BSB41415 Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety (WHS)

Learner Guide

BSB41415 Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety

Learner Guide
Copyright
This document was authored and developed by Advantage Training Australia and is intended
for use by enrolled students studying with Advantage Training Australia for the purposes of
completion of a BSB41415 Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety only.
You use of this document is subject to the following terms:

You will not share this Learner Guide or its contents with anyone.
You will not copy, print or email this Learner Guide unless it is for the sole purpose of
completion of BSB41415 Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety.
You will not sell or attempt to sell this document or any of its contents or distributed
it free of charge.

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise
without the prior written permission of Advantage Training Australia.

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Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 4
SUBJECT 2.

HAZARDS RISK AND CONTROLS - BSBWHS404 ...................................................... 5

Subject / Unit Description and Objectives ................................................................................. 6

Hazard, Risk and Controls The Basics. ..................................................................................... 7
Hazard Identification ................................................................................................................. 15
Risk Assessment ........................................................................................................................ 19
Planning Controls ...................................................................................................................... 24
Implementing Controls ............................................................................................................. 27
Review and Evaluate Controls .................................................................................................. 28

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Introduction
Firstly, welcome and thanks for choosing to study with Advantage Training Australia.
This Learner Guide is intended to provide you with specific skills and knowledge in order to
meet the requirements of the units of competency that make up this qualification as offered
by Advantage Training. It is not intended to be a comprehensive guide to all of the subject
areas covered within.
There are many sources of information relating to Work Health and Safety from journals,
magazines, websites, books and subscriptions to email alerts and bulletins. In order to both
gain and maintain a broad knowledge of Work Health and Safety it is suggested that you seek
out additional sources of information to use in conjunction with this Learner Guide. This
Guide, however will prove an excellent and informative starting point from which to begin
your exploratory journey into the ever-changing world of WHS.
Being an effective WHS Practitioner is not about knowing everything about everything. It is
impossible and impractical to try, as you will quickly discover that retained knowledge
becomes hazy and out-dated and this could ultimately lead to you putting yourself, others and
your organisation at risk. Being an effective WHS Practitioner is about knowing where to find
information and how to apply it to the situation at hand. This Learner Guide is based upon
this principle and as such will often refer to external sources of information in order to assist
you in learning and developing these skills.
Enjoy your course and if I can offer any advice to you for your future career as a WHS
Practitioner it is this, never be afraid to say I dont know but Ill find out and get back to you
and whatever you do, never assume, always know.

Karl Dyble
CEO Advantage Training Australia

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SUBJECT 2. HAZARDS RISK AND

CONTROLS - BSBWHS404
BSBWHS404 Contribute to WHS Hazard
Identification, Risk Assessment and Risk
Control

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Subject / Unit Description and Objectives
Application
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to contribute to the processes of
identifying work health and safety (WHS) hazards, assessing WHS risks, and developing,
implementing and evaluating risk controls according to legislative and organisational
requirements.
It applies to individuals who contribute to WHS risk management processes in their work role
in a range of industry and workplace contexts.
NOTE: The terms 'occupational health and safety' (OHS) and 'work health and safety' (WHS)
are equivalent and generally either can be used in the workplace. In jurisdictions where the
Model WHS Legislation has not been implemented RTOs are advised to contextualise the unit
of competency by referring to the existing state/territory OHS legislative requirements.
No licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time
of publication.
Unit Sector
Regulation, Licensing and Risk Work Health and Safety
Objectives
On completion of this subject learners will be able to:
1. Access information to identify hazards, and assess and control risks
2. Contribute to compliance and workplace requirements
3. Contribute to workplace hazard identification
4. Contribute to WHS risk assessment
5. Contribute to the development, implementation and evaluation of risk control.
For further information regarding Elements, Performance Criteria, Foundation Skills, Range of
Conditions, Unit Mapping Information, Performance Evidence, Knowledge Evidence and
Assessment Conditions please visit http://training.gov.au/Training/Details/BSBWHS404

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Hazard, Risk and Controls The Basics.
Hazard:
A hazard is something that has the potential to cause harm
Risk:
Risk is the likelihood that that thing will cause you harm and the severity of harm it will
cause. (Consequence)
Example:
Consider your own household, what hazards are present there? Water, electricity, steps and
stairs, pets, family members, cars, bikes, toys, swimming pools even your food can be a
hazard when you consider that you could choke to death in a flash or kill yourself slowly with
all the foods you know you should never eat. We tolerate hazards in our own households
that would cause most businesses to be closed down and their owners locked up for lengthy
periods of time.
Lets look at a simple example making a cup of tea or coffee. The hazards are:

Water either hot or cold

Electricity.

