SLG - BSBWHS309 - Contribute Effectively To WHS Communication and Consultation Processes - V May 2021

CRICOS Provider Code: 02992E
RTO No.: 21870
STUDENT LEARNER GUIDE
BSBWHS309
Contribute effectively to
WHS communication and
consultation processes
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Table of Contents
Unit of Competency ............................................................................................................................. 4

Application ........................................................................................................................................... 4
Performance Criteria............................................................................................................................ 5
Foundation Skills .................................................................................................................................. 6
Assessment Requirements ................................................................................................................... 7
1. Participate in establishing consultation processes .......................................................................... 10
1.1 – Contribute to selecting WHS consultation and communication methods aligned to
organisational policies and procedures, and compliant with WHS legislative requirements ............... 11
Work health and safety (WHS) laws .................................................................................................. 11
WHS communication, consultation and participation ....................................................................... 13
WHS policies, procedures, processes and systems............................................................................ 14
Selecting WHS consultation and communication methods ............................................................... 15
Activity 1A .......................................................................................................................................... 16
1.2 – Identify and record key stakeholders according to WHS laws and related documentation ........ 17
Key stakeholders ................................................................................................................................ 17
WHS duty holders .............................................................................................................................. 17
Identify your key stakeholders........................................................................................................... 19
Activity 1B .......................................................................................................................................... 20
1.3 – Research and collate information on organisational WHS obligations relating to communication
and consultation with required personnel ............................................................................................ 21
Research WHS obligations ................................................................................................................. 21
Compile information on WHS communication and consultation ...................................................... 22
Activity 1C .......................................................................................................................................... 24
1.4 – Assist with any required revisions to consultation and communication methods according to
organisational policies and procedures ................................................................................................. 25
Review consultation and communication.......................................................................................... 25
Revise consultation and communication methods............................................................................ 26
Activity 1D .......................................................................................................................................... 27
1.5 – Participate in consultation with required personnel to agree any proposed consultation and
communication methods ....................................................................................................................... 28
Discussing consultation and communication arrangements ............................................................. 28
Communicating .................................................................................................................................. 30
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Activity 1E .......................................................................................................................................... 31
2. Contribute to WHS consultation ..................................................................................................... 32
2.1 – Contribute to facilitating WHS consultation and participation processes according to WHS laws
............................................................................................................................................................... 33
Facilitating WHS consultation and participation processes ............................................................... 33
Assisting in consultations ................................................................................................................... 34
Activity 2A .......................................................................................................................................... 36
2.2 – Identify and report barriers to effective WHS consultation and participation processes to
required personnel according to organisational policies and procedures ............................................ 37
Barriers to WHS consultation and participation ................................................................................ 37
Activity 2B .......................................................................................................................................... 39
2.3 – Make suggestions that could assist in removing identified barriers to effective WHS consultation
and participation processes, according to organisational policies and procedures .............................. 40
Addressing barriers to participation .................................................................................................. 40
Problem-solving processes ................................................................................................................ 41
Overcoming the barriers .................................................................................................................... 42
Activity 2C .......................................................................................................................................... 44
2.4 – Identify, record and communicate to others, the duties, rights and responsibilities of required
personnel in the consultation process ................................................................................................... 45
Communicating to others .................................................................................................................. 45
Duties, rights and responsibilities ...................................................................................................... 45
Activity 2D .......................................................................................................................................... 47
3. Consult and communicate effectively with required personnel ...................................................... 48
3.1 – Identify appropriate forms of communication for required individuals and/or parties ............... 49
Communication needs ....................................................................................................................... 49
Seeking contributions ........................................................................................................................ 50
Activity 3A .......................................................................................................................................... 51
3.2 – Convey WHS information to required personnel in plain language and according to
organisational policies and procedures ................................................................................................. 52
3.3 – Participate in confirming that required personnel understand WHS information, instructions and
signs ....................................................................................................................................................... 52
Provide clear WHS information ......................................................................................................... 52
Plain language communications ........................................................................................................ 52
Confirm understanding of WHS information ..................................................................................... 53
Digital tools ........................................................................................................................................ 54
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Activity 3B .......................................................................................................................................... 55
4. Raise WHS issues with required personnel ..................................................................................... 56
4.1 – Raise relevant WHS issues in meetings and support others to do so ........................................... 57
Raising WHS issues ............................................................................................................................. 57
Workplace meetings .......................................................................................................................... 58
Questioning and listening skills .......................................................................................................... 59
Activity 4A .......................................................................................................................................... 61
4.2 – Record and communicate WHS discussions and their outcomes according to organisational
policies and procedures ......................................................................................................................... 62
Recording WHS discussions and their outcomes ............................................................................... 62
Records procedures ........................................................................................................................... 63
Activity 4B .......................................................................................................................................... 64
4.3 – Follow up meeting outcomes according to own job role, and organisational policies and
procedures ............................................................................................................................................. 65
Following up on meetings .................................................................................................................. 65
Activity 4C .......................................................................................................................................... 66
4.4 – Communicate WHS-related outcomes of meetings to required individuals and/or parties ........ 67
Communicate the outcomes.............................................................................................................. 67
Activity 4D .......................................................................................................................................... 68
Summative Assessments ........................................................................................................................ 69
References ............................................................................................................................................. 70
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Unit of Competency
Application
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to contribute to work health and safety (WHS)
communication and consultation in the workplace. It involves communicating WHS information to
required personnel, and taking appropriate follow-up action to assist in ensuring that communication
and consultation processes are effective and conducive to others in the workplace who raise WHS
issues.
The unit applies to those who contribute to WHS communication and consultation as part of their work
health and safety responsibilities, which are in addition to their main duties.
NOTES
1. 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 model WHS laws have not
been implemented, registered training organisations (RTOs) are advised to contextualise this unit of
competency by referring to existing WHS legislative requirements.
2. The model WHS laws include the model WHS Act, model WHS Regulations and model WHS Codes of
Practice. See Safe Work Australia for further information.
No licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of
publication.
Unit Mapping Information

