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ABSOLUTE Education Pty Ltd T/as AAA Abacus Owner Builder Online CPCCWHS1001 – Prep. to Work Safely in the Construction Industry (white card) course material
1 © Copyright- ABSOLUTE Education Pty Ltd
www.abed.com.au 1800 427 407
.
ABSOLUTE Education Pty. Ltd.
CPCCWHS1001
Work Safely in the Construction Industry
(White Card) Course Material
ABSOLUTE Education Pty Ltd
T/as AAA Abacas Owner Builder Online
ADDRESS:
PO Box 4306
North Curl Curl NSW 2099
PHONE: 1800 427 407
FAX: 02 6526 2172
WEB: www.abed.com.au
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Contents
SECTION 1: OHS LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS……………………………………………5
WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY OFFICER.......................................................5
THE REGULATOR, INSPECTORS AND ENFORCEMENT........................................ 12
DISPUTES........................................................................................................ 11
ENFORCEMENT MEASURES............................................................................... 14
REVIEW OF DECISIONS…………………………...................................................... 16
OFFENCES AND PENALTIES.............................................................................. 18
OTHER OFFENCES….…………............................................................................. 20
SECTION 2: OHS COMMUNICATION AND REPORTING PROCESSES ................. 25
SAFE WORK METHOD STATEMENT (SWMS) ..................................................... 25
SAFETY DATA SHEET (SDS) ............................................................................ 25
WHAT IS A HAZARD? ...................................................................................... 29
HAZARD IDENTIFICATION .............................................................................. 30
HIGH RISK ACTIVITIES.................................................................................... 30
CATEGORIZING HAZARDS................................................................................ 31
RISK MANAGEMENT PROCESS ........................................................................ 31
RISK MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES ...................................................................32
RISK PROBABILITY CHART ............................................................................. 35
RISK PROBABILITY AND FREQUENCY ............................................................. 25
HIERARCHY OF CONTROL MEASURES ............................................................. 36
TYPES OF CONTROL MEASURES ...................................................................... 36
POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES .......................................................................... 37
TYPES OF RISK ASSESSMENT ........................................................................ 37
HIGH RISK ACTIVITIES ................................................................................. 37
SOURCES OF HAZARDS .................................................................................. 38
WHAT IS RISK? .............................................................................................. 38
RISK ASSESSMENT & CONTROL ...................................................................... 38
PROTECTION FROM FALLING OBJECTS ........................................................... 38
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DEMOLITION WORK ....................................................................................... 39
ASBESTOS REMOVAL ...................................................................................... 40
FALL FROM HEIGHTS ...................................................................................... 40
SAFE WORK METHOD STATEMENTS (AGAIN)................................................... 41
PERIMETER FENCING ..................................................................................... 43
AMENITIES ..................................................................................................... 43
DANGEROUS GOODS ...................................................................................... 43
SDS (SDS) AGAIN............................................................................................ 44
UNKNOWN SUBSTANCES/UNLABELLED CONTAINERS ................................... 44
EXPOSURE TO HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES ..................................................... 44
CONFINED SPACES ........................................................................................ 46
PLANT & EQUIPMENT ..................................................................................... 47
NOISE ........................................................................................................... 47
PERSONAL HEARING PROTECTION ................................................................ 48
COMMON GASES ............................................................................................. 48
ELEVATED WORK PLATFORMS .........................................................................49
SCAFFOLDING................................................................................................. 49
LADDERS ........................................................................................................ 49
SECTION 3: OHS COMMUNICATION AND REPORTING PROCESSES ................. 52
CONSTRUCTION SAFETY PLANS ..................................................................... 52
AUTHORISATIONS ......................................................................................... 53
RECORDING WORKPLACE INCIDENTS ........................................................... 55
WORKPLACE HEALTH & SAFETY OBLIGATIONS.............................................. 56
NOTIFIABLE INCIDENTS ................................................................................ 56
GENERAL INDUCTION TRAINING ................................................................... 57
WH&S INSPECTORS ....................................................................................... 57
MANDATORY (MUST DO) SIGNS .................................................................... 57
WARNING SIGNS ........................................................................................... 57
SERIOUS INJURY (ELECTRICAL)......................................................................58
PROHIBITION (DO NOT) SIGNS ..................................................................... 58
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SAFE WORK METHOD STATEMENTS (SWMS) SOME MORE................................. 59
SECTION 4: OHS INCIDENT RESPONSE PROCEDURES ..................................... 61
CODES OF PRACTICE........................................................................................ 61
HIGH RISK ACTIVITIES ................................................................................... 61
FIRST AID PERSONNEL ................................................................................... 63
FIRST AID SIGNS............................................................................................. 63
FIRST AID QUALIFICATIONS .......................................................................... 63
FIRST AID RECORDS ....................................................................................... 64
EMPLOYER RESPONSIBILITIES ....................................................................... 64
RECORD KEEPING............................................................................................ 65
FIRE…………………............................................................................................. 66
PPE………………….............................................................................................. 67
WORKING ALONE............................................................................................. 68
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Section 1: OHS Legislative Requirements
The legal obligations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2011 include
providing:
A working environment that is safe and without risks to health;
Adequate resources, information, training and supervision;
Effective arrangements for consultation; and
An effective system for identifying hazards, assessing and controlling risks to health
and safety.
Workplace Health and Safety Officer
The WHSO must be an employee at the workplace for which he/she is appointed.
Health and Safety Representatives An HSR represents the health and safety interests of a work group. There can be as many
HSRs and deputy HSRs as needed after consultation, negotiation and agreement between
workers and their employers.
A PCBU must keep a current list of all HSRs and deputy HSRs and display a copy at the
workplace. The list must also be given to Workplace Health and Safety Queensland.
Workgroups Any worker or group of workers can ask the PCBU for whom they are carrying out work to
set up a work group at one or more workplaces for the purpose of electing an HSR.
A work group is a group of workers who share a similar work situation. For example, a work
group might consist of all workers in the office part of a manufacturing complex, or it might
consist of people of the same trade, or it might consist of all people on the night shift. If
agreed, workers from multiple businesses can be part of the same work group which might
include contractors, labour hire staff, outworkers and apprentices.
If a request is made for the election of an HSR, a PCBU must start negotiations with workers
within 14 days. Negotiations between a PCBU and workers will determine the:
Number and composition of the work group(s);
Number of HSRs and deputy HSRs;
Workplace(s) to which the work group(s) apply.
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A PCBU must negotiate a work group with a worker’s representative (e. g. union) if asked by
a worker. The PCBU must also notify workers as soon as practicable of the outcome of the
negotiations.
At any time, the parties to a work group agreement may negotiate a variation.
If negotiations fail in establishing a work group, or discussing a variation to a work group
agreement, any person who is a party to the negotiations can request an inspector to assist
in deciding the matter (or, if the matter involves multiple businesses, to assist the
negotiations).
Powers and functions The role of an HSR is generally limited to their work group unless there is a serious risk to
the health or safety of other workers from an immediate hazard or a worker in another work
group asks for their assistance, and the HSR for that other work group is found to be
unavailable.
An HSR can:
Inspect the workplace or any area where work is carried out by a worker in the work
group;
Accompany a workplace health and safety inspector during an inspection of the area
the HSR represents;
Be present at an interview with a worker that the HSR represents (with their consent)
and the PCBU or an inspector about health and safety issues;
Request a health and safety committee be established;
Monitor compliance measures by the PCBU;
Represent the work group in health and safety matters;
Investigate complaints from members of the work group;
Inquire into any risk to the health or safety of workers in the work group.
An HSR is not personally liable for anything done, or not done, in good faith while carrying
out their role.
Election and eligibility The members of a work group elect their own HSR. All members are able to vote in an
election. To be eligible for election, a person must be a member of the work group and not
be disqualified from acting as an HSR.
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Upon a request for the election of an HSR, a PCBU must provide resources and assistance to
carry out the election. Members of a work group decide how to elect an HSR.
Elections for a deputy HSR are carried out in the same way.
The term of office for an HSR or deputy HSR is three years. They cease to hold office if:
They leave the work group;
They are qualified from being an HSR;
They resign as an HSR;
The majority of members of the group agree the person should no longer represent
them.
HSRs can be re-elected. Elections are not needed when the number of candidates is the
same as the number of vacancies.
Any person adversely affected by a decision or action of an HSR can apply to the Queensland
Industrial Relations Commission to have them disqualified.
Training If requested, a PCBU must allow HSRs and deputy HSRs to attend a work health and safety
course approved by Workplace Health and Safety Queensland.
Within three months of the request, the PCBU must give HSRs paid time off to attend a
course and pay the course costs and reasonable expenses. A course must be selected in
consultation with the PCBU to ensure it is relevant to the work carried out. If agreement
cannot be reached, an inspector may assist.
The PCBU has a duty to ensure the relevant training has been provided to the HSR so that
they can perform their functions and exercise their powers under the WHS Act. Before the
HSR can issue a provisional improvement notice (PIN) or direct a person to cease unsafe
work, they must attend an approved training course.
Whether or not the HSR has undergone training, a PCBU must give them the resources,
facilities and assistance to enable them to carry out their functions.
Provisional improvement notices If an HSR reasonably believes that a person is contravening, or has contravened the WHS
Act in circumstances that make it likely that the contravention will continue or be repeated,
they must consult with the person before issuing a provisional improvement notice (PIN).
A PIN must be in writing and include:
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That the HSR believes the WHS Act is being contravened or has been contravened in
circumstances that make it likely that the contravention will continue or be repeated;
The section of the WHS Act considered to have been contravened and how the section
is being or has been contravened;
The date (at least eight days from the issue date) by which the contravention must be
remedied.
A PIN can include directions on how to remedy a contravention. These directions may refer
to a Code of Practice and offer the person a choice of solutions.
If a PCBU receives a PIN they must display it in a prominent place in the workplace, or part
of the workplace, at which work is being carried out that is affected by the notice.
Within seven days of being issued with a PIN, any person (or the PCBU if the person issued
with the PIN is a worker), can ask Workplace Health and Safety Queensland to review the
notice. An inspector will attend the workplace to confirm the notice, confirm it with changes
or cancel it. A confirmed PIN must be complied with.
The inspector will give a copy of their decision to the person who applied for the review and
the HSR who issued the notice.
Direct workers to cease unsafe work If an HSR has a reasonable concern that carrying out work would expose a worker to a
serious health and safety risk, the HSR may direct a worker to cease work. However they
must first attempt to resolve the matter with the PCBU unless the risk is so serious and
immediate that it is not reasonable to consult first. In this case, the HSR must consult the
PCBU as soon as practicable after giving the direction.
A PCBU, worker or HSR may request an inspector to attend the workplace and assist in
resolving an issue with the cessation of work.
Health and safety committees A health and safety committee (HSC) facilitates cooperation between a PCBU and workers in
developing and carrying out measures to ensure health and safety at work.
This includes health and safety standards, rules and procedures for the workplace.