In what ways could water and electricity harm you?

You could spill the water on the way back from the tap to the kettle stand and slip
over
The kettle could have a loose wire and you could be electrocuted
You could be listening to your team playing on the radio and forget that you have the
kettle in your hand when you throw your hands into the air to celebrate a goal
causing some nasty burns.

How likely is it that this will happen? That depends upon your exposure to those hazards.

How many cups of tea or coffee do you make a day?

How close is your tap to the kettle stand?
How well do you look after your kettle? Is it old or new?
How often does your team score a goal?

How severe will the harm be if you are exposed to one of these scenarios? That again
depends on a number of factors.

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What is your kitchen made of? Nice soft laminate flooring or hard tiles?
Are there sharp edges in your kitchen that you could bang your head on?
How hot the water is? Did you leave it a while or was it still bubbling when your team
scored?
What you are wearing, are you walking round in your undies or wearing a big coat
that may protect you from the water and cushion your fall? Will your shoes conduct
the electricity?

When viewed from the point of view of WHS hazard and risk, making a cup of tea or coffee
could be said to be quite hazardous or risky and you may not feel that a hot drink is worth
the risk. In this case you may have decided that you are not willing to tolerate the risks
associated with making a cup of tea or coffee and opt for a glass of water instead. This can
be described as your risk tolerance level. Others may feel that they love hot drinks so much
that they are willing to accept the risk involved and therefore their risk tolerance level is
different to yours.
Organisations like people and whole countries and cultures have a different view on what
level of risk they are willing to tolerate. Just look at the statistics for deaths in mining and
construction or any workplace for that matter when compared per capita (i.e. percentage of
population) country on country.
Fortunately all is not lost, this is where control measures come into play. Theres still a
chance you can have that hot drink after all.
Controls or Control Measures / Options
Controls are something you can put in place or do, that will help to eliminate or reduce either
the likelihood that a hazard will cause harm or the severity of that harm, i.e. the
consequence.
Its important to understand that there are different levels of controls, some of which are
more effective than others. This is called the hierarchy of controls. A hierarchy is simply the
ranking of factors (and sometimes people) in order of importance or effectiveness.

Research Task
Group Discussion or Self-Reflection.
Open your copy of the WHS Regulations and press Control (Ctrl) and F on your keyboard.
This will bring up the Find function. Now type in Hierarchy. Click on the section number
and read what it says the options are. There are six in total.

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If we head back into the kitchen and look at our scenario we can maybe implement a few
control measures to make the whole tea / coffee making exercise safer or less hazardous /
risky.
1. We could eliminate the hazards altogether by just not having a hot drink
2. We could substitute a hot drink for a can of fizzy drink from the fridge
3. We could isolate ourselves from the hazard by buying a tea and coffee making robot
that can be operated remotely from the comfort and safety of our reclining chair
4. We could re-engineer our kitchen by having the kettle stand closer to our tap or
installing circuit breakers on our sockets and softer floor covering
5. We could go to night school and enrol in Coffee and Tea making 101 to learn to
perform this task safely or we could put a sign on the kettle warning us of Danger
Hot Water
6. Lastly we could suit up in our Thermo-electro-resistant padded suit every time we
want a hot drink.
But and there is always a but, what if the control measure we implement creates its own
hazards? For example:

By not having a hot drink you could put yourself at risk of dehydration
Your child or partner could have shaken the cold fizzy drink in the fridge and be hiding
behind the door with their camera waiting for you to open it and the burst of liquids
causes an injury to your eyes
The tea and coffee-making robot short-circuits and goes on a murderous rampage
By putting the kettle stand closer to the tap you inadvertently spray water on the
kettle causing an electrical fire
On your way to night school you could be involved in a car accident or have the board
rubber thrown at you for talking in class
The zip on your Thermo-electro-resistant padded suit could get stuck and put at risk
of heat stress, as you have to wear it for the whole summer!