BSBWHS309 Contribute effectively to WHS communication and consultation processes supersedes and
is equivalent to BSBWHS304 Participate effectively in WHS communication and consultation processes
Pre-requisite Unit
None stated
Unit Sector
Regulation, Licensing and Risk – Work Health and Safety

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Performance Criteria
Element Performance Criteria
Elements describe the Performance criteria describe the performance needed to
essential outcomes. demonstrate achievement of the element.
1. Participate in 1.1 Contribute to selecting WHS consultation and

establishing communication methods aligned to organisational policies
consultation processes and procedures, and compliant with WHS legislative
requirements
1.2 Identify and record key stakeholders according to WHS laws
and related documentation
1.3 Research and collate information on organisational WHS
obligations relating to communication and consultation with
required personnel
1.4 Assist with any required revisions to consultation and
communication methods according to organisational policies
and procedures
1.5 Participate in consultation with required personnel to agree
any proposed consultation and communication methods
2. Contribute to WHS 2.1 Contribute to facilitating WHS consultation and participation

consultation processes according to WHS laws
2.2 Identify and report barriers to effective WHS consultation
and participation processes to required personnel according
to organisational policies and procedures
2.3 Make suggestions that could assist in removing identified
barriers to effective WHS consultation and participation
processes, according to organisational policies and
procedures
2.4 Identify, record and communicate to others, the duties,
rights and responsibilities of required personnel in the
consultation process
3. Consult and 3.1 Identify appropriate forms of communication for required

communicate individuals and/or parties
effectively with 3.2 Convey WHS information to required personnel in plain
required personnel language and according to organisational policies and
procedures
3.3 Participate in confirming that required personnel
understand WHS information, instructions and signs
4. Raise WHS issues with 4.1 Raise relevant WHS issues in meetings and support others to
required personnel do so
4.2 Record and communicate WHS discussions and their
outcomes according to organisational policies and
procedures
4.3 Follow up meeting outcomes according to own job role, and
organisational policies and procedures
4.4 Communicate WHS-related outcomes of meetings to
required individuals and/or parties.
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Foundation Skills
This section describes those language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills that are essential to
performance but not explicit in the performance criteria.
Reading:
➢ Interprets a range of textual information to determine regulatory and procedural requirements,

and associated necessary actions.
Writing:
➢ Records key information in a sequential manner using required format, correct grammar and
industry-specific vocabulary.
Oral communication:
➢ Presents information using language and non-verbal communication appropriate to audience

