
environment would need to undertake.
Your trainer will facilitate a group discussion.

Arranging WHS training

Once you have identified what training is needed, you can work out how it will be delivered. Training
arrangements will vary according to what needs you identified. For example:

 training may be able to be undertaken on a one-on-one basis with the employee’s supervisor or
someone in a level position of responsibility

 group training with either the supervisor or another employee

 internal training delivered by the workplace’s WHS personnel (if applicable to the workplace)

 engaging an external WHS training provider to come in and train all staff

 online training (which often occurs as part of induction programs).

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Training may require delivery of a number of sessions to address
different areas. For example, standard workplace safety training
may occur that address equipment use, hazards and risk
assessment and so on. However, fire safety training may be
delivered by specialists as per your state or territory’s fire brigade
service (for example, in Victoria, Fire Emergency Services is the
commercial unit of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade; not all states
and territory brigades may offer this).
It’s important to remember that if you have been asked to manage
the training of employees, you will need to make sure you still
have enough people available in the kitchen during the training
sessions.
Image by Max Whitehead on Unsplash

LI FT THE LI D

Look online and locate two different sources of external WHS training.

Effectiveness of WHS training

There are lots of monitoring activities when it comes to WHS, and monitoring the effectiveness of
training is yet another area. Management need to know whether the money they have spent on
training is in fact providing a return on investment.

Ways in which the effectiveness can be monitored include:

 receiving feedback from employees about the quality and level of training required

 gathering, at regular intervals, data about accidents, incidents, injuries and near misses and
looking to see if there is a reduction

 observing employees as they work.

Ask yourself the following questions about the training itself:

 Was the quality of training sufficient?

 Was the training targeted at the WHS issues relevant to the commercial kitchen?

 Was the training taken seriously?

 Did training include access to learning content?

 Did training include opportunity for participants to practise new skills?

If you find that the training did not work, you may need to contact the provider and discuss your
concerns, or engage different services next time. Where training was delivered by someone who
works for the business, the training content and process should be reviewed and updated based on
feedback and observations made of WHS performance.

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6: WHS recordkeeping

WHS record keeping is vital as part of the WHS system. It provides:

 valuable data for analysis

 identification of safety, security, accident and injury

trends

 patterns of behaviour in the work environment and

their relationship to accidents and injuries

 cycles of events and their relationship to external

and/or internal factors

 the correlation between safety and productivity

 cost analysis

 issues that have not been picked up by employees or

management.
WHS is also a legal requirement, therefore the workplace
will be demonstrating compliance with their state or
territory’s WHS/Act. Image by Alexander Grey on Unsplash

Records will provide both quantitative and qualitative data:

Quantitative data is numerical information that can be translated into statistical information.
This is useful in identifying trends and patterns.

Qualitative data provides more subjective information and provides deeper insight into
situations and behaviours. For example, it may include the written observations of a witness
to an incident or accident.

The types of WHS records that need to be completed may include:

 audit reports

 training records, including training needs analysis and action plans

 induction records

 hazard and incident reports

 incident investigations

 risk assessments

 policies and procedures

 communications with the WHS regulator

 records of alcohol or drug testing (where appliable to the workplace)

 WHS meeting minutes and agendas (or evidence of other consultative activities)

 monitoring reports and recommendations for change, including effectiveness of:

o agendas for and minutes of meetings

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 o committee members
o consultation decisions and follow-up actions
o consultation processes
o diaries of meetings

o work health, safety and security information provided to personnel

o risk controls
o safe work practices

 equipment registers

 plant and equipment manufacturer instructions

 records of equipment inspection and maintenance/testing

 SDS and dangerous goods registers

 first aid records

 workers’ compensation and rehabilitation records

 workplace environmental monitoring records.

WHAT’ S COO KI NG ?

Use the Internet to locate at least two different policies and procedures related to WHS
recordkeeping. Have a look at the types of records the organisation must keep. Some industries
maintain different types of records.

Share your findings with the group in a discussion facilitated by your trainer.

LI FT THE LI D

Review your state or territory’s WHS legislation and identify what records are to be kept by
businesses.