A PCBU must set up an HSC within two months of being requested to do so by an HSR, or by
five or more workers in a workplace or when required by the WHS Regulation.
A PCBU can also establish an HSC of their own initiative.
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At least half of the members of an HSC must be workers that have not been nominated by
the PCBU. An HSR can also consent to be a member of the committee and, when a
workplace has more than one HSR, they can choose one or more to be members.
When agreement cannot be reached on the composition of an HSC, any party to the
committee can request an inspector’s assistance to decide the matter.
An HSC must meet at least once every three months and at any reasonable time at the
request of at least half of the members of the committee.
Right to cease unsafe work If a worker has a reasonable concern about a serious risk to their health or safety from
immediate or imminent exposure to a hazard, they may cease or refuse to carry out work.
A worker who ceases work must notify the PCBU as soon as possible. Workers can be
redirected to suitable alternative work at their workplace or at another site until they can
resume normal duties.
Issue Resolution If there is a health and safety issue at a workplace, the relevant parties must make
reasonable efforts to achieve a timely, final and effective resolution of the issue in
accordance with an agreed procedure or the default procedure set out in the WHS
Regulation.
Relevant parties are:
The PCBU or their representative;
Each PCBU or their representative, if the issues involves more than one PCBU;
The HSR for that work group or his/her representative, if the worker(s) affected by
the issue is/are in a work group;
The worker(s) or his/her representative, if the worker(s) affected by the issue is/are
not in a work group.
A person’s representative may enter the workplace for the purpose of attending discussions
with a view to resolving the issue.
If an issue remains unresolved, one of the parties may ask Workplace Health and Safety
Queensland to appoint an inspector to attend the workplace and assist in resolving the issue.
Such a request does not prevent a worker from ceasing unsafe work or an HSR from issuing
a PIN or directing workers to cease unsafe work.
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Although an inspector cannot determine the issue, the inspector may exercise any of his/her
compliance powers under the WHS Act.
Discriminatory, coercive or misleading conduct A person must not, dismiss, terminate a contract with, refuse to hire or detrimentally alter
the position of a worker, or treat them less favourably, because they:
Are, were or propose to be a member of an HSC or perform a function in this
capacity;
Are, were or propose to be an HSR or exercise a power or perform a function in this
capacity;
Exercised a power or performed a function (or refrained from doing so);
Assisted a person to exercise a power or perform a function;
Raised a health and safety issue with a PCBU, inspector, entry permit holder,
HSR, member of an HSC or another worker;
Are involved in resolving a work health and safety issue;
Acted to get another person to comply with their duties.
A person is also engaging in discriminatory conduct if they terminate or refuse to enter a
commercial arrangement with another person for these reasons.
It is unlawful to engage in, threaten or organize to take any of the above actions, or to ask
or encourage another person to do this.
These provisions create both criminal and civil causes of action in the event of such conduct.
In addition, they do not preclude actions being taken under other relevant
Entry Permit Holders A WHS entry permit holder is a union official who has completed an approved training course
and holds a valid and current entry permit under the Commonwealth Fair Work Act 2009 or
the Queensland Industrial Relations Act 1999. An entry permit allows the holder to
investigate suspected contraventions of the WHS Act. Permits are valid for three years from
the date of issue or cease when the permit holder ceases to be a union official. A permit
must be returned within 14 days of expiry.
Workplace health and safety entry permit holders must show their identification upon
request.
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Suspected contraventions A workplace health and safety entry permit holder may enter a workplace during working
hours to inquire into a contravention if they reasonably suspect one has or is occurring.
While there, they may inspect any work or thing that directly relates to the matter, talk to
any worker who is entitled to be represented by the union and warn anyone they believe is
exposed to a serious health or safety risk.
They may consult with the PCBU about the matter and request to look at, and make copies of,
relevant records or documents kept at the workplace in hard copy or on a computer. A PCBU
must not, without reasonable excuse, refuse or fail to comply with this request, however they
do not have to make records available if this breaches the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
When inquiring into a suspected contravention, an entry permit holder can also inspect or
make copies of employee records that are directly relevant to the contravention or other
documents that are directly relevant that are not held by that PCBU. In this case at least 24
hour notice of the entry must be given.
A workplace health and safety entry permit holder must advise the PCBU and person with
management or control of the workplace of their entry as soon as reasonably practicable.
This is not needed if it would defeat the purpose of the entry or cause unreasonable delay in
an urgent case.
A person must not, without reasonable excuse, refuse or unduly delay a permit holder’s
entry to a workplace, or obstruct them from exercising their rights.
Consulting workers An entry permit holder may enter a workplace to consult or provide advice to workers on
health and safety matters. At least 24 hour notice must be given to the PCBU before the
entry.
Disputes Any party to a dispute about a right of entry may ask Workplace Health and Safety
Queensland to appoint a workplace health and safety inspector to attend the workplace to
assist with resolving the matter.
Alternatively, or if the matter remains unresolved, the dispute may be dealt with by the
Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC). The QIRC may deal with a dispute on
its own initiative or on the application of an entry permit holder, the relevant union,
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, a PCBU or another person affected by the exercise
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of right of entry powers. The QIRC may deal with a dispute in any way it determines,
including mediation, conciliation or arbitration.
Revoking a permit An entry permit may be revoked by the QIRC if a holder breaches permit conditions or
engages in improper behaviour. Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, a PCBU or anyone
affected by the actions of a permit holder can apply in writing to have it revoked. The QIRC
can make orders including imposing conditions on a permit, or suspending or revoking a
permit.
The regulator, Inspectors and Enforcement
Role of the regulator Each state, territory and the Commonwealth will continue to have its own regulator to
administer the nationally uniform laws in their jurisdiction.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland has a broad range of functions including to:
Monitor and enforce compliance with the WHS Act and WHS Regulation;
Provide advice and information on work health and safety to duty holders, including
PCBUs and workers, of their duties, obligations and rights under the
WHS Act;
Foster a cooperative, consultative relationship between duty holders and the people
to whom they owe work health and safety duties, and their representatives;
Promote and support work health and safety education and training;
Engage in, promote and coordinate the sharing of information to achieve the object of
the WHS Act, including the sharing of information with other regulators;
Conduct and defend legal proceedings under the WHS Act;
Collect, analyse and publish statistics relating to work health and safety;
Promote public awareness and discussion of work health and safety to the
community.
Power of the regulator to require documents and information If Workplace Health and Safety Queensland believes a person is capable of giving
information or documents in relation to a possible contravention of the WHS Act, or that will
assist in monitoring or compliance, Workplace Health and Safety Queensland can require the
person to provide this after serving them with a written notice.
A person cannot refuse, or fail to comply with a request without a reasonable excuse. A
person is not excused from answering a question or providing information or a document on
the ground that the answer to the question, or the information or document, may tend to
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incriminate the person or expose the person to a penalty. However, the answer or
information or document, and other evidence directly or indirectly derived from the answer,
information or document is not admissible as evidence against that individual in criminal or
civil proceedings other than proceedings arising out of the false or misleading nature of the
answer, information or document.
Functions and powers of inspectors Inspectors have the following functions and powers:
To provide information and advice about how to comply with the law;
To help resolve work health and safety issues;
To help resolve right of entry disputes;
To review a disputed PIN;
To issue notices to require compliance with the law;
To investigate contraventions and assist to prosecute offences.
An inspector in a workplace may require a person to provide information about and access to
a document, as well as answers to questions. While inspectors will be able to compel
answers, the answers to questions or information provided cannot be used as evidence
against that person in civil or criminal proceedings. Inspectors may also copy and retain
documents and seize evidence.
Powers of entry An inspector may enter a workplace, or a suspected workplace, at any time with or without
the consent of the person with management or control. If it is not a workplace they must
leave immediately.
An inspector must show their identification on request.
An inspector must advise the PCBU, person with management or control of the workplace
and any HSR they have entered the workplace as soon as practicable. This is not needed if
it would defeat the purpose of entry or cause unreasonable delay.
An inspector entering a workplace can:
Inspect, examine and make inquiries;
Inspect, examine and seize anything, including documents;
Bring and use any equipment or materials they may need;
Take measurements, conduct tests, and make stretches or recordings (e. g.
photographs, films, audio and video);
Take and remove samples for analysis.
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A person may accompany an inspector to a workplace if they require assistance. An
inspector can also require a person at a workplace to give them reasonable help to do these
things. A person asked to assist must not, without reasonable excuse, refuse or fail to
comply.
Search Warrants An inspector may apply to magistrate for a search warrant. The magistrate must be
satisfied there are reasonable grounds that there is, or may be within the next 72 hours,
evidence of an offence against the WHS Act.
The warrant states the suspected offence, the evidence that may be seized, the time that
the place may be entered, the date that the warrant ends and that the inspector may use
reasonable help and force to enter the place and exercise their powers.
The authorized inspector must announce the warrant and give anyone at the place an
opportunity to let them in before executing the warrant. This is not required if the inspector
believes immediate entry is needed to ensure a person’s safety or to avoid frustrating the
execution of the warrant.
If the person with management or control of the workplace is present, the inspector must
show their identification and provide a copy of the search warrant.
Enforcement Measures Improvement Notices An inspector may issue an improvement notice if they reasonably believe a person is
contravening, or has contravened the WHS Act or WHS Regulation in circumstances that
make it likely that a contravention will continue or be repeated.
The notice will identify the provisions of the WHS Act that have or may have been
contravened, the reasons for the notice, and a reasonable date to fix the contravention by.
An improvement notice may also include directions and/or recommendations about how to
fix or prevent a contravention.
A person issued with an improvement notice must comply.
Prohibition Notices An inspector may issue a prohibition notice if they reasonably believe an activity involves a
serious risk to a person’s health or safety from immediate or imminent exposure to a
hazard.
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The notice prohibits the activity continuing or being carried out in a specific way, and is
issued to the person with control over the activity. It may include directions on how to
remedy the risk and remains in place until an inspector is satisfied the risk has been fixed.
A person issued with a prohibition notice must comply.
Non-disturbance Notices If an inspector believes it is necessary to enable them to exercise their powers, they may
issue a non-disturbance notice to the person with management or control of a workplace.
A notice may require the person to preserve the site or prevent disturbance for up to seven
days, and must include the measures to be taken to do so. A person issued with a non-
disturbance notice must comply.
Injunctions Workplace Health and Safety Queensland may apply to the Magistrates Court for an
injunction to require or compel a person to comply with a notice, or to restrain them from
contravening a notice. An injunction can be sought even if separate proceedings are
underway about a matter to which the notice relates.
Infringement Notices Infringement notices (‘on the spot’ fines) may be issued by inspectors as an alternative to
prosecution for prescribed offences.
An infringement notice can be withdrawn by the person who issued it within 28 days of
issue. The withdrawal of an infringement notice does not prevent other proceedings in
relation to the alleged offence (unless the penalty has already been paid even if refunded).
