Safety Flashcards
What is the meaning of health?
A person mental or physical condition of being sound in body, mind, or spirit.
What is the meaning of safety?
The condition of being protected from or unlikely to cause danger, risk, or injury. Everyone has legal/moral obligations to ensure the safety of others.
Meaning of duty of care.
Responsibility or legal obligation of a person or organisation to avoid acts or omission to be likely to cause harm to others.
What are the responsibilities of an employer?
Train/supervise staff to ensure safe work practises are understood, consult employees about decisions, provide PPE, check WHS systems/procedures, protect hazards, adequate facilities for wellbeing, be aware of legal obligations
What are the responsibilities of an employee?
Wear PPE, follow safe work procedures, do not interfere with equipment or change machine guards, do not put others act risk, respond to a resonable request to first aid/injuried person
What is a consultation in relation to WHS?
A two-way process between you and your workers
What does a consultation involve?
Discussion of health/safety matters, concerns, raise concerns, seek/share views and info, consider what your wokrers say before you make decisions
What is participation in relation to WHS?
Adding and listening to the safety matters, engaging in workplace conversations
What is the role of WorkCover NSW?
Assist in securing the health, safety, and welfare of workers within the state. Regulatory body that enforces the WHS Act
What is the role of Safe Work Australia?
Development of national policy to improve WHS and workers compensation arragements across Australia.
What do Safe Work Australia work to do?
Coordinate national policies and strategies, assist with the implementation of model WHS legislation, reform the legislative framework, undertake research, collect, analyse and report data.
What is the role of local councils?
Ensure the health, safety and welfare of their employees at work.
What do the industrial relations unit do?
Helps councils comply with their WHS obligations
What do the industrial relations unit do?
Helps councils comply with their WHS obligations
How does the industrial relations unit comply with WHS obligations?
Provide advice, develop resources and training, represent councils views on WHS
What is the definition of a union?
An organisation of workers/employees joined together to achieve a common goal
What is an example of an Australian union?
Australian workers union (AWU)
What are some goals that unions strive for?
Better working condiitons, fighting for job security, protecting the integrity of a trade
What do unions do?
Provide expertise, resources, training, back up issues and their workers, employees do not have to deal with problems alone
What are professional associations?
They act as a peak body (umbrella) for profesionals working in the same/similar fields.
What is the role of professional associations?
Assist members to further the profresional through learning, quality control and research, they maintain standards, ongoing development, represent the interest of their memberes to the gov and community
What are some external sources of WHS infromation?
Acts, regulations, legislations, codes, SafeWork NSW, Safe Work Australia, local councils, unions, media, training courses
What are some internal sources of WHS information?
Colleagues, health and safety representative (HSR), WHS induction, WHS committee, WHS officers, workplace policies and procedures, supervisors/managers
What does it mean to take intiative?
When WHS Issues arise, WHS should be everyone’s responsibility. WHS problems MUST BE REPORTED, then fixed, taken care of
What does problem solving involve?
Solving the WHS issue
What is an example of problem solving?
Cleaning the spill if safe, placing a wet floor signs (temporary fixes)
What role in the workplace looks after decision making? Why?
Manager. BECAUSE they have higher responsibility, more authority over other members
What does decision making involve in regards to WHS?
Make the safest deicision in order to maintain everybody’s health and safety.
If there is a dangerous/poisonous chemical that has been spilled, what should you do?
Manager may make the decision to evacuate the workplace
What is an act?
A formal decision, law or legislation that has been passed by the federal or state parliament (Australian/state)
What is a example of a workplace act?
Workplace health and saftey act 2011
What is the ‘Workplace health and safety act 2011’
A formal description of health and safety law passed in a state or territory. Intended to spell out the duties for each group (legally binding)
What is a regulation?
Rule based on and meant to carry out a specific piece of legislation.
What are regulations enforced by?
Regulatory agency formed or mandated to carry out the purpose or provisions of a legislation (regulatory requirement)
What is an example of a regulation?
Workplace health and safety regulation 2011
What is the role of the ‘workplace health and safety regulation 2011’, and it’s features?
Requirements created to suppport the WHS act to outline duties/responsibilities of individuals , need to be enacted or passed by parliament to be binding,
What is a code of practice?
Is a practical guide that provides detailed info on how you can achieve the standards under legislation and comply with legal duties under the WHS act/regulations
What is an example of a code of practice?
Managing the Work Environment and Facilities, Codes of practice December 2011
What are the features of ‘managing the work environment and facilities, codes of practice december’
A practical guide on how to achieve the accepted standards of WHS required under the Act and regulations, legally binding
What is guidance material?
Helps duty holders comply with the law, tendered as evidence in court proceedings, SafeWork Australia members decide whether guidance is needed
What is a stanadrd?
Published documents designed to provide guidance to ensure safety, performance and reliability of goods and services
What are the features of the standard (Australia + International)?
Purpose of maintaining a standard in performance for the particular activities within the industries
What are the features of the standard (Industry)?
Product safety laws for each industry (construction, performance, testing, labelling and information) requirements of goods/services produced
What are the features of the standard (workpalce)?
Apply to individual workplaces, complied by the PCBU and safety officers, in consultation with employees
Is the ‘WHS Act 2011’ and WHS Regulation 2011’ a act, legislation or code of practice?
Legislation
What are some code of practices in relation to hazardous goods and substances?
Managing risks of hazardous cemicals in workpalce code of practice july 2014’, ‘labelling of workplace hazardous chemicals code of practice april 2016’
What are some code of practises in relation to manual handing?
How to manage WHS risks codes of practice december 2011’, ‘hazardous manual tasks code of practise september 2016’,
What is the role of WHS inspectors with the WHS act?
Provide info about compliance under the WHS act, assist in bettering WHS issues, issue improvement and prohibition notices, review a disputed provisional improvement notice, investigate violent action
What can a WHS inspector do upon entry to a workplace?
Inspect, make enquires, take measurements, conduct tests, make sketches/records, taking/removing samples for analysis, production of docs, asking questions, requesting a person’s name and address, taking affidavits
When is a category 1 offense issued?
What is the punishment for corporation, officers and workers?
If they fail to comply with WHS duties without reasonable excuse.
Engages in conduct that exposes an individual (to whom that duty is owed) to a risk of death/serious injury/illness, they are reckless
Corporation - 3 million
Officers - 600,000 and/or 5 year imprisonment
Workers - 300,000 and/or 5 years imprisonment.
When is a category 2 offense issued?
Failed to comply with WHS duties, failure exposes an individual to risk of death/serious injury/illness
When is a category 3 offense issued?
All other offenses will be deemed as category 3 offenses, failure to comply with WHS duties
What are safety signs used for?
Warn people about hazards, draw attention to health and safety hazards, provide general info/direcitons, remind employees about PPE, location of emergyency equipment, indicate where certain actions are prohibited
Why must a PCBU (Person conducting or business undertaking) display a safety sign?
Warn of a particular hazard associated with hazardous chemicals, state the responsibilities of a particular person in relation to the hazardous chemicals
A person must ensure that the safety sign is?
Located next to the hazard, clearly visible to a person approaching the hazard
What does a red, orange, yellow, green, bluue safety sign mean?
Red - danger or stop (prohibition) - fire safet, emergency stop bars.
Orange - mandatory action (must follow instructions) - hazardous parts of machine that may injure worker.
Yellow - caution (warning) - physical hazards - striking, stumbling.
Green - information about safe condition - first aid, safety equipment.
Blue - Safety information - requiring use of PPE, specific behaviour should be carried out.
What does a circle, triangle and square indicate with safety signs?
Circle - regulatory - order is in force.