All records must be completed accurately and must be filled out legibly (that is, the person’s
handwriting can be easily read). This is especially important with accident/incident report forms
because there may be a need for the report to be submitted to the WHS regulator if the situation is a
notifiable incident.

LI FT THE LI D

Read Safe Work Australia’s fact sheet about notifiable incidents.

Website: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/system/files/documents/1702/incident-notification-
fact-sheet-2015.pdf

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What can you do with WHS records?
Records and information can be analysed and used to assist future management of WHS. Examples
include:

 Equipment maintenance and testing reports can provide information about the reliability of
equipment and whether there are specific parts that continue to fail; these reports can also
provide information about the reliability of the manufacturer.

 How many accidents, injuries or near misses are occurring in specific work areas (for example,
are the kitchen staff having more safety issues than the wait staff?).

 What activities are being performed when accidents, injuries or near misses occur (identifies the
need for further training in an area, or whether equipment is a problem).

 What times accidents, injuries or near misses are occurring and how long the person/people
involved have been work (for example, is there an indication that fatigue is leading to WHS
issues).

 What area of work or work activity has been identified as having the hazards with the highest
level of risk?

 How often are people calling in sick?

 Has there been a reduction or increase in WHS issues in certain areas?

 Is reporting accurate?

 What controls are to be put in place and have they been effective?

 Have all controls and changes discussed as part of consultation actually been implemented?

 How many security breaches or issues have been identified/reported?

All data can be used to look for areas for improvement. It’s important to make sure that the data is
relevant, current and reliable. Historical data can be used to determine a baseline, but you need to be
measuring current performance to be able to take appropriate actions.

LI FT THE LI D

This article provides information on how WHS reporting will vary between audiences.
Website: https://tapintosafety.com.au/how-to-make-your-whs-reporting-relevant-to-different-
audiences/

WHAT’ S COO KI NG ?

Use the following scenario information to develop a report that you could give to management.
Include in your report, in your own words, details of what has been happening in the workplace in
relation to WHS, and why you believe these situations have occurred. Also include your
recommendations for future action.
Your report must be clear and written in a professional manner.
Submit your report to your trainer.

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 Scenario information
Analysis of a broad range of data has shown the following:

 A reduction in slip, trips and falls due to installation of new flooring in the kitchen.

 Observation of staff using lifting and moving equipment, or supporting each other with heavy
loads.

 Greater engagement among staff in regards to work health, safety and security matters.

 One employee was approached in the rear car park by a young male asking for money; the
person was aggressive when their demand was not met. This person has been seen around
the venue a number of times.

 Communication with the security company indicates that the premises has been left unlocked
four times this month, but the security system was alarmed. One window was left open in the
administrative office area. Review of timesheets and CCTV footage shows that it is not just
one employee who is not following lock up procedures.

 Two incidents occurred this month: one employee fell, hit their head and passed out. The
ambulance was called and it was determined that the person has an underlying health
condition. The other incident involved a customer gaining access to the kitchen and abusing
kitchen staff for having to wait for their meal (the wait had not been long, according to several
witnesses).

 There is concern that some staff may not be reporting minor incidents. An email was sent to
the HSR that indicated a near miss occurred in the storage area (poor stock stacking) but no
one bothered to document it.
Activities that have occurred since the previous report include:

 Dedicated manual handling training for all kitchen, wait staff and administrative staff

 Revision of induction processes to include a full workplace ‘walk around’

 Risk assessment of all kitchen activities and processes.

 A reduction in on site security staff.

Sustainable practices
A lot of paperwork can be produced in regards to WHS, as can be seen by the list of reports and
records above. These days many businesses have moved to a ‘paperless office’, which has removed
the need to print every single document. Many businesses will have an online system where
documents, templates and records are saved.
Systems may be as simple as storing information on a networked drive, or an online file management
system (such as Dropbox or Google Drive). Larger organisations may have online applications that
employees can log into to fill out forms, checklists and other documentation. Of course, there are also
some businesses that may still be paper based.
It is also important to remember that WHS information in many cases will be confidential. Regardless
of the system used, confidential information should only be accessed by people whose job role
requires access. Good online systems will include user access rights. If in doubt, always ask your
supervisor before attempting to access information.

© SKUP | RTO # 40471 | V1.1.2023

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