Although light hearted, this example sums up some key elements of the hazard / risk
management process. We now know:

What a hazard is
What risk is
What risk tolerance is
What controls are
What the hierarchy of controls are
Why you need to constantly review control measures for effectiveness and the
inadvertent creation of more hazards.

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The Hazard / Risk Management Process.

Identify
Hazard

Monitor and
Review
Controls

Implement
Controls

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Assess Risk

Plan Controls

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Sources of Information and Data
There are a large number of sources of information and data from which to obtain
information relating to hazard identification, risk assessment and control measures. These
sources will also be able to provide you with information on the types of harm that may be
caused by exposure to a hazard and how these harms may occur. Some of these sources
could be:

WHS Acts and Regulations

Codes of practice
Australian and international standards
Guidance material
Industry bodies and groups
Unions
Websites, journals and newsletters
WHS specialists
Workers compensation insurance agents
Workplace hazard and risk registers
Workplace injury and incident reports and statistics
Workplace procedures such as Safe Work Method Statements and Safe Operating
Procedures

Research Task
Group Discussion or Self-Reflection.
Locate your copy of Managing Risks of Plant in The Workplace - Code Of Practice in your
Learner Resource File.

How helpful will this code of practice will be to an organisation using items of plant?

Do you think that by following the practices set out in this code you would improve
your organisations chances of effectively managing hazard and risk?

Read the WHS Regulations and see whether the requirements regarding working in a
confined space could assist you to manage the hazards and risks associated with that activity.

Do these sources of information and data help with identifying what and how harm
can occur?

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Specialist External Advisors
Consulting external advisors and industry / hazard specific specialist could help an
organisation identify hazards, assess risks and implement control for issues that the
organisation has never met with before. These could be toxicologists, medical practitioners,
ergonomic specials and more. Some examples of these include:

Human Factors and Ergonomics Society of Australia for Ergonomist Specialists

http://www.ergonomics.org.au/
Toxicology in Australia for Toxicologist Specialists
www.healthengine.com.au/search_interest.php?q=Toxicology
Audiological Society of Australia for Audiologists
www.audiology.asn.au/

Suppliers of machinery, equipment, materials and chemicals will also be able to provide you
with information related to hazard, risk, controls and types and causes of harm.
For a simple example lets look at the safety data sheet (SDS) for fly spray. An SDS is
supplied by the manufacturer of a chemical or materials and should be kept with that
chemical or material. (There is a copy of the SDS for Fly Spray in your Learner Resource File)
The hazards associated with use are:

Extremely flammable = Burns

Irritating to skin
Toxic to aquatic organisms.

How the harm can be caused:

Using while smoking or near and open flame

Breathing the spray in
Spraying on the skin and eyes

We know from reading the SDS that the hazard is the fly spray, the risk is how, where, when
and how often you use it and the controls are listed as:

Use in a well-ventilated area

Wear a respirator which has been fit tested
Wear chemical resistant, impervious gloves
Wear safety eyewear
Wear appropriate PPE on the body.

Ever seen anyone complying with these requirements when hunting down a fly?

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The information and data to assist an organisation to identify hazards, the consequences,
how those consequences occur, assess the risks, implement and monitor controls is out there
even if it is not always used.
Internal Requirements.
Just as there are external requirements to manage hazard and risk there are also internal
workplace requirements which often come in the form of:

Policies
Procedures
Processes
Systems.

And just like the SDS for the fly spray they are not always used and it is the job of everyone
in the workplace to not only identify what these requirements are but to contribute to their
use.
Examples of these policies, procedures, processes and systems could be:

Hazard Reporting Procedure and system

Pre-task Hazard Identification
Job safety Analysis
Risk Assessments
Safety Meetings / Consultation Process
Training and Licensing.

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Research Task
Group Discussion or Self-Reflection.

What are you required to do to comply with your organisations policies, procedures,
processes and systems relative to managing hazard and risk?