and context
➢ Uses questioning and listening techniques to obtain feedback from others and to resolve issues.
Navigate the world of work:
➢ Follows policies, procedures and legislative requirements relevant to own role.
Interact with others:
➢ Selects and uses appropriate conventions and protocols when communicating with others in a
range of work contexts
➢ Uses appropriate interpersonal skills to promote contributions and encourage ideas from
others.
Get the work done:
➢ Sequences and schedules activities, and assists with their implementation and communication
➢ Identifies barriers to consultation and applies problem-solving processes to assist with

determining possible solutions
➢ Uses main features and functions of digital tools to access information and communicate
effectively.
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Assessment Requirements
Performance Evidence
The candidate must demonstrate the ability to complete the tasks outlined in the elements,
performance criteria and foundation skills of this unit, and to:
➢ Contribute to two different work health and safety (WHS) communication and consultation
processes.
During the above, the candidate must:
➢ Communicate WHS information to others
➢ Raise WHS issues in meetings and follow up on outcomes
➢ Take appropriate actions to assist with removing any barriers to communication and
consultation processes identified during above processes
➢ Support others to raise relevant WHS issues.

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Knowledge Evidence
The candidate must demonstrate knowledge to complete the tasks outlined in the elements,
performance criteria and foundation skills of this unit. This includes knowledge of:
➢ Purpose of organisational WHS policies, procedures, processes and systems
➢ Organisational WHS obligations relating to communication and consultation
➢ Commonwealth and state/territory WHS laws and publications relating to:
o identifying and recording key stakeholders
o WHS communication and consultation processes
➢ Organisational policies and procedures relating to:
o consultation and communication methods, and processes for revising them
o addressing barriers to effective WHS consultation and participation processes, including

barrier reporting protocols
o recording and communicating WHS discussions
➢ Elements of WHS communication and consultation:
o potential barriers to WHS consultation and participation processes, and methods to

overcome them
o roles and responsibilities of WHS personnel
o how the consultation process influences and is related to workplace information

management procedures, processes and systems
o methods to engage others with workplace procedures, and information sourcing and
sharing.
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Assessment Conditions
Assessment must comply with WHS laws, and WHS legal responsibilities and duty of care required for
this unit. It must be conducted in a safe environment where evidence gathered demonstrates consistent
performance of typical activities undertaken by individuals carrying out WHS duties in the workplace,
and must include access to:
➢ Organisational policies, standard operating procedures, plans and procedures with information
about compliance requirements required to demonstrate the performance evidence
➢ Required WHS laws and data files to contribute to WHS communication and consultation
processes
➢ Opportunities for interaction with others
➢ Workplace equipment and resources required for the performance evidence.
Assessors of this unit must satisfy the assessor requirements in applicable vocational education and
training legislation, frameworks and/or standards.
Links
Companion Volume Implementation Guides are available from VETNet -

https://vetnet.education.gov.au/Pages/TrainingDocs.aspx?q=11ef6853-ceed-4ba7-9d87-4da407e23c10
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1. Participate in establishing consultation processes

1.1. Contribute to selecting WHS consultation and communication methods aligned to
organisational policies and procedures, and compliant with WHS legislative requirements
1.2. Identify and record key stakeholders according to WHS laws and related documentation
1.3. Research and collate information on organisational WHS obligations relating to communication
and consultation with required personnel
1.4. Assist with any required revisions to consultation and communication methods according to
1.5. Participate in consultation with required personnel to agree any proposed consultation and
communication methods
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1.1 – Contribute to selecting WHS consultation and communication methods

aligned to organisational policies and procedures, and compliant with WHS
legislative requirements
By the end of this chapter, the learner should be able to:
➢ Assess consultation and communication methods
➢ Assist others in selecting appropriate WHS consultation and communication methods

to suit the specific need
➢ Follow organisational policies, procedures, and WHS legislative requirements in WHS

consultation and communication activities.
Work health and safety (WHS) laws

Work health and safety (WHS) or occupational health and safety (OHS) is a legal requirement for
businesses. They must maintain the safety of their workforce and provide them with a safe environment
in which to work.
This relates to:

➢ Safe and well-maintained plant, equipment and tools
➢ Suitable worker facilities and workplace conditions
➢ Standard safe working procