Policies Procedures And Programs Essay

Activity 1: Accurately explain to the work team relevant provisions of WHS Acts, regulations and codes of practice. 1. The impact of a workplace injury is wide reaching. Explain. The impact of workplace injury is wide reaching because when hazards of physical and psychological type affect a worker, the impact is not only on the person, but also on the life, the family and of course on the future plans,as well as high compensation costs that the company will have to carry on with. The impact is not only economical or physical, after an accident or after being under stressful situations for instance, people can also be physiologically affected for a long time, reducing effectiveness and efficiency and reducing the life quality. 2. How is the integrity (validity) of information ensured? As an employee, if I want to validate the information provided by my employer in regards WHS or any other important or legal matter, it is recommendable to try to verify the information with the different governmental institutions. By doing this, they can state if the information is truth and accurately delivered as well as help to provide training. 3. List three sources of health and safety information that are relevant for your state/ territory. Living in Western Australia, if I need to consult or check some information about WHS, I would contact Work Safe WA, Fair Work Australia and Standards Australia. These 3 different sources will provide me with enough information to know if my employer is acting under the law and legislation and ways in which I can complain and ask for having a WHS environment. 4. Scenario: In every workplace there will be relevant provisions of WHS Acts, regulations and codes of practice that apply. You are a team supervisor and it is your role to ensure that work teams are aware of these. The teams you supervise comprise relatively new workers who did not receive adequate induction and need to be brought up to date. How will you do this? Every  time I have a new team member, I would give them an appropriate induction according to their duties or the department they are working for. The induction will have an information session followed by training in which they can understand the type of hazards they are exposed to and how to deal with it. It is also very important to ask the new members to go through the material given in the information session and encourage them to validate it through the different sources like Safe Work Australia for Instance. Activity 2 1. Why is it important that all workers have access to health and safety information? It is important that all workers have access to health and safety information, because that information could be not only saving one life, it could also help to safe the lives of an entire company and also avoid having legal problems. It is everyone’s responsibility to be aware of WHS because that can provide a safe work environment to everyone and improve it every day. 2. If a worker had made suggestions for improvement regarding the design, development and management of health and safety in a company in which they worked, how could they go about having them ratified and implemented by senior management? In a first stage the worker making the suggestions has to validate that what is asked is under the legislation and appropriate for the type of industry and the state/territory. Once the information has been checked with the corresponding sources, the worker can give the suggestions to the manager for him to implement new procedures and handle out the information to the other workers. It is very important that every company show that they care about their employees and more over that they appreciate the staff wanting to participate and help to have a better work environment. If the worker’s effort is not appreciated they will lose interest on helping. 3. Before submitting these strategies to senior management for approval, should the worker consult with the members of their team/ department to get their input? Why/ why not? It is important that before submitting the new strategies, the worker consults with the team or the people directly involved or beneficiated by the new strategy. They have to be consulted because they are the responsible of the operations in that specific department and at the end they and their efficiency and productivity are going to be the affected or beneficiated by the new  strategy. WHS it is something that has to be consulted and approved to bring a positive impact on a group of people and not only for a few of them. Activity 3: Regularly provide and clearly explain to the work team, information about identified hazards and the outcomes of risk assessment and control 1. Where might information about hazards and the outcomes of risk assessment and control result from? If in the company there is a WHS program or a person in charge of, the information about hazards and the outcomes of risk assessment and control results might come from it. 2. List five ways that a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) can provide clear explanations to work teams about identified hazards and the outcomes of risk assessment and control. Workshops or safety meetings in which the information can be provided in a short and concise way. Giving opportunities to the workers to be in contact with people or experts about WHS. Encourage workers to talk and discuss WHS matters as a team, because it is everybody’s responsibility. On the induction day, provide workers with all the information about WHS and other company procedures. Show the workers that the company is a WHS and that they can be safe at any moment. SECTION 2: IMPLEMENT AND MONITOR PARTICIPATION ARRANGEMENTS FOR MANAGING WHS Information relating to these activities can be found in Section 2, Part 1 – Learning support materials. Activity 4: Communicate to workplace parties the importance of effective consultation mechanisms in managing health and safety risks in the workplace. 1. What types of changes in the workplace would benefit from consultation between PCBUs and workers (or their representatives)? The type of changes in the workplace would be: More ownership and support for initiatives. Motivated workers who improve and contribute to continuous improvement. Respect for, and value of, worker opinions and experience. Knowledge of the job conditions and its risks. Activity 5: Apply consultation procedures to facilitate participation of the work team in the management of work area hazards. Explain the role of the Health and Safety Representative (HSR) in each of these consultation  procedures: 1. Attendance at team meetings: to demonstrate commitment with employees and WHS procedures, the representative and other attendants must show interest by asking questions and giving ideas or solutions. 2. Early response to work suggestions, requests, reports and concerns put forward to management: recognition for this kind of actions must be done, because through rewards the employees will feel valued and will be encouraged to keep this kind of behavior and a continuous improvements and participation. 3. Requirements as specified in Commonwealth and state/ territory legislation, regulations and codes of practice: once employees are informed about WHS, they will be aware of what it is expected from them and what can they expect from the company they are working for. Activity 6: Promptly deal with issues raised through consultation, according to organisational consultation procedures and WHS legislative and regulatory requirements. 1. What strategies can PCBUs use to consult with workers on health and safety issues? A wide number of strategies can be used to consult workers on health and safety issues, however, the most common and effective one will be the HSC. Through the regular meetings, the workers and management will feel encouraged to work together developing, monitoring and recording WHS programs that will benefit everyone. 2. Health and safety issues raised through consultation should be dealt with promptly. Why is this? Upload your answer for assessment. Issues raised through consultation should be dealt with promptly because it is a way to keep away from serious problems in which the law has to act, avoiding as well to incur in legal expenses and causing the less possible damage. Activity 7: Promptly record and communicate to the work team, the outcomes of consultation over WHS issues. 1. Create a meeting agenda template suitable for a HSC. Upload your template for assessment.