What are the WHS Legislative requirements as detailed in Acts, Regulations, Codes
and Guidelines relative to managing hazard and risk? To whom do they apply?

Complete questions 1 to 6 and Activity 1 in your Assessment Workbook

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Hazard Identification

Identify
Hazard

Monitor and
Review
Controls

Implement
Controls

Assess Risk

Plan Controls

Hazard Identification Techniques, Tools and Processes.

There are tools and processes to enable an organisation to effectively identify hazards as the
initial stage of the hazard / risk management process. Examples of these and explanations on
how they could be used follows.
Legislative Requirements
The law dictates that certain hazards need to be managed in a certain way and the
organisation or the individual / group conducting this task or operation does not have a lot of
say in how the hazard is managed apart from to make sure that the recommended process is
applicable and effective in their current environment.
An example of this is listed in Chapter 3, Part 1 of the WHS Regulations which states:
Specific requirements must be complied with
Any specific requirements under these regulations for the management of risk must be
complied with when implementing the requirements of this Part.
Examples
1 A requirement not to exceed an exposure standard
2 A duty to implement a specific control measure
3 A duty to assess risk.
Once such exposure standard is given in Division 8 Hazardous atmospheres

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51Managing risks to health and safety
(1) A person conducting a business or undertaking at a workplace must manage risks to
health and safety associated with a hazardous atmosphere at the workplace, in accordance
with Chapter 3 Part 1.
Note
WHS Actsection 19 (see regulation 9).
(2) An atmosphere is a hazardous atmosphere if
(a) the atmosphere does not have a safe oxygen level; or
(b) the concentration of oxygen in the atmosphere increases the fire risk; or
(c) the concentration of flammable gas, vapour, mist, or fumes exceeds 5% of the LEL for the
gas, vapour, mist or fumes; or
(d) combustible dust is present in a quantity and form that would result in a hazardous area.
In this instance of 2 (c) the organisation is given a very specific instruction 5%. There is no
allowance to take into account the level of risk tolerance of the organisation. Therefore the
organisation must use atmospheric monitoring apparatus in order to identify the hazard
associated with flammable gas, vapour, mist, or fumes.
Codes of Practice and Guidance Material
Codes and guidance by their very nature are prescriptive in their requirements, after all they
are there to provide practical guidance to the user.
The Code of Practice Confined Spaces provides very clear instructions on how to determine
a confined space. In this instance, if an area meets these criteria then you have a confined
space. If you have a confined space then you have a hazard and the COP goes on to provide
further advice on how to manage that hazard and associated risks. In this case an
organisation may wish to formulate a checklist to determine if an area is a confined space or
simply refer to the COP.

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Workplace Policies, Procedures, Processes and Systems
Consultation and participation are an invaluable tool when identifying workplace hazards. It
is not the exclusive role of the WHS officer or advisor to monitor the whole workplace for
hazards. Your workforce is your best asset in terms of hazard identification. This can be
achieved by implementing:

Hazard reporting systems and procedures

Pre-task Hazard Identification (Take 5, Take Time etc.)
Job Safety Analysis (JSA), Job Hazard Analysis (JHA).
Safe Work Method Statements and Operating Procedures
Safety / Toolbox meetings
Discussions and feedback
Suggestions boxes
Observations such as Safe Act observations (SAOs).

Involving workers in the formulation and implementation of these procedures and systems
will not only improve your organisations safety culture by promoting an atmosphere of
respect, inclusion and empowerment but you are also more likely to get a truer picture of
what hazards actual exist within the workplace.
Top Down techniques, tools and processes, i.e. those that are less consultative and may be
imposed by management, also have a part to play in workplace hazard identification and can
include:

Audits
Inspections
Hazard hunts.

In addition to the proactive (identifying hazards before they cause harm) methods of hazard
identification there are also reactive techniques, tools and processes that can assist in
determining the hazards that have unfortunately gone uncontrolled and have resulted in
harm.
Sources of reactive hazard identification techniques, tools and processes include:

Workers compensation claim information

Incident and hazard notifications from other worksites and or regulators, unions or
industry bodies
Incident and investigation reports.