If the penalty imposed by an infringement notice is paid within the set time, no proceedings
may be taken for the offence and no conviction recorded. A payment cannot be taken as an
admission of guilt or liability for any future civil claim. Prosecution may take place if
penalties are not paid.
Remedial Action If a person to whom a prohibition notice is issued fails to take reasonable steps to comply
with the notice, Workplace Health and Safety Queensland may take any remedial action it
believes is reasonable to make the workplace or situation safe.
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The costs of undertaking the remedial action will be charged to the PCBU or the owner of the
premises; however, they can only be recovered by Workplace Health and Safety Queensland
if a notice has been given of Workplace Health and Safety Queensland’s intention to take the
action and the PCBU or owner’s liability for the cost of that action.
Enforceable undertakings Workplace Health and Safety Queensland may accept a work health and safety undertaking
given by a person in connection with a contravention or an alleged contravention of the WHS
Act. However, a work health and safety undertaking cannot be accepted for a Category 1
offence.
An undertaking takes effect and becomes enforceable when Workplace Health and Safety
Queensland’s decision to accept it is given to the person.
A person who has made an undertaking may apply to Workplace Health and Safety
Queensland to change or withdraw the undertaking.
An undertaking is not an admission of guilt.
If a person contravenes a work health and safety undertaking, Workplace Health and Safety
Queensland may apply to the Magistrates Court. In addition to imposing a penalty for the
breach, the court may make an order directing the person to comply with the undertaking or
discharging the undertaking, as well as orders directing the person to pay the costs or the
proceedings and the reasonable costs of monitoring compliance with the undertaking in the
future.
In addition if a person contravenes a work health and safety undertaking, Workplace Health
and Safety Queensland may still commence proceedings for the contravention or alleged
contravention of the WHS Act to which the work health and safety undertaking relates.
Review of decisions Certain decisions made by inspectors and Workplace Health and Safety Queensland can be
reviewed. The WHS Act outlines which decisions can be reviewed and who can apply to have
them reviewed. These are decision that relate to:
The failure to commence negotiations for work groups;
Union right of entry permits;
Training of health and safety representatives;
Provisional improvement notices issued by HSRs;
Forfeiture and return of goods or things;
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Issue of improvement, prohibition or non-disturbance notices and subsequent
notices;
Variation or cancellation of notices;
Extension of time to comply with improvement notices.
Interval Review Inspectors’ decisions are initially subject to internal review by Workplace Health and Safety
Queensland. The internal reviewer cannot be the person responsible for the initial decision.
The internal reviewer must make a decision within 14 days after receiving an application,
unless the reviewer receives further information from the applicant. The internal reviewer
must decide whether to confirm the initial decision, vary it, or set it aside in favour of
another course of action. A written decision must be sent to the applicant as soon as
practicable.
If an application for review is made this generally imposes a stay on the operation of the
decision until there is an outcome. However, for decisions relating to prohibition and non-
disturbance notices, a separate application to stay the decision must also be made, or the
reviewer can make a decision to stay the operation of the notice on their own initiative. A
decision on an application for a stay on the operation or a prohibition notice or a non-
disturbance notice must be made within one working day after the reviewer receives the
application, otherwise the reviewer is taken to have made a decision to grant a stay.
A stay operates until the time allowed for making an external review expires or an
application for external review is made.
External Review If a person is dissatisfied with the internal review decision, they may apply for an external
review of that decision:
Decisions relating to:
The failure to commence negotiations for work groups
Union right of entry permits
Training of HSRs
are reviewable by the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission.
Decisions relating to:
Provisional improvement notices issued by HSRs;
Forfeiture and return of goods or things;
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Issue of improvement, prohibition or non-disturbance notices and subsequent
notices;
Variation or cancellation of notices;
Extension of time to comply with improvement notices.
are reviewable by the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
In addition, decisions made under the WHS Act by Workplace Health and Safety Queensland
are subject to external review.
Offences and penalties
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland and inspectors can take legal proceedings for any
offence under the WHS Act. In addition, the Director of Public Prosecutions may also initiate
proceedings for Category 1 offences.
Health and Safety duty offences The WHS Act provides for three categories of offences for breach of health and safety duties
and outlines the maximum penalties that apply to an individual, a PCBU, a worker or an
officer of a corporation or unincorporated association, and to the body corporate.
Category 1 – a duty holder engages in conduct that recklessly exposes a person to a risk of
death or serious injury or illness. This offence is a crime and will be prosecuted in the
District Court.
Category 2 – a duty holder fails to comply with a health and safety duty that exposes a
person to risk of death or serious injury or illness.
Category 3 – a duty holder fails to comply with a health and safety duty.
Proceedings for Category 2 and 3 offences will be taken summarily in the Magistrates Court.
Volunteers are exempt from prosecution for failure to comply with a health and safety duty
owed by a PCBU (ss. 19-26) or an officer of a corporation or unincorporated association (s.
27). Volunteers are, however, liable for duties owed as workers (s. 28) or other people at a
workplace (s. 29).
An unincorporated association is also exempt from prosecution. However, an officer of the
unincorporated association (other than a volunteer) may be prosecuted for a failure to
comply with an officer’s duty (s. 27) and a member of the association may be prosecuted for
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failure to comply with the duty of a worker (s. 28) or of another person at a workplace (s.
29).
Procedure if prosecution is not brought If a person considers a Category 1 or 2 offence has occurred and no prosecution has been
brought between six and twelve months of the alleged contravention, they can request that
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland bring a prosecution.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland has three months to advise its decision. If the
decision is not to prosecute, a person may make a written request to Workplace Health and
Safety Queensland to refer the matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions within one
month.
The Director of Public Prosecutions must consider the matter and advise Workplace Health
and Safety Queensland within one month whether a prosecution should be brought.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland must provide the person with a copy of the advice
and, if Workplace Health and Safety Queensland declines the advice, the reasons why.
Penalties for breach of health and safety duty offences Penalties for breach of health and safety duty offences are outlined in the following table:
Corporation Individual as PCBU or officer Individual as worker or other
Category 1 $3 million $600,000, five years jail or both $300,000, five years jail or both
Category 2 $1. 5 million $300,000 $150,000
Category 3 $500,000 $100,000 $50,000
Alternative penalty options In addition to the above penalties, courts may impose additional or alternative sentencing
options. Other types of orders that can be made against offenders include:
Adverse publicity orders;
Restoration orders;
Work health and safety project orders;
Court ordered work health and safety undertakings;
Injunctions;
Training orders.
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Section of the
WHS Act
Type of order Information
Section 236 Adverse publicity
orders The court may make an adverse publicity order requiring the offender
to publicise the offence, its consequences and the penalty imposed. It
may also direct an offender to notify a specified person or group of
people about the offence. The offender may also need to give
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland evidence the order was
carried out as instructed.
Section 237 Restoration orders The court may order the offender to take steps to remedy anything
that occurred as a result of the offence that it decides the offender has
the power to address. It may choose to extend the restoration period
but only if the application is made before the order expires.
Section 238 Work health and
safety projects The court may make an order requiring the offender to undertake a
project for the general improvement of work health and safety within a
set period, with conditions that must be complied with as part of the
project.
Section 239 Court ordered work
health and safety
undertakings
The court may adjourn legal proceedings for up to two years and make
an order for the release of the offender on a work health and safety
undertaking. The court may require the offender to: appear before it if
required, not commit any offences under the WHS Act, and observe any
special conditions imposed.
Section 240 Injunctions If a court finds a person guilty of an offence against the WHS Act, it
may issue an injunction requiring the person to cease contravening the
WHS Act.
Section 241 Training orders A person may be ordered by the court to undertake, or arrange for one
or more workers to undertake, a specified training course.
Other offences There are a number of other offences under the WHS Act that relate to specific requirements
and carry their own individual penalties.
Offences in relation to incident notification It is an offence to:
Fail to notify a notifiable incident;
Fail to preserve an incident site until an inspector arrives.
Offences in relation to authorisations It is an offence to:
Carry on a business or undertaking at an unauthorised workplace;
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Use unauthorised plant, equipment and substances at a workplace;
Carry out work without the required licence, permit or authorisation;
Carry out unsupervised work where supervision by a person with prescribed
qualifications or experience is required;
Not comply with the conditions of any licence, permit or authorisation.
Offences in relation to consultation It is an offence to:
Not consult with other duty holders;
Not consult with workers.
Offences in relation to the establishment of work groups It is an offence to:
Fail to negotiate with workers or their representative regarding the formation of work
groups at a workplace;
Fail to notify workers of the outcome of negotiations regarding the formation of work
groups at a workplace.
Offences in relation to health and safety representatives It is an offence to:
Fail to negotiate with an HSR on health and safety matters;
Fail to provide an HSR with access to information regarding hazards and safety of
workers;
Fail to allow an HSR to attend interviews with an inspector or PCBU concerning health
and safety issues;
Fail to provide resources, facilities and assistance to elect an HSR and allow them to
carry out their health and safety duties;
Prevent an HSR from accompanying an inspector during an inspection of the
workplace;
Deny a person assisting an HSR access to the workplace;
Fail to allow an HSR time off with pay to attend to their health and safety duties;
Provide an HSR with access to personal or medical information of a worker without
the worker’s consent unless it is released in a form that does not identify the worker;
Refuse to allow an HSR to attend a prescribed training course;
Fail to provide an HSR with access to information relating to hazards at the
workplace;
Fail to keep an up-to-date list of HSRs at the workplace and ensure it is readily
accessible to all workers and is provided to Workplace Health and Safety
Queensland;
Fail to display a provisional improvement notice;
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Contravene a provisional improvement notice.
Offences in relation to health and safety It is an offence to:
Fail to establish an HSC within two months of being requested to do so;
Fail to allow members of the committee time off with pay to comply with their health
and safety duties.
Offences in relation to discriminatory, coercive or misleading
conduct It is an offence to:
Engage in discriminatory conduct for a reason prohibited under the WHS Act.
Organise or take, to threaten to organise or take, any action against another person
with intent to coerce or induce that person, or a third person to exercise or not
exercise a power or perform or not perform a function under the WHS Act (s.
108);
Knowingly or recklessly make a false or misleading representation to another person
regarding their rights, obligations or abilities under the WHS Act (s. 109).
Offences in relation to WHS entry permit holders It is an offence to:
Refuse or fail to provide documentation or information relating to a suspected breach
of the WHS Act;
Refuse or unduly delay, or intentionally and unreasonably hinder or obstruct entry to
a workplace by an entry permit holder.
It is an offence for a WHS entry permit holder to:
Contravene a condition of the WHS entry permit;
Enter a workplace unless they also hold an entry permit under the Fair Work Act
2009 (Cth) or an industrial officer authority;
Fail to have the work entry permit available for inspection;
Enter the workplace outside normal working hours and fail to comply with any
reasonable request from the PCBU or person with management or control of the
workplace;
Fail to comply with any reasonable request to comply with work health and safety
requirements at the workplace;
Enter any part of the workplace that is only used for residential purposes;
Intentionally and unreasonably delay, hinder or obstruct any person or disrupt work
at the workplace;
Give the impression that the taking of some action is authorized under the WHS
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Act when it is not;
Disclose information or a document about a suspected health and safety breach for a
purpose that is not related to an inquiry;
Fail to return the permit to the authorising authority within 14 days of the permit
expiring being revoked or suspended.
It is an offence for a union to:
Fail to notify the industrial registrar when the entry permit holder resigns and leaves
the union, or the entry permit holder has previously has a permit cancelled or
suspended, or the union ceases to be a registered organisation.
In addition, a person commits an offence if they contravene an order of the Queensland
Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC) regarding a dispute about the exercise or purported
exercise by a WHS permit holder of a right of entry under the WHS.
Offences in relation to the regulator and inspectors It is an offence to:
Refuse or fail to answer questions and provide information and documentation
requested by Workplace Health and Safety Queensland without reasonable excuse;
Refuse or fail to assist an inspector without reasonable excuse;
Refuse or fail to comply with an inspector’s request to answer questions or produce a
document without reasonable excuse;
Tamper with a thing the access to which has been restricted by an inspector;
Refuse or fail to comply with a direction from an inspector, including providing your
name and address;
Intentionally hinder or obstruct an inspector while they are carrying out their duties,
or to induce or attempt to induce another person to do so;
Impersonate an inspector;
Assault, threaten or intimidate an inspector or a person assisting an inspector;
Fail to comply with an improvement notice;
fail to comply with a prohibition notice;
Fail to comply with a non-disturbance notice;
Intentionally remove, destroy, damage or deface a notice required to be displayed;
Fail to comply with a WHS undertaking;
Fail to comply with a court order;
Given false or misleading information;
Disclose confidential information obtained while exercising a power or function under
the WHS Act (other than in relation to a permit holder entry to a workplace);
Impose a levy or charge on a worker for anything done or provided in relation to work
health and safety.
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Section 2: Construction hazards and control
measures
Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS)
The work method statement must take into account the principal contractor’s
construction safety plan and also state:
The high-risk construction activity;
The person’s ABN;
The control measures to be used;
The way the activity will be performed;
How the control measures will be monitored and reviewed;
Any relevant prescribed occupations.
Work method statements must be easy to understand, signed and dated.
The work method statement must be amended if there is a change in the activity and a copy
must be given to the principal contractor. All people affected by changes must be advised of
amendments to the work method statement.
The work method statement must be readily available for inspection. It must also be
reviewed each year and amended if necessary.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
What is a safety data sheet (SDS)? An SDS (previously called a material safety data sheet) is a document containing important
information about a hazardous chemical (which may be a hazardous substance and/or
dangerous good) and must:
Be in English;
Contain unit measures expressed in Australian legal units of measurement;
State the date it was last reviewed (must be at least once every five years), or if it
has not been reviewed, the date it was prepared;
State the name, Australian address and business telephone number of the
manufacturer or importer;
State an Australian business telephone number from which information about the
chemical can be obtained in an emergency.
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An SDS for a hazardous chemicals must also state the following information about the
chemical:
Section 1 - Identification: Product identifier and chemical identity
Section 2 - Hazard(s) identification
Section 3 - Composition and information on ingredients, in accordance with Schedule
8
Section 4 - First-aid measures
Section 5 - Fire-fighting measures
Section 6 - Accidental release measures
Section 7 - Handling and storage, including how the chemical may be safely used
Section 8 - Exposure controls and personal protection
Section 9 - Physical and chemical properties
Section 10 - Stability and reactivity
Section 11 - Toxicological information
Section 12 - Ecological information
Section 13 - Disposal considerations
Section 14 - Transport information
Section 15 - Regulatory information
Section 16 - Any other relevant information.
An SDS is an important information source for eliminating or minimising the risks associated
with the use of hazardous chemicals in workplaces.
What are the duties in relation to the preparation of an SDS? Manufacturers and importers of hazardous chemicals have duties under the WHS Regulation
to provide current information about the hazardous chemical in the form of an SDS.
A manufacturer and importer of a hazardous chemical must:
Prepare an SDS for the hazardous chemical before first manufacturing or importing
the hazardous chemical or if that is not practicable, as soon as practicable after first
manufacturing or importing the hazardous chemical;
review the SDS at least once every five years and amend whenever necessary to
ensure it contains correct current information.
A supplier must provide the current SDS to any person, if the person is likely to be affected
by the chemical or asks for the SDS.
A person conducting a business or undertaking may change an SDS for a hazardous
chemical only if the person is an importer or manufacturer and:
Changes the SDS in a way that is consistent with the duties of the importer or
manufacturer, or
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The change is to attach a translation of the SDS and clearly states that the translation
is not part of the original SDS.
Note: A person who packages or relabels a hazardous chemical with their own product name
is considered to be a manufacturer and therefore has the same obligations as a
manufacturer or importer under the WHS Regulations to prepare an SDS.
Access to an SDS Access to an SDS can be provided to workers in the work area in several ways:
Paper copy collections of SDS;
Computerised and internet-based SDS databases.
When a workplace adopts a computerised or internet-based SDS database, ensure that the
relevant workers have ready access to the information in the work area. Ensure workers
have the necessary computer skills to login and access the SDS when required. Also consider
how this information can be accessed in an emergency situation if the power is isolated.
The WHS Regulation provides for an exemption for having to obtain and give access to an
SDS when:
Hazardous chemicals are in transit;
The PCBU is a retailer and the hazardous chemical is a consumer product and
intended for supply and not intended to be opened on the premises;
The hazardous chemical product is a consumer product used in quantities and a
manner which is consistent with household use.
In these circumstances, the PCBU must ensure sufficient information about the safe use,
handling and storage is readily accessible to a worker, emergency service worker or anyone
else likely to be exposed to the hazardous chemical at the workplace.
Registers The register of an SDS should be used as an information tool to make sure everyone is
involved in managing hazardous chemicals exposure at the workplace. A register is a list of
the hazardous chemical products and the current SDS for each of those products that is
readily accessible to a worker and anyone else who is likely to be affected by the hazardous
chemical.
Reviewing and amending a SDS An SDS should be reviewed whenever there is:
A change in formulation that:
o Affects the hazardous properties of the substance.
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o Alters the form, appearance or mode of application of the substance. A
change to the hazardous chemical which alters its health and/or safety
hazard or risk;
New health and/or safety information on the hazardous substance such as exposure
standard changes or a substance previously considered not harmful is now
established to be harmful (e.g. carcinogenic);
At least every five years from date of original preparation or last revision.
It is not necessary to review the SDS if the manufacturer or importer has not manufactured
or imported the chemical in the last five years. An SDS should still be available after the
hazardous chemical is withdrawn from sale as it may be required by workplaces at a later
date.
For an overseas SDS, it is acceptable to have a translation of the SDS attached to the
original SDS, provided the appended information clearly states the translation is not part of
the original SDS. The original SDS is the SDS prepared in accordance with the WHS
Regulation. If an overseas manufacturer's SDS does not comply with the requirements of the
WHS Regulation, the importer is responsible for preparing an SDS that does comply.
Labelling of hazardous chemical containers Manufacturers, importers, suppliers, and PCBUs have specific labelling duties in relation to
the correct labelling of workplace hazardous chemicals.
The format and content for a hazardous chemical product label is set out in the Labelling of
Workplace Hazardous Chemicals published by Safe Work Australia.
What is on the label? The label must be in English and contain the following:
Name of the product;
The name, Australian address and business telephone number of either the
manufacturer or importer;
Identity and proportion disclosed, in accordance with Schedule 8 of the WHS
Regulations for each chemical ingredient;
Any hazard pictogram(s), hazard statement(s), signal word and precautionary
statement(s);
Any information about the hazards, first aid, and emergency procedures relevant to
the chemical, which are not otherwise included in the above; The expiry date of the
chemical, if applicable.
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If the manufacturer has amended an SDS, the label should be changed to ensure that it is
consistent with the information in the amended SDS.
The WHS Regulations (Schedule 9) include special provisions for specific circumstances
including:
Small containers;
Research chemicals or samples for analysis;
Decanted or transferred hazardous chemicals;
Hazardous chemicals with known hazards that are not supplied to another workplace;
Hazardous waste products;
Hazardous chemicals classified in the explosive hazard class;
Hazardous chemicals that are dangerous goods packaged for transport and in transit;
Consumer products;
Agricultural or veterinary chemical products; Products containing nanomaterials.
Further information on what a label is required to include for those specific circumstances
described above are included in the Labelling of Workplace Hazardous Chemicals Code of
Practice 2015.
Dual use products Some hazardous chemicals may be intended for supply to both the consumer household
markets and workplaces in identical containers and packaging. These products are
sometimes referred to as dual use products. A dual use product label need only comply with
the Standard for the Uniform Scheduling of Medicines and Poisons (SUSMP) labelling
requirements. If the manufacturer or importer determines that the use handling and storage
of the product are predominantly related to a work activity, the label must meet WHS
requirements.
What is a Hazard? A hazard is something with the potential to cause harm.
This is the definition of ‘hazard’ for the purpose of the How to Manage Work Health and
Safety Risks Code 2011. This definition is consistent with the description used in general
Australian industry standards, which define a hazard as:
A source or a situation with a potential for harm in terms of human injury or illhealth,
damage to property, damage to the environment, or a combination of these;
A source or situation can include substances (both hazardous and dangerous), plant,
work processes and/or other aspects of the work environment.
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Hazard Identification The first step in the risk management process is to identify workplace hazards. This means
looking for those things at the workplace that have the potential to cause harm.
To begin identifying hazards, simply ask the question, ‘Does this task/activity/
situation/event have the potential to harm a person?’
Another way is to ask the question ‘What if?’ For example, when inspecting a construction
site, ask ‘What if children could walk unaccompanied onto the site?’ These are proactive
ways to identify hazards. Hazards can also be identified from records of past accidents and
near misses.
High Risk Activities Demolition work includes any work to demolish, deconstruct or dismantle a structure, or part
of a structure that is load-bearing or otherwise related to the physical integrity of the
structure. Demolition work involves hazards for which potential exposure must be controlled,
including:
Falling objects, including part or all of a structure or debris;
Being struck or crushed by operating mobile plant;
Airborne contaminants, such as asbestos or silica.
The Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (WHS Regulation) requires that demolition
work be carried out by an appropriately licensed person conducting a business or
undertaking (PCBU). View more information about demolition licences.
The WHS Regulation also requires that certain types of demolition work be notified to
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland. More information about the types of work that
must be notified is provided below. Download Form 67 - Notification of demolition work.
Note, the WHS Regulation excludes certain types of work from the definition of demolition
work, including:
The dismantling of formwork, falsework or other structures designed or used to
provide support, access or containment during construction work;
The removal of power, light or telecommunication poles.
There are other requirements in the WHS Regulation which may apply to demolition or
dismantling of a structure.
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Categorizing Hazards Workplace hazards are not always obvious. Many workplace hazards are environmental, for
example slippery floors, unguarded machines, poor lighting and solvent vapours.
Others are concealed or not readily visible, like electricity, gases or high frequency noise.
Some hazards can result in long-term health effects rather than an immediate injury. For
example, exposure to loud noise over a period of time can result in hearing loss.
To assist in identifying hazards, they may be categorised as follows:
The obvious hazard is apparent to the senses (e. g. unguarded machinery, building
defects, faulty electrical equipment);
The concealed hazard is not apparent to the senses (e. g. electricity, presence of
toxic vapours, or high frequency noise);
The developing hazard cannot be recognised immediately and will develop over time
(e. g. a worn tyre on a mobile crane and frayed steel cables); and
The transient hazard is an intermittent or a temporary hazard (e. g. overload of
machinery, when a confined space permit has expired, a sticking safety valve on a
boiler, intermittent electrical or mechanical defect).
It is important to remember that a hazard may become more obvious and easily identifiable
when a person actually performs a task.
Risk Management Process
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Risk Management Techniques Effective risk management starts with a commitment to health and safety from those who
operate and manage the business or undertaking. You also need the involvement and
cooperation of your workers, and if you show your workers that you are serious about health
and safety they are more likely to follow your lead.
To demonstrate your commitment, you should:
Get involved in health and safety issues;
Invest time and money in health and safety;
Ensure health and safety responsibilities are clearly understood.
A step-by-step process
A safe and healthy workplace does not happen by chance or guesswork. You have to think
about what could go wrong at your workplace and what the consequences could be. Then
you must do whatever you can (in other words, whatever is ‘reasonably practicable’) to
eliminate or minimise health and safety risks arising from your business or undertaking.
This process is known as risk management and involves the four steps set out in this Code
(see Figure 1 above):
identify hazards – find out what could cause harm
assess risks if necessary – understand the nature of the harm that could be caused by the
hazard, how serious the harm could be and the likelihood of it happening
control risks – implement the most effective control measure that is reasonably practicable
in the circumstances
review control measures to ensure they are working as planned.
Many hazards and their associated risks are well known and have well established and
accepted control measures. In these situations, the second step to formally assess the risk is
unnecessary. If, after identifying a hazard, you already know the risk and how to control it
effectively, you may simply implement the controls.
Risk management is a proactive process that helps you respond to change and facilitate
continuous improvement in your business. It should be planned, systematic and cover all
reasonably foreseeable hazards and associated risks.
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Consulting your workers
The WHS Act requires that you consult, so far as is reasonably practicable, with workers who
carry out work for you who are (or are likely to be) directly affected by a work health and
safety matter.
If the workers are represented by a health and safety representative, the consultation must
involve that representative.
Consultation involves sharing of information, giving workers a reasonable opportunity to
express views and taking those views into account before making decisions on health and
safety matters.
Consultation with workers and their health and safety representatives is required at each
step of the risk management process. By drawing on the experience, knowledge and ideas of
your workers you are more likely to identify all hazards and choose effective control
measures.
You should encourage your workers to report any hazards and health and safety problems
immediately so that risks can be managed before an incident occurs. If you have a health
and safety committee, you should engage the committee in the risk management process
as well.
Consulting, co-operating and co-ordinating activities with other duty holders
You should consult, co-operate and co-ordinate activities with all other persons who have a
work health or safety duty in relation to the same matter, so far as is reasonably practicable.
Sometimes you may share responsibility for a health and safety matter with other business
operators who are involved in the same activities or who share the same workplace. For
example, if you engage on-hire workers as part of your workforce you share a duty of care
to these workers with the business that provides them. In these situations, you must discuss
the hazards and risks associated with the work and what precautions will be taken with the
on-hire firm.
Never assume that someone else is taking care of a health and safety matter. Find out who
is doing what and work together with other duty holders in a co-operative and coordinated
way so that all risks are eliminated or minimised as far as reasonably practicable.
When entering into contracts you should communicate your safety requirements and
policies, review the job to be undertaken, discuss any safety issues that may arise and how
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they will be dealt with. Remember that you cannot transfer your responsibilities to another
person.
When should a risk management approach be used? Managing work health and safety risks is an ongoing process that is triggered when any
changes affect your work activities. You should work through the steps in this Code when:
Starting a new business or purchasing a business;
Changing work practices, procedures or the work environment;
Purchasing new or used equipment or using new substances;
Planning to improve productivity or reduce costs;
New information about workplace risks becomes available;
Responding to workplace incidents (even if they have caused no injury);
Responding to concerns raised by workers, health and safety representatives or
others at the workplace;
Required by the WHS regulations for specific hazards;
It is also important to use the risk management approach when designing and planning
products, processes or places used for work, because it is often easier and more effective to
eliminate hazards before they are introduced into a workplace by incorporating safety
features at the design stage.
The risk management process is the key to systematically managing safety in the
workplace.
When carrying out a risk assessment, determine the risks that have the greatest potential to
cause harm and a greater likelihood of occurring. These risks are controlled first, followed by
the less serious risks.
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Risk Probability Chart
Risk Probability and Frequency Risk is the likelihood that a harmful consequence (death, injury or illness) might result when
exposed to the hazard.
Risk management includes an assessment of the probability of injury or illness, and the
likely or possible severity of that risk.
Risk can be quantified as a function of the likelihood of occurrence of the potential harm
arising from the hazard and the severity of consequences measured by the value of the
damage the harm could cause. The amount of risk is affected by the likelihood of the
occurrence (event) and the severity of the consequence that may occur.
A hole in the ground is a hazard, but the extent of the hazard depends on how big the hole
is, whether it's fenced off, whether it's easily visible, etc.
Exposure
This is a question of:
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How people are exposed to the hazard;
How many people are exposed to the hazard;
How often they are exposed to it; and How long they are exposed to it.
Hierarchy of Control Measures
Types of Control Measures
The control measures can be divided into three levels:
The highest level includes measures that address the hazard at the source, or where
it comes from (i.e. elimination, substitution);
The second level measures intervene in the hazard’s course between the source and
a worker (i.e. isolation or engineering);
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The third and lowest level measures are implemented at the point of the worker (i.
e. administrative controls, personal protective equipment).
Potential Consequences The severity or range of the potential consequences resulting from an incident can
be determined by a number of factors, such as:
How much harm the hazard could do;
How many people it could affect;
Whether the harm would be short or long term.
Types of Risk Assessment Operational risk assessment is conducted immediately before the work starts.
Workplace health and safety risk management is an ongoing process and must be
undertaken at various times including:
NOW, if it has not been done before;
When planning or making a change;
After an incident (and/or a near miss);
At regular or scheduled intervals appropriate to the nature of the workplace and the
hazards present;
When legislative obligations change (including regulations);
Before work starts.
High Risk Activities High-risk activities which include:
Tilt-up and precast construction work;
Structural alterations that require temporary support to prevent collapse;
Moving powered mobile plant at the workplace;
Working on a telecommunications tower;
Working in, over or adjacent to water where there is a risk of drowning;
Working on, or adjacent to, a road or railway;
Working on or near a pressurised gas distribution mains and consumer piping;
Working on or near a chemical, fuel or refrigerant line;
Work near an exposed energised electrical installation;
Work in an area that may have a contaminated or flammable atmosphere; Work in
an area where there are artificial extremes of temperature.
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Sources of Hazards Sources of hazards can be when there is:
Lack of training or supervision;
Inadequate work practices;
Poorly designed equipment or workplaces; Poorly maintained or installed
equipment.
What is Risk? Risk is the combination of the likelihood of an occurrence of a hazardous event and the
severity (likelihood) of injury or ill health that can be caused by the event.
Risk is the likelihood that a harmful consequence (death, injury or illness) might result when
exposed to the hazard.
Risk can be quantified as a function of the likelihood of occurrence of the potential harm
arising from the hazard and the severity of consequences measured by the value of the
damage the harm could cause. The amount of risk is affected by the likelihood of the
occurrence (event) and the severity of the consequence that may occur.
Risk Assessment & Control
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Protection from Falling Objects Principal contractors and relevant people must take precautions to ensure that objects do
not fall onto or hit people doing construction work and people in adjoining areas.
For housing and civil construction work, principal contractors must assess the risk from
falling objects and use controls to prevent or minimise the risks. The controls chosen must
comply with any regulatory requirements.
For construction work that is not civil or housing construction work, the principal contractor
must implement one of the following controls based on the angle between the highest point
where work is to be carried out and the line where the control will be placed:
Barricade or hoarding at least 900mm high less than or equal to 15 degrees;
Hoarding at least 1800mm high greater than 15 degrees and less than or equal to
30 degrees;
Fully sheeted hoarding at least 1800mm high greater than 30 degrees; and
If the angle is equal to or more than 75 degrees and not demolition work or work
erecting or dismantling formwork:
o Erect a gantry; o Close the adjoining area; o Erect a catch platform with
vertical sheeting or perimeter screening.
For demolition work or work to erect or dismantle formwork, the principal
contractor must:
Close the adjoining area; or
Erect perimeter containment screening.
However, if permission to close the adjoining area is withheld and perimeter containment
screening cannot be erected, the principal contractor must ensure that another control
measure is implemented to prevent objects falling on or otherwise hitting members of the
public.
The public must be kept out of an adjoining area where loads are being lifted, unless a
gantry that would withstand the force of the load if it fell, has been provided.
Demolition Work Demolition work includes any work to demolish, deconstruct or dismantle a structure, or part
of a structure that is load-bearing or otherwise related to the physical integrity of the
structure. Demolition work involves hazards for which potential exposure must be controlled,
including:
Falling objects, including part or all of a structure or debris;
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Being struck or crushed by operating mobile plant;
Airborne contaminants, such as asbestos or silica.
Asbestos Removal & Categories An asbestos removal licence is held by a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU).
Workers carry out licensed asbestos removal work on behalf of or for the PCBU who holds the
licence. Individual workers do not hold an asbestos licence but must meet certain training
requirements.
Friable asbestos
Friable asbestos (material that contains asbestos and is in a powder form or that can be
crumbled, pulverised or reduced to a powder by hand pressure when dry).
Non-friable (bonded) asbestos
Non-friable asbestos materials include asbestos cement sheeting, often called fibro, used in
many Queensland buildings before 1990. The sheeting was used for cladding, roofs and
fences and can often be found as backing boards in wet areas like kitchens and bathrooms.
The removal of more than ten square metres (equal to about four standard sheets of
plasterboard) of non-friable asbestos or any asbestos contaminated dust or debris
associated with the removal of more than ten square metres of non-friable asbestos.
Although a licence is not required to remove ten square metres or less of non-friable
asbestos material, all asbestos removal work must be carried out properly using safe work
procedures (refer to the WHS Regulation 2011 and How to Manage and Control Asbestos in
the Workplace).
Asbestos removal licences issued after the commencement of The Work Health and Safety
Regulation 2011 are valid for a period of five years.
Fall from Heights Falls from height are the most common cause of fatalities on building and construction
sites.
There are solutions to every fall hazard problem. These include:
Properly erected scaffolding;
Catch platforms;
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Meshed in guardrails;
Access towers;
Mobile scaffolding;
Elevating work platforms;
Nets;
Penetration covers;
Fall arrest equipment – full body harness, lanyards, shock absorbers, inertial reels,
static lines.
Safe Work Method Statements Work method statements can assist relevant people to consider how certain activities will be
carried out safely.
The purpose of a SWMS is:
To outline a safe method of work for a specific job;
To provide an induction document that workers can read and understand before
commencing a job;
To meet legal requirements regarding the identification and control of hazards that
can be anticipated and/or that may arise in the carrying out of work;
To enable proper planning to ensure that adequate resources are allocated, possible
problems are identified and that work is carried out in a safe manner;
To provide an opportunity for consultation, with those carrying out the work on the
subject of the SWMS.
Change in Activity Work method statements can assist relevant people to consider how certain activities will be
carried out safely.
Work method statements must be easy to understand, signed and dated.
The work method statement must be amended if there is a change in the activity and a copy
must be given to the principal contractor. All people affected by changes must be advised of
amendments to the work method statement.
The work method statement must be readily available for inspection. It must also be
reviewed each year and amended if necessary.
An SDS should be written so that it can be easily understood by everyone and the number of
pages should be kept to a minimum.
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SWMS Monitoring The work method statement must take into account the principal contractor’s
construction safety plan and also state:
The high-risk construction activity;
The person’s ABN;
The control measures to be used;
The way the activity will be performed;
How the control measures will be monitored and reviewed; Any relevant prescribed
occupations.
SWMS Not Required A relevant person doing construction work needs to prepare a work method statement for
high-risk activities including:
Where a person is:
o To enter a trench more than 1. 5 metres deep
o Using explosives
o Using a confined space
o Using a hazardous substance
If a person could fall:
o At least 3 metres for housing construction work, or
o At least 2 metres for other construction work
Working on a roof with a pitch greater than 26°;
Where the principal contractor concludes an activity could result in death or bodily
harm;
(prescribed activities);
Tilt-up and precast construction work;
Structural alterations that require temporary support to prevent collapse;
Moving powered mobile plant at the workplace;
Working on a telecommunications tower;
Working in, over or adjacent to water where there is a risk of drowning;
Working on, or adjacent to, a road or railway;
Working on or near a pressurised gas distribution mains and consumer piping;
Working on or near a chemical, fuel or refrigerant line;
Work near an exposed energised electrical installation;
Work in an area that may have a contaminated or flammable atmosphere;
Work in an area where there are artificial extremes of temperature.
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Perimeter Fencing Unauthorised visitors (including children) may not be deterred by warning signs, have no
awareness of the dangers that may be present on a residential building site and have no
idea of the risks that they may be exposed to once they have entered a site.
These risks can include serious injury from falls from partially constructed houses and
scaffolding, electric shock from “live” cables, drowning in open excavations, suffocation or
crushing from collapsing material, coming into contact with hazardous substances,
protruding objects, falling onto protruding reinforcement bars etc.
Ideally, all hazards and risks should be eliminated on the site, but this is not always
achievable. Fencing can be an effective way of restricting unauthorised entry to a housing
construction site when hazards are present.
The builder should strongly consider installing a fence around a housing
construction site when it is:
In the proximity of a school or on a route travelled by children
to and from school;
Close to parks or recreational areas;
In a built up area.
Amenities The builder’s own employees need amenities, as well as the builder’s contractors and their
employees, and visitors to the site.
Amenities are those facilities provided for a housing construction site to provide for the
health, safety and welfare of persons working on that site and include the following:
Toilets;
Meal and shelter facilities;
Washing facilities;
Drinking water.
Dangerous Goods Dangerous goods have the potential to cause immediate harm to people, property and the
environment due to the possibility of a fire, explosion, release of toxic, flammable, or
corrosive materials during a storage or handling incident.
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These materials may be dangerous because of one or more of the following
properties:
An ability to cause or accelerate combustion;
Acute toxic effects;
An ability to cause corrosion of skin and other materials;
Capacity to harm the environment;
Potential to cause asphyxiation by displacement of oxygen;
Temperature or pressure hazards;
Ability to react with other materials adversely.
SDS An SDS should be written so that it can be easily understood by everyone and the number of
pages should be kept to a minimum.
Unknown Substances/Unlabelled Containers If the container is not labelled and the contents of the container not known, the
container should be:
Marked, “Caution do not use: unknown substance”;
Stored away from other substances where it cannot be used until its contents can be
identified and the container appropriately labelled.
If the contents cannot be identified, they should be disposed of following consultation with
the relevant local Authority.
Exposure to Hazardous Substances The following questions should be answered when inspecting and evaluating
exposure:
1. Is the hazardous substance released or emitted into the work area?
In determining whether a hazardous substance is released or emitted into a work area, the
following should be considered:
Evidence of contamination; that is dust or fumes visible in the air or on surfaces,
substance visible on a person’s skin or clothing, odour of substance, visible leaks,
spills or residues. Note: the use of odour should be used with caution as it is not
necessarily an indicator of the levels permitted by Regulation;
Handling substances, for example, powders not in containers;
Chemical splashes; and
Workers’ experience or symptoms of exposure.
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1. Are workers exposed to the hazardous substance through inhalation, ingestion,
skin or eye contact, or is there a possibility of accidental injection into the
body?
It is important to identify the types of exposure which might affect workers. Workers
involved in production, repairs, maintenance, cleaning or office work may all face different
types of exposure. Also consider contractors on site and people who might be exposed in an
emergency such as a chemical spill, leak or fire.
People may be exposed by:
Working directly with the hazardous substance;
Working near or passing through areas in which the hazardous substance is stored,
transported, disposed of, or produced by discharge of emissions, e. g. exhaust;
Entering a confined space in which the hazardous substance might be present; or
Cleaning, performing maintenance or other work in areas where the hazardous
substance might be present.
2. How much are workers and other persons exposed to hazardous substances and
for how long?
It is important to identify the amount of hazardous substances to which workers are exposed
and the length of time over which exposure occurs. In particular, remember that exposure
standards for hazardous substances are calculated on a daily 8 hour exposure. Where
workers have been exposed in excess of 8 hours during their working day specialist help
may be needed to apply the exposure standard.
In identifying how much and for how long, ask:
What degree of exposure is expected?
Does exposure occur intermittently or continuously?
Does exposure occur frequently?
What are the different routes of exposure?
How many workers are exposed?
3. What control measures are used or proposed? Are the existing control measures
effective, properly used and maintained?
During a walk-through inspection, the following points should be considered:
Are any engineering controls in place, such as, isolation or enclosure of processes?
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Are effective general ventilation and local exhaust ventilation systems in place
effective and adequately maintained?
Are workers trained in the proper use and maintenance of control measures?
Do work practices ensure safe handling?
Are appropriate personal protective clothing and equipment used and maintained in a
clean and effective condition? Are facilities for changing, washing and eating meals
maintained in good condition? Good personal hygiene practices can help reduce
worker exposure to a hazardous substance.
Are good housekeeping practices in place?
Are all hazardous substances stored correctly?
Is disposal of waste appropriate?
Are appropriate emergency procedures and equipment in place (for example, eye
wash, safety shower, etc)?
4. Are there any risks associated with the storage and handling of the hazardous
substance?
The risk associated with the storage and handling of a hazardous substance in the workplace
often relates to spillage and fire. Under these circumstances, workers might be exposed
briefly but at high concentrations, i. e. the exposure is acute. As a result, the hazardous
substance may also be classified as dangerous goods. These risks are different from those
associated with day-to-day exposure, and should be considered separately.
Hazardous Substances The Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 sets out the requirement of a Relevant
Person who is an Employer to-
Give a worker who may be exposed to a hazardous substance induction and ongoing
training about the substance having regard to the level of risk identified in the risk
assessment and the workers who may be exposed to the substance; and
Keep a record of the induction and training for 5 years stating the date of the session,
the topics dealt with, the name of the person who conducted the session, and the
names of the workers who attended.
Confined Spaces
Training A “competent person” is likely to be someone who has successfully completed an adequate
training course with a recognised training provider. They should be able to demonstrate
knowledge in identifying and managing confined space hazards. They should have skills and
abilities in correctly completing risk assessments, written authorities and emergency
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procedures. They should also have experience in working with confined spaces and regularly
undergo refresher courses.
Stand-by person Where the risk assessment indicates a risk to health and safety, the control measures shall
require a stand-by person or persons to be outside the confined space while it is occupied.
Plant & Equipment It is always good practice to ensure you check the machinery before every use as things
may have changed between each use. Even if the time period is relatively short, moving
parts may have shifted or other persons may have tampered with the plant since you last
used it.
Noise Noise is unwanted sound that may damage a person’s hearing.
Exposure to too much noise for too long can make people deaf. However, the onset of
deafness can be slow. Often workers don't realise that their hearing is being destroyed.
They may think they have got used to the noise on the worksite. They have not. It is just
that their ears have already been so damaged that the surrounding noise does not seem as
loud as before. Sometimes people will deny that they are having trouble hearing.
Try to move noisy machinery away from workers. If they cannot be done, people in the
noisy zone should wear WorkCover approved ear muffs or plugs. They'll cut down the noise
by 20 to 30 per cent. Ear muffs or plugs must be worn all the time the worker is in the noisy
zone. Wearing them for only part of a noisy shift drastically reduces the protection.
Everything below the blue dotted line is an acceptable level of decibel noise without the need
for hearing protection.
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Personal Hearing Protection A personal hearing protector is a device, or pair of devices, designed to be worn over or
inserted in the ears of a person to protect hearing. Personal hearing protectors should be
used when levels of excessive noise cannot be reduced by using other control measures.
Workers or others at the workplace should be:
Supplied with personal hearing protectors of correct rating and suitable for the work
conditions;
Instructed in their correct usage;
Instructed to wear them when exposed to noise;
Monitored to ensure they wear hearing protection.
Common Gases Damage to services can cause gas escapes which may lead to fires or explosions if an
ignition source is present.
There are two types of leaks following damage to the service:
Damage which causes an immediate escape. In this case, there is a risk to those
working at the site;
Damage which causes an escape sometime after the incident. This may be through
damage which weakens the service casing or the result of poor reinstatement
practice. In this instance, the public is mainly at risk.
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Elevated Work Platforms Observe the following safety rules when operating powered platforms:
The travel speed at Maximum Travel Height should not exceed 3 feet (0. 9m) per
second;
The surface upon which the unit is being operated must be level with no hazardous
irregularities or accumulation of debris which might cause a moving platform to
overturn.
Units are to be assembled, used, and disassembled in accordance with the
manufacturer's instructions;
Units shall be assembled, and used only by personnel who have been trained in their
use.
Equipment must be inspected for damaged and defective parts before use;
Avoid loaded lifts in excess of the design working load and remove the unit from
service for repairs when damaged or weakened from any cause;
Avoid use of lifts during high winds or storms;
Ensure that small tools etc. are shielded from falling on persons required to pass
under the equipment.
Scaffolding A person erecting or dismantling scaffolding 3 metres or more in housing construction or 2
metres or more in other construction must:
Be prevented from falling;
Use a fall arrest harness system; or
Immediately install platforms, edge protection and a means of access as each level is
erected and retain a full deck of platform until the platforms are transferred.
Ladders Ladders must be in good condition, free from splits, or broken or loose rungs.
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Follow the 1:4 base: height ratio rule with ladders. For example, the foot of a four metre
ladder should be at least one metre away from the wall against which the ladder is leaning.
Make sure the top of the ladder extends at least one metre above the lading. It should be
securely fixed at top and bottom and footed securely on a firm and level foundation. Never
put ladders in front of doorways, or closer than 4. 6 metres to bare electrical conductors
(sometimes it is safe to put them closer than this - it depends on what material the ladder is
made of and how likely the ladder is to conduct electricity.
Electrical current can jump from a conductor to an aluminium ladder without any contact).
When working with or on electrical equipment, use only wooden ladders. Do not use metal or
wire-reinforced ladders when working near exposed power lines.
Only one person should be on a ladder at a time, and tools should be pulled up with a rope.
Workers on ladders should never over-reach. Workers ascending or descending should face
the ladder.
Two ladders must never be joined together to form a longer ladder.
Ladders should not be placed against a window.
The ladder must have a load rating of not less than 120kg and be:
Secured against movement at or near its top or bottom, for example, by tying or
clamping;
Manufactured for industrial use;
Used only for the designed purpose;
Not more than 6.1 metres for a single ladder;
Not more than 9.2 metres for an extension ladder used for electrical work or 7.5
metres for other work;
On a firm and stable surface;
Erected at an angle between 70° and 80°;
Extended at least 1 metre above a surface being accessed.
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Section 3: OHS Communication and Reporting
Processes
Construction Safety Plans A construction safety plan can assist principal contractors to manage their workplace health
and safety obligations.
A principal contractor must prepare a construction safety plan before construction work
starts.
The plan must state:
Workplace address;
Name and address of the principal contractor;
Principal contractor's ABN;
Whether there is a WHS committee;
Whether there is a WHS Officer appointed;
Expected start date;
Estimated duration of the work;
Type of construction;
Plant provided for common use;
Site rules;
The risks the principal contractor is obliged to manage;
Proposed control measures for the risks;
How the controls will be implemented;
Arrangements for monitoring and reviewing controls;
Emergency procedures;
Public safety strategies.
The plan must be written so it is easy to understand, signed and dated by the principal
contractor. It must be available for the length of the project.
The principal contractor must sign and date work method statements that have been
received and keep them with the plan, as well as monitor their implementation.
The principal contractor cannot allow work to start unless:
The plan has been discussed with or a copy given to all relevant people;
The plan is available or readily available for inspection.
The plan must be amended if there are changes in how risks will be managed.
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The principal contractor must inform any affected person of the change.
Authorisations Authorisations (e. g. licences, permits and registrations) are required for certain types of
work, some workplaces and the use of some plant.
Workplaces The WHS Regulation requires some workplaces (e. g. major hazard facilities) to be approved
or authorised. A person must not conduct a business or undertaking, or direct or allow a
worker to carry out work, if the workplace is not authorised in accordance with the WHS
Regulation.
Plant A PCBU must not direct or allow a worker to use plant or equipment if it is not authorised.
Under the WHS Regulation, the following items of plant require registration of their design:
Pressure equipment, other than pressure piping;
Gas cylinders covered by Part 1. 1 of AS2030. 1;
Tower cranes, including self-erecting tower cranes (excluding cranes or hoists that
are manually powered, scissor lifts, vertically moving platforms and tow trucks);
Lifts, including escalators and moving walkways;
Building maintenance units;
Hoists with a platform movement exceeding 2. 4 metres, designed to lift people;
Work boxes designed to be suspended from cranes;
Amusement devices covered by section 2. 1 of AS3533 (except playground
structures, water slides, wave generators, sealed inflatable devices and inflatable
devices that do not use a non-return valve);
Concrete placement units with delivery booms;
Prefabricated scaffolding and prefabricated formwork;
Boom type elevating work platforms;
Gantry cranes with a safe working load greater than 5 tonnes, or bridge cranes with a
safe working load of greater than 10 tonnes, and any gantry crane or bridge crane
which is designed to handle molten metal or Schedule 11 hazardous chemicals;
Vehicle hoists;
Mast climbing work platforms;
Mobile cranes with a rated capacity of greater than 10 tonnes.
Under the WHS Regulation the following items of plant and equipment require to be
registered:
Certain boilers and pressure vessels;
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Tower cranes, including self-erecting tower cranes (excluding cranes and hoists that
are manually powered);
Lifts, including escalators and moving walkways;
Building maintenance units;
Amusement devices covered by section 2. 1 of AS3533 (except playground
structures, water slides, wave generators, sealed inflatable devices and inflatable
Devices that do not use a non-return valve);
Concrete placement units with delivery booms;
Mobile cranes with a rated capacity of greater than 10 tonnes.
Work A PCBU must not direct or allow a worker to carry out work if it is required to be done by an
authorised person. Under the WHS Regulation, the following high risk work must only be
performed by people who have been authorised (i. e. licensed) to carry out that particular
type of work:
Scaffolding;
Dogging and rigging;
Crane and hoist operation;
Operating reach stackers;
Forklift operation;
Pressure equipment operation.
Prescribed qualifications and experience The WHS Regulation requires the following types of work only to be carried out or supervised
by a person with prescribed qualifications or experience:
Driving:
General driving work (section 171 and 177 WHS Regulation)
Incidental driving work (section 172 WHS Regulation)
Limited scientific driving work (section 173 WHS Regulation)
High risk driving work (sections 183 and 184 WHS Regulation)
Plant:
Maintenance, repair, inspection and testing of registered mobile cranes and tower
cranes (section 235 WHS Regulation);
Maintenance, repair, inspection and testing of amusement devices (sections 240 and
241 WHS Regulation);
Verification of plant design (section 252 WHS Regulation).
Construction:
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All construction work (requires general construction induction training sections 316
and 317 WHS Regulation).
Management of asbestos:
Identification of asbestos at a workplace (section 422 WHS Regulation).
Asbestos related work:
Air monitoring of the work area where asbestos related work is being carried out
(section 482 WHS Regulation).
In the case of asbestos removal work, the WHS Regulation requires the:
Asbestos removalist to be licensed (section 458 WHS Regulation);
Nominated asbestos removal supervisor to be competent;
Asbestos removal worker to hold certification in relevant units of competency (section
460 WHS Regulation);
Clearance inspection for non-friable asbestos removal work to be undertaken only by
competent person (section 473 WHS Regulation);
Clearance certificate in relation to non-friable asbestos removal work to be issued
only by a competent person (section 474 WHS Regulation);
Air monitoring during friable asbestos removal work to be undertaken only by a
licensed asbestos assessor (section 489 WHS Regulation);
Clearance inspection for friable asbestos removal work to be undertaken only by a
licensed asbestos assessor (section 489 WHS Regulation);
Clearance certificate in relation to friable asbestos removal work to be issued only by
a licensed asbestos assessor (section 489 WHS Regulation).
Recording Workplace Incidents You are required by law to report incidents in the workplace where there is:
Serious bodily injury;
Work caused illness;
Dangerous event;
Dangerous electrical event;
Serious electrical incident;
Major accident under the DGSM Act.
Workplace Health & Safety Obligations A person who conducts a business or undertaking is considered a relevant person
and can include:
Employers;
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Self-employed people;
Volunteer organisations.
Meeting your workplace health and safety obligations involves:
Providing and maintaining a safe and healthy work environment;
Providing and maintaining safe plant;
Ensuring the safe use, handling, storage and transport of substances;
Ensuring safe systems of work;
Providing information, instruction, training and supervision to ensure health and
safety.
Notifiable Incidents Employers and self-employed
Under The Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 you are required to inform Workplace
Health and Safety Queensland if the following events happen at the workplace:
Serious bodily injury;
Work caused illness;
Dangerous event.
You should advise your employer of:
All workplace accidents even when you only receive minor injuries;
All workplace incidents (including near misses).
Duty to preserve incident sites
The person with management or control of relevant premise at which a notifiable incident
has happened must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the site where the
incident happened is not disturbed until an inspector arrives at the site or any earlier time
that an inspector directs.
Note* A relevant person must keep a record of each notifiable incident for at least 5 years
from the day that notice of the incident is given to the regulator.
Non-Serious Incidents Although you do not have to notify Workplace Health and Safety Queensland about non-
notifiable incidents, it is important to record and investigate ALL incidents including 'near
misses' so that action can be taken to prevent similar incidents occurring in the future.
It also provides a good record such that more serious incidents can be avoided.
How are hazards identified?
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Hazards can be identified in a number of ways. For example:
Workplace inspections;
Examining records of incidents and dangerous occurrences in the workplace;
Keeping up to date with information released about particular products and
processes;
Contact with other workplaces using similar processes; or
If you have a large site with several contractors and employees - by consulting the
Health and Safety Representative and employees from that site.
General Induction Training General induction training teaches people the knowledge and skills described in the unit of
competency to 'Prepare to Work Safely in the Construction Industry'.
General induction is a structured training course that has a nominal duration of 6 hours in
the classroom or can be done online in a few hours.
The course assessment will require the demonstration of all the elements of induction
training as specified in the unit of competency.
Upon successfully completing the course a laminated card will be provided to you. It will
have a serial number and should contain your signature and the date of the course.
As of January 2012, under the Work Health and Safety (WHS) Act, WorkCover NSW accept
interstate ONLINE White Cards - (NTIS course CPCCOHS1001A superseded by
CPCCWHS1001) for NSW residents.
Under Work Health and Safety (WHS) legislation, everyone working on construction sites
(including owner builder projects) must be deemed to be competent and are therefore
required to successfully complete this course.
This WorkCover approved course is compulsory for anyone entering the building and
construction industry who is over 14 years of age (including volunteers, full time students on
Work Experience programmes and/or students seeking casual employment) or anyone who
has been out of the industry for more than 2 years.
The course (the one you are sitting right now) will cover the following elements:
OHS Legislative Requirements;
Construction hazards and control measures;
OHS communication and reporting processes;
OHS incident response procedures.
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WH&S Inspectors The main role of an inspector is to ensure workplaces comply with workplace health and
safety legislation. It is also part of an inspector’s role to provide information and advice
on the legislation.
Inspectors visit workplaces for a variety of reasons including to:
Investigate workplace incidents;
Investigate reports of unsafe, or unhealthy conditions and dangerous work practices;
Assess workplace health and safety risks to workers and members of the public;
Conduct workplace health and safety inspections and audits;
Provide information and advice on the legislation.
Mandatory (Must Do) Signs Images that are in blue usually denote a mandatory requirement. A picture depicting a pair
of goggles will indicate that goggles MUST BE worn.
Warning Signs Yellow signs usually indicate warning to alert persons to dangers that may be present or
to notify them of the potential to cause harm or injury.
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Serious Injury (Electrical)
Trip Hazards
Prohibition (Do Not) Signs The best safety signs have pictures on them so you can understand them even if you are
from a non-English speaking background.
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Blue signs that depict an image will always indicate that the image carries a mandatory
or MUST DO / MUST WEAR requirement.
Whit signs with a red line through them indicate DO NOT or STOP action.
Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS) In terms of hierarchy of safety documentation, a SWMS generally sits within a site safety
plan. The site safety plan would most typically identify OH&S controls for all issues
relating to works on site including the requirement for a SWMS to be provided prior to
any work activity taking place.
A person conducting a business or undertaking PCBU that includes carrying out high risk
construction work in connection with a construction project must, before the high risk
construction work commences, ensure that a copy of the safe work method statement for
the work is given to the principal contractor.
A person conducting a business or undertaking must ensure that a safe work method
statement is reviewed and, as necessary, revised if relevant control measures are revised.
If a notifiable incident occurs in connection with the high risk construction work to which
the statement relates, the person must keep the statement for at least 2 years after the
incident occurs.
The person must ensure that for the period for which the statement must be kept under
this section, a copy is readily accessible to any worker engaged by the person to carry
out the high risk construction work.
The person must ensure that for the period for which the statement must be kept under
this section, a copy is available for inspection under the Act.
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There are various SWMS formats for capturing the information required to establish that
work is to be carried out safely, including the example provided. However regardless of
the format used/provided the SWMS should identify as a minimum the work to be
performed, the sequence of the work, hazards, and risks arising from the hazards and
control measures to be used to remove/minimise the risk/s.
Additional information, such as the qualifications of those performing the work, the level
of supervision to be provided, the use of any hazardous substances, the type of
plant/equipment to be used, must also be provided. This information may be captured in
the SWMS or alternatively may be referenced in the SWMS
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Section 4: OHS Incident Response Procedures
Codes of Practice Meeting your workplace health and safety obligations involves:
Providing and maintaining a safe and healthy work environment;
Providing and maintaining safe plant;
Ensuring the safe use, handling, storage and transport of substances;
Ensuring safe systems of work;
Providing information, instruction, training and supervision to ensure health and
safety.
How to meet your obligations?
You can meet your workplace health and safety obligations by following the law.
If a regulation or ministerial notice tells you how to prevent or minimise exposure to
a risk, you must comply;
If a regulation or ministerial notice prohibits exposure to a risk, you must comply;
If a code of practice states a way of managing exposure to a risk, you must adopt
and follow that approach or one that gives you at least the same level of protection
against the risk.
If there is no regulation, ministerial notice or code of practice to guide you in managing a
particular risk or preventing exposure to it, you still have a workplace health and safety
obligation and you should find appropriate ways to manage exposure to any risks
that may arise. You can meet your obligation by taking reasonable precautions and
exercising due care in your work activities.
It is a requirement of The Workplace Health and Safety Act 2011 that risks must be
assessed and control measures then implemented and reviewed to prevent or minimise
exposure to the risks.
High Risk Activities Although workplace health and safety problems can affect workers in any work situation,
not all workers face the same degree or type of risk of injury as others. Risks may vary
by, for example, the type of industry, occupation or work.
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If you suspect a risk you need to stop the task immediately. You need to think about
what you are about to do, the potential risks and the likely effects on yourself and other
people.
Regardless of your role, you have a duty of care to ensure yourself and others are not
affected by any of your actions or inactions.
A code of practice applies to anyone who has a duty of care in the circumstances described
in the code. In most cases, following an approved code of practice would achieve compliance
with the health and safety duties in the WHS Act, in relation to the subject matter of the
code. Like regulations, codes of practice deal with particular issues and do not cover all
hazards or risks that may arise. The health and safety duties require duty holders to
consider all risks associated with work, not only those for which regulations and codes of
practice exist.
Codes of practice are admissible in court proceedings under the WHS Act and
Regulations. Courts may regard a code of practice as evidence of what is known about a
hazard, risk or control and may rely on the code in determining what is reasonably
practicable in the circumstances to which the code relates.
An inspector may refer to an approved code of practice when issuing an improvement or
prohibition notice.
A person conducting a business or undertaking has the primary duty under the WHS Act
to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that workers and other persons are not
exposed to health and safety risks arising from the business or undertaking.
The WHS Regulations place specific obligations on a person conducting a business or
undertaking in relation to first aid, including requirements to:
Provide first aid equipment and ensure each worker at the workplace has access to
the equipment;
Ensure access to facilities for the administration of first aid;
Ensure that an adequate number of workers are trained to administer first aid at the
workplace or that workers have access to an adequate number of other people who
have been trained to administer first aid.
A person conducting a business or undertaking may not need to provide first aid
equipment or facilities if these are already provided by another duty holder at the
workplace and they are adequate and easily accessible at the times that the workers
carry out work.
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Officers, such as company directors, have a duty to exercise due diligence to ensure that the
business or undertaking complies with the WHS Act and Regulations. This includes taking
reasonable steps to ensure that the business or undertaking has and uses appropriate
resources and processes to eliminate or minimise risks to health and safety.
Workers have a duty to take reasonable care for their own health and safety and must
not adversely affect the health and safety of other persons. Workers must comply with
any reasonable instruction and cooperate with any reasonable policy or procedure
relating to health and safety at the workplace, such as procedures for first aid and for
reporting injuries
First Aid Personnel Workers should have access to trained first aid personnel who undertake initial
management of work caused injuries or illnesses.
If ongoing medical care or special medical assistance, for example trauma counselling, is
required, the first aid personnel should recommend that a worker seek further
assistance.
First Aid Signs First aid or emergency signs are always green. A first aid room is usually indicated by a
white cross on a green background.
First Aid Qualifications In low risk workplaces, workers should have access to a person with a current Apply First Aid
qualification (or higher qualification).
A person possessing a current Apply First Aid qualification should be able to:
Undertake the initial management of injuries and illnesses occurring at workplaces;
and
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Record details of first aid given.
In high risk workplaces, workers should have access to a person with a current
occupational first aid qualification.
A person with a current occupational first aid qualification should have:
Broad first aid skills like maintenance of first aid equipment; and
Knowledge of the requirements of a working environment and current workplace
health and safety legislation.
First Aid Records A record of any first aid treatment given should be kept by the first aider and reported to
managers on a regular basis to assist reviewing first aid arrangements. First aid
treatment records are subject to requirements under Health Records legislation
A copy of the first aid record should accompany the ill or injured person if the person is
transferred to a medical service or hospital.
The original copy of the first aid records should be retained at the workplace and a copy
should be given to the worker or be available on request.
If a notifiable incident occurs in connection with the work, you must keep the assessment
or dive plan (as the case requires) for at least 2 years after the incident occurs
You must ensure that for the period for which the assessment must be kept a copy is
available for inspection under the Act.
Employer Responsibilities Examples of Ways to control hazards:
Make sure handling of frozen meat is limited in time to avoid hands and fingers losing
feeling due to cold;
Rotate workers so no one person is in a cold or hot environment for long periods of
time;
Wear protective clothing. The clothing layer closest to the skin should be able to
absorb sweat, especially if the activities involve physical exertion such as lifting, while
the outside layer should be waterproof;
Ensure equipment and machinery are maintained and serviced appropriately and used
according to safe operating procedures;
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Flammable or Combustible substances are stormed appropriately and kept at the
lowest practicable quantity for the workplace;
Protective ear-wear is worn and that the noise the worker is exposed to does not
exceed the exposure for standard noise;
The need for any person to enter a confined space and the risk of the person
inadvertently entering the space are eliminated so far as reasonably practicable;
You need to be aware that some people may be more sensitive to certain climates
than others.
Record Keeping Keeping good records of the risk management process demonstrates potential
compliance with the Act with respect to controlling risks in the workplace. It also
maximises the effectiveness of the process and assists when undertaking subsequent risk
assessments.
Some of the reasons for keeping records about the risk management process and
general workplace health and safety activities include to:
Demonstrate that the process was conducted properly (e. g. to provide evidence);
Provide a record of risks;
the relevant decision makers with a risk management plan for approval and
subsequent implementation;
Provide a responsible and accountable mechanism and tool;
Measure progress and change through continuous monitoring and reviewing;
Provide an audit trail;
Comply with legislative requirements; Share and communicate information.
Everyone in the workplace must be aware of record keeping requirements, including
which records are accessible and where they are kept.
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Fire
The diagram depicts the different types of fire-extinguishers available. If a green smiley
face appears in one of the boxes, then the corresponding “class of fire” at the top
indicates this extinguisher can be used on this fire.
A red frown face indicates that this extinguisher is not to be used on this “class of fire”.
Elements of a Fire For a fire to exist it must contain 3 basic elements. These are:
Heat;
Fuel;
Oxygen.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Personal protective equipment (PPE) refers to protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or
other garment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury by blunt impacts,
electrical hazards, heat, chemicals, and infection, for job-related occupational safety and
health for the purpose of preventing injury or illness.
PPE can include:
Hearing protective devices, such as ear muffs and ear plugs;
Fire Extinguishers
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Respirators;
Eye and face protection, such as goggles;
Safety helmets and sun hats;
Gloves and safety boots;
Clothing, such as high visibility vests or life jackets;
When should you use it?
It is a requirement of the Workplace Health and Safety Act 2011 that risks must be assessed
and control measures then implemented and reviewed to prevent or minimise exposure to
the risks.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) and administrative controls are lowest on the
hierarchy of control measures. PPE does not control the hazard at the source and should
not be relied on as the main control measure unless it is a temporary or interim measure
or when options higher on the list of controls have been exhausted. PPE can be used
effectively in conjunction with other control measures to manage exposure to a risk.
The effectiveness of PPE as a control measure is limited as it can:
Be uncomfortable to wear;
Make working difficult;
Create other risks to a person’s health and safety; Be expensive in the long term.
Using PPE
Make sure that:
Personal protective (PPE) is used in accordance with the manufacturers’ instructions;
The PPE fits correctly;
Workers are instructed and trained in how to use it;
Appropriate signs should be displayed to remind workers where PPE must be worn.
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Working Alone Less people might suggest that there are fewer chances of things going wrong. There are
times when working alone can be safer, however generally speaking it is more dangerous
to work alone as when things do go wrong, there is little or no chance of assistance.
This is especially true of high-risk activities. These activities should never be carried out
alone and should always be performed by a trained and supervised individual.