Traingle - Warning - caution or danger, potential hazard.
Square - information, emergency indicates first aid, health.
What does a circle indicate with safety signs?
Attend to the injuried, notify emergency services if necessary, enlist assistance, make the site safe to prevent injury, secure the site of the incident, notify the supervisor, supervisor must notify the safety officier or health and safety representative, notify SafeWork Australia, Safework Australia will provide info to the appropriate personnel to contact - investigation - prevent injury, loss or combination.
What is the purpose and importance of monitoring and reporting?
Keep a record of info for the future, keep track of work that you may have completed and work that is yet to be completed
How can the WHS issues/incidents be reported to?
Verbally, formally to the HSR officier, informally to an employer or colleague, in writing - usually a more formal way of reporting, WHS issues and incidents should be reported immediately
What is formal and informal discussions?
Formal - Occurs between one or more representative of the agency cncerning any grievances
Informal - Sharing info between a person eliminated from consideration in an internal appointment process and the decision-maker
What are surveys?
A general view, examination, or description of someone or something
What is training?
People are taught specific skills in relation to the job. Allows individuals to make mistakes and ask questions
What is a WHS audit? And what does it include.
The process of assessing a workplace and identifying any hazards that may put employees at risk.
Includes Policy and programs used to promote WH&S and prevent workplace accidents/incidents and work related illnesses
What is a WHS inspection?
Inspector attends workplace, resolves WHS issues, responds to incidents, complaints or allegations
What are the 4 things of an election/formation of a health and safety committee or representative?
PCBU must establish within two months if requested by a HSR or at least 5 workers, at least 1 HSR must be apart of the committee (50% not appointed by the PCBU), must meet at least quarterly, PCBU must allow memebrs sufficient paid time-off to attend meetigns and perform their functions
What are the roles and responsibilities of commitees and representatives?
Commitees - Monitor and review the measures taken to ensure WHS and security of any person, investigate matters that may be risks
Representatives - Look after health, safety and welfare of designated area/group of employees within the organisation
What is the role of a PCBU?
Ensure the health, safety and welfare of their employees at work. Practices, machinery and working environment should be up to the WHS act. Consult with employees on WHS matters, training/instructions, report incidents
What is the role of a manager/supervisor/team leader?
Perform consultations with workers, fix issues, remove risks
What role do you have in the workplace (self)?
Ensure yourself or anybody else is not in a dangerous situation
What is the role of unions?
Support workers in WHS matters
What should be reported in an incident that can jeopardise a stakeholder’s safety, employees, PCBU’s and workers?
WHS issues/concerns, workplace hazaards, breaches of health and safety
Where should you report workplace hazards?
WHS legislation and regulations
Where should serious breaches be reported?
SafeWork Australia
What is involved in planning and conducting WHS training sessions in the workplace?
Alligned with workplace policy and procedures, WHS procedures/practises, increase team work of their legal obligations, WHS feedback, meet training meets, importance of WHS monitoring/reporting
How can the use of data/evidence improve safe work practises?
Contribute to safety culture, improve policy/systems, empower workers, inform management of critical health and safety risks
What is a hazard? An example?
Anything that has the potential to cause harm, injury, disease, death, environmental, property and equipment damage
e.g. Poor lighting, ergonomic hazard, temperatures, manual handling hazards, slip, trip and fall hazards, electrical, contagious illness, fire, chemical hazards, stress hazards
What is a risk?
The likelihood, or possibillity that harm (injury, illness, death, damage) may occur from exposure to a hazard
What is the purpose of a risk assessment? Why does it fufil obligations under the Act and Regulations?
Identify all risks associated with a task, activity or process. Put controls in place to eliminate or reduce the risks associated. Prevent further risks
Identifies and controls hazards/risks. Ensuring a safe workplace
Can a risk assessment be conducted in a paper-based form or online?
Both.
What must risk assessments include?
When must risk assessments be reviewd?
Does a risk assessment need to have evidence that all people involved have read and understood it?
- Brief statement outlining the task, supervisor/manager (MUST BE INVOLVED), authorised by a department head/representative
- 12 months or as required.
- Yes
What are the 6 hierarchy of controls? (IN ORDER FROM MOST EFFECTIVE TO THE LEAST)
What is involved in each?
Elimination - Physically remove the hazard, involves removing the risk entirely
Substiution - Subing a safer process or material for the hazardous process/material identified
Isolation - Separating the hazard or hazardous work practice. Sectioning off the area by erecting barriers.
Engineering controls - Designing or adding physical safety features to plan or equipment
Adminstrative controls - Putting up posters
PPE - Should be used with other control measures, should be used as a last resort
What is the purpose of WHS induction training?
Familarises employees with the practises and the expectations regarding WHS
What does SOP stand for?
What is the purpose of it?
Standard Operating Procedures
Describes regularly recurring operations, provide steps to correctly undertake operations in a safe and consistent manner. Instructions on routine tasks
What is the purpose of work plans?
Goals/objectives from the proposal are explicated into a series of defined tasks, manifest desired outcome
What does documentation include?
Accountabilities, roles and repsonsibilities, control and reivew, register and records, safe work method statements and procedures
Who is work instructions conducted by?
PCBU or supervisor
Can work instructions be verbal or documented?
Both
What is a workplace policy?
Statement of principles and practises dealing with management and administration of the organisation, guide for day-to-day operational problems, comply with legislations, policies are a statement of purpose (highlight broad guidelines)
What is PPE?
What are some examples?
Anything used or worn to minimise risk to workers health and safety
e.g. Boots, ear plugs, face masks, gloves, goggles, hard hats, sunscreen etc
Do PCBU’s have to put control measures into place?
Why do PCBU’s have to put controll measures into place?
Yes.
Eliminate health and safety risks in the workplace. Control measures may include PPE as an interim or last resort
To minimise risk to health and safety, equipment should be…
Suitable for the nature of the work or hazard, suitable size/fit, reasonably comfortable
To minimise risk to health and safety, equipment should be…
Suitable for the nature of the work or hazard, suitable size/fit, reasonably comfortable
What is manual handling?
By observing safe manual handling methods, can you avoid injuries?
An activity that requires the use of force to lift, lower, push, pull, carry or move a person, animal or object
Short term and long term
What are some examples of short and long term injuries?
What are the risks in ‘moving’ in manual handling?
Short - Sprains, strained muscles, sprained ligaments
Long - Damage to spine/joints
Risks - Loads may be too heavy to lift or carry
If something is too heavy to carry, what should you do?
What kg is too heavy to llift manually?
What is the impact on lifting a heavy object?
- Ask another worker to carry the load with you, use a trolley, forklift
- 20kg
- strain on back and knees.
How should you position yourself before lifting?
What must you do when carrying heavy objects?
Why should you not carry a heavy load for long distances?
- Firm grip, straighten legs
- Carry the load close to your body and not away, avoid carrying a heavy load for long distances
- Muscle strain, more vulnerable to injury
In seated work, what kg is not advisable to lift?
At what kilogram does the risk of injury increase signfiicantly?
At what kilogram should a person not be required to lift without mechanical aids/team lifting?
- 4.5kgs
- 16kgs and 55kgs.
- > 55kgs
What is the purpose of ergonomic procedures and practices?
Eliminate, control and reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders.
What does MSD stand for? (Erogonimics)
Muscoskeletal disorders
What is involved in an ergonomic procedure/practice?
Identify risk factors contributing to work related injuries, procedure for evaluation/assessment working environments, controlling any risks with the work design, workstation setup
What should be considered in your workpalce layout? (Ergonomics). What is an example?
Should have frequently used equipment that is easily accessible. Example includes keyboard, computer and mouse in the recommended positions