All of this information can be documented, analysed and used to contribute to providing a
safer work environment. Some examples of how this happen are:

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Hazards are documented by entry into Hazard Register, this could be a spreadsheet
on the organisations intranet
The hazard register could be used to identify trends, repeat hazards and hazard
hotspots
Hazard identification can be used to enable risks to be assessed
Reoccurring or new hazards can be used to determine training needs (administrative
controls)
Repeat hazards can be used to identify failures in current controls

Research Task
Group Discussion or Self-Reflection.

How are these identification techniques, tools and processes used in your workplace?

How are the results of hazard identification used and documented?

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Risk Assessment
Identify
Hazard

Monitor and
Review
Controls

Implement
Controls

Assess Risk

Plan Controls

The next stage in the hazard / risk management process is Assess the Risk. Just as there are
techniques, tools and processes for identifying hazards there are too for assessing risk.
The factors we need to consider when assessing risk are:

What could happen? What is the risk? What is the Risk Scenario?
How severe will the consequences be if it does happen? What are the consequences?
How likely is it that it will happen? What is the likelihood?

Although systematic risk management is not part of the criteria for the certificate IV WHS it
is worthwhile considering one of the key principles of risk management as listed in
International Standard ISO 31000:2009 Risk Management - Principles and Guidelines on
Implementation. This standard states that a key principle of risk management is that risk
management must be based on the best available information. So when attempting to
answer the three questions above concerning what could happen, how severe will the
consequences be and what is the likelihood of that happening we need to base our answers
on the best available information. Just as there are many sources of information data to aid
us in identifying hazards, there are too when it comes to identifying, analysing and evaluating
/ assessing risk. We need to base risk assessment on something as if we simply pluck a risk
ranking out of the air we could over state risk associated with one hazard and understate it
for another. This could lead to a misallocation of resources and more than likely inadequate
controls.

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The types of tools, techniques and processes that could be used to obtain the best available
information are:

Analysing information within WHS Acts, regulations, codes of practice, Australian and
international standards and guidance material, and other information issued by WHS
regulators
Consulting with industry bodies and groups and unions
Subscribing and referring to websites, journals and newsletters
Seeking advice from WHS specialists
Obtaining information on previous injury and illness rates from workers
compensation insurance agents
Analysing data from workplace policies, processes, procedures and systems such as
previous incident reports and risk assessments.

By using these tools, techniques and processes to identify and use the best available sources
of information, the organisation stands a better chance of accurately assessing the risks
associated with workplace hazards and in turn control that risk.
If we take these factors in turn we can examine how each can be determined.
What could happen?
If someone is working at height then its fairly reasonable to say that in the absence of
effective control measures there is a risk of that person falling. Therefore the risk scenario
could be, falling from a ladder while working at height. This is where confusion often creeps
in. The fall is not the hazard. The height is the hazard. The fall is the potential result of the
exposure to that hazard. I.e. the risk scenario associated with working at height = falling.
How severe will the consequences be if it does happen?
We know from looking at the nature and causes of harm from the use of fly spray that there
are many sources to determine the answer to this question. We have examined a few. If we
are assessing the risk of the hazards associated with working at height we can ask, what
happened last time someone fell off a ladder from a similar height in a similar environment to
where we are planning to work? It is essential to compare like with like or similar when using
past examples to determine consequence. The man who bruised his ego when he fell off the
50 cm safety step while changing a light bulb in the kitchen will have suffered very different
consequences to the painter who fell from a six metre ladder while painting the facia boards
on a house. If, of the last ten similar incidents involving falls from a ladder, six of those
people suffered a broken leg and were off work for three months then it is reasonable to
expect that this is perhaps the most reasonable consequence of our risk scenario. When
assessing the likely consequence it is always best to err on the side of caution and select the
most like credible consequence. If no one has ever died from falling off a ladder in a situation
similar to ours then death is not the most likely credible consequence. Yes, it could happen
but it is not likely to, based on previous data.

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In order to use this information we need to assign consequences a title or descriptor and a
classification. The following is an example of the types of descriptors and classifications used
to make the assessment of risk consequence consistent:
Consequence Descriptor

Classification

Multiple Fatalities
Single Fatality/ Permanent Disability
Reversible Serious Injury
Light Injury / Restricted Work
Very light Injury / Continue Work

=
=
=
=
=

Catastrophic
Major
Serious
Medium
Minor

How likely is it that it will happen?

We know from the hot drink analogy that exposure plays a part in determining how likely
harm is to occur as a result of a hazard. Rumour has it that you are statistically more likely to
be killed by a donkey than to die in an aeroplane crash. Does this mean that every time you
get on a donkey you are exposing yourself to a high risk of death? Does it also mean that a
pilot can rest easy as long as she doesnt go near any donkey sanctuaries?
The answer is no. The worker at a donkey sanctuary has a greater exposure to donkeys
therefore it is more likely that he or she could be the next in a seemingly endless line of
donkey related casualties. The pilot on the other hand has a much greater exposure to the
hazard of being suspended in mid-air while strapped to a huge amount of aviation fuel all at
the mercy of nature. Therefore, how likely? depends on how often a person is exposed to
that hazard.
How likely is also determined by how many times it has happened before. Most
organisations will establish criteria for determining likelihood and a classification to maintain
consistent terminology such as:

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Likelihood Descriptor

Classification

Happens Daily
Happens yearly
Happens Every Decade
Happens Every Century
Happens Every Millennium

=
=
=
=
=

Almost Certain
Likely
Possible
Unlikely
Rare

Risk Ranking / Rating

We now need to translate all the information gathered from analysing what could happen,
how it could happen, how bad will it be if it does happen and how likely is it that those
consequences will actual occur as a result, into information that is both practical and useable.
The best way to do this is to utilise a risk matrix. This tool is almost always used when
assessing risk and is an integral part of completing a Job Safety Analysis (JSA), Team Based
Risk Assessments and when formulating a Risk Register.

Research Task
Group Discussion or Self-Reflection.

Use the Risk Matrix below to assess the risk associated with hazards that you are
familiar with. Decide on the consequence, then the likelihood and see where the two
cross over to give your risk ranking or rating. For example a consequence of serious
and a likelihood of possible on risk matrix 1 = High (risk ranking or rating)

What does the difference between the two Risk Matrices tell you about each the
organisations risk tolerance level?

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Risk Matrix 1.
CONSEQUENCE
LIKELIHOOD

1 - Minor

2 - Medium

3 - Serious

4 - Major

5 - Catastrophic

A - Almost
certain

Moderate

High

Critical

Critical

Critical

B - Likely

Moderate

High

High

Critical

Critical

C - Possible

Low

Moderate

High

Critical

Critical

D - Unlikely

Low

Low

Moderate

High

Critical

E - Rare

Low

Low

Moderate

High

High

Risk Matrix 2.
CONSEQUENCE
LIKELIHOOD

1 - Minor

2 - Medium

3 - Serious

4 - Major

5 - Catastrophic

A - Almost
certain

Moderate

Moderate

High

Critical

Critical

B - Likely

Low

Moderate

Moderate

High

Critical

C - Possible

Low

Low

Moderate

High

High

D - Unlikely

Low

Low

Moderate

Moderate

High

E - Rare

Low

Low

Moderate

Moderate

Moderate

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Planning Controls
Identify
Hazard

Monitor and
Review
Controls

Assess Risk

Implement
Controls

Plan Controls

Now we know what the hazards are and have analysed and assessed the risk we can now
plan what we are going to do to control that hazard and associated risk.
Remember the hierarchy of controls?
MOST EFFECTIVE

1. Elimination
2. Substitution
3. Isolation
4. Engineering
5. Adminstration
6. PPE

LEAST EFFECTIVE

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Control Types Explained

Elimination
Substitution
Isolation

Questions about the

Hazard.
Can we get rid of it?
Can we swap it for something
safer?
Can we separate ourselves
from it?
Can we change it?

Administration

Can we learn to use it or

warn people of it?

PPE

Can we wear something to

protect us from it?

Hard because we can physically remove it.

Hard because we can physically swap it.
Hard because we can put a something
physical between it and us.
Hard because we can physically change it.
Soft because the hazard remains we just
learn to how to work around it.
Soft because the hazard remains we just
wear something to reduce the consequence
of exposure to it.

In order to be effective the implementation of controls need to be planned. There is no point

going to all the effort of diligently completing the previous stages of the process if, when it
comes to the most important part, i.e. putting that thing in place that could ultimately make
the difference between safety and harm or even life and death, the implementation is
botched or ill conceived. How many times have you heard something similar to this in your
home or work place?
Boss:

How did you get on with cleaning that pool of water up and fixing that leaking
tap?

Employee 1:

What water? What tap?

Boss:

The one me and Dave had a meeting about yesterday, we said that someone
could slip on the water and hurt themselves. I asked Dave to tell you and to
put a note in your pigeon hole!

Employee 1:

Dave didnt come in today. What meeting? I have a pigeonhole?

Boss:

Oh, well go and clean the water up and fix that tap!

Employee 1:

Where is it? What tools do I need? Can it wait until after lunch?

Employee 2:

Hey guys, we have a bit of a problem, someones just slipped over on that
pool of water!

This example highlights why planning and the communication of that plan is important. In
this scenario there are several failings that have led to a hazard being left uncontrolled
causing harm to an individual:

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LEAST

Engineering

Hard or Soft Control?

MOST EFFECTIVE
EFFECTIVE

Control

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Learner Guide

Lack of consultation. Employee 1 should have been in the meeting as the discussion
directly concerned him as he would be tasked with the job of controlling the hazard.
Poor communication. If a hazard has been highlighted and the risk assessed the Boss
should have ensured that Employee 1 was aware that he had been tasked with the
job of controlling that hazard and not delegated that responsibility.
Poor information and training. Employee 1 is obviously unaware that he even has a
pigeonhole and that this forms part of the organisations consultation and
communication process. Was he ever told? How many other notices regarding
hazards are gathering dust in that pigeonhole?
Poor resource planning. Employee 1 is still given no instructions as to what, where
and how the hazard should be fixed and what resources are required.
No monitoring of the effective of the controls. Considering that the meeting about the
hazard occurred yesterday how is that the Boss didnt know that the hazard hadnt
been controlled? Is it not reasonable that he might have checked?

A Hazard / Risk Control Plan could have avoided the incident that occurred as a result of the
failings listed above. A Risk Control Plan could include:

How and when controls will be implemented and evaluated

Hazard / Risk controls determined in consultation with individuals and parties
Hazard / Risk controls to be implemented that meet requirements as specified in WHS
Acts, regulations, codes of practice, standards and guidance material, and other
information issued by WHS regulators and in workplace policies, procedures,
processes and systems
Responsibilities for implementation.

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Implementing Controls
Identify
Hazard

Monitor and
Review
Controls

Implement
Controls

Assess Risk

Plan Controls

The implementation of controls should be a fairly simple part of the process. Some hazards
may require expensive and complex technological controls and it is not to suggest that these
are simple but that the process of implementation should be. You know from your Hazard /
Risk Control Plan the how, what, when and who you just need to put this plan into action. In
short you said you were going to do something in a certain way, so do that thing in the way
that you said you were going to do it.
Any WHS Practitioner will tell you that this step although simple is not always conducted
effectively. Many of you will know of first-hand examples of where a work group has
completed a fantastic risk control plan in the form of a JSA and then simply left that JSA on
the seat in the ute or in a draw and continued to carry out the task in the way that they were
going to do it before they completed the JSA. It is not the fact that you have prepared the
Hazard / Risk Control Plan or JSA that is the difference between safety and harm but the
effective implementation of their contents.
If you had painstakingly prepared a map detailing a safe route through a minefield why
wouldnt you follow that map to the letter? In a way, the workplace is a minefield with many
hidden and not so hidden hazards and a failure to follow a well-conceived map as you
navigate your way through the workplace could have disastrous consequences for you, your
workmates and the organisation as a whole. You will often hear it said in the workplace that
safety procedures, policies and systems are over the top and a hindrance to productivity.
Workers want to work and this should be applauded but if a worker really cares about
productivity then they should understand that nothing harms productivity more than an
incident, injury or worse. Have you ever had or been present when an injury has occurred at
your workplace? Did it stop the whole site, office or department from working either out of
curiosity, concern or a legislative requirement to evacuate the area or preserve the scene?
Safer business is better business!

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Learner Guide

Complete questions 7 to 14 and Activity 2 in your Assessment Workbook

Review and Evaluate Controls

Identify Hazard

Monitor and
Review
Controls

Implement
Controls

Assess Risk

Plan Controls

You followed the map through the minefield and stepped on a mine, BOOM! Is the map
wrong or did someone plant a new mine? In a workplace things change, workers leave, new
workers arrive, the nature and scope of business changes and new processes and machinery
/ plant are implemented and purchased. With all these changes there comes new hazards
and new risk scenarios and it is vital that an organisation monitors the effectiveness of
current controls in the light of the current hazards. It could be time to evaluate and review
the effectiveness of the map.
When could a review of controls be required?

As part of a periodic program of review

After an incident
When introducing new or different processes / tasks
When introducing new or different machinery and equipment
If a review has been requested by workers or their representatives.

The Piper Alpha Gas platform disaster off the coast of Scotland in 1988 in which 167 men
died is a good example of a failure to ensure that current controls are effective when
compared to current hazards. Piper Alpha had originally been built as an oil platform and as
such the hazard fire had been identified, the control put in place was that fire retardant
panelling was installed on the key accommodation and operational areas of the platform to
protect the inhabitants in the event of a fire. At the time of the disaster the platform was no
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Learner Guide
longer piping just oil but was converted to pipe natural gas as well. When a valve was left off
a piece of machinery that ultimately led to a catastrophic chain of events the fire retardant
panelling offered no protection against the series of huge gas explosions. Had a review of
control measures been carried out perhaps Piper Alpha would be not be a name synonymous
with failure and disaster.
How should evaluation and review of control measures be conducted? There are a number
of proactive methods an organisation can employ to ensure that controls are evaluated and
reviewed systematically:

Consultation with workers and others

Inspections
Audits.

Who should be involved in an evaluation and review of current controls? The WHS Act
states:
The person conducting a business or undertaking must, so far as is reasonably practicable,
consult, in accordance with this Division and the regulations, with workers who carry out work
for the business or undertaking who are, or are likely to be, directly affected by a matter
relating to work health or safety.
If it concerns them then you must consult with them. In addition to this you may also wish to
consult with other parties to ensure that your proposed revised control measures will be
effective. Those who might be consulted could include:

Workers
Health and Safety Representatives
Industry / Area Specific Experts
Manufacturers / designers of plant and equipment
Managers and Supervisors.

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Once you have decided when, how and in consultation with whom a review will take place
you need to follow the risk / hazard management process back through the cycle. When it
comes to planning for implementation of revised controls, implemented after the review, you
must consider the following factors:

What will be implemented

Who will implement the controls
What resources are required
When will it be implemented
What monitoring and evaluation will be conducted
Timetable for evaluation / review

Just One Piece of the Puzzle.

Identify Hazard

Monitor and
Review
Controls

Implement
Controls

Assess Risk

Plan Controls

How does this all fit together with the wider Work health and Safety Management System
(WHSMS)?
The WHS Act states:
A person conducting a business or undertaking must ensure, so far as is reasonably
practicable, the health and safety of
(a) workers engaged, or caused to be engaged by the person; and
(b) workers whose activities in carrying out work are influenced or directed by the person,
while the workers are at work in the business or undertaking
We know from the previous section of this Learner Guide that it is Reasonably Practicable to
implement a system for the management of Hazard and Risk and there are a number of
sources of information and data that can assist an organisation to achieve this.

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We will discuss the form and function of a WHSMS in subsequent chapter but the diagram
below provides a basic example of how the management of hazard and risk fits into and are
addressed in an organisations WHSMS:
WHSMS 'Policy'
Commitment
To Comply with WHS
Law

Monitor and Review

Hazard / Risk
Management systems
and procedures

Duty to Manage Hazard

/ Risk

Implement Hazard / Risk

Management systems
and procedures

Plan Hazard / Risk

Management systems
and procedures

Complete questions 15 to 18 in your Assessment Workbook

Congratulations!
You have completed Subject 2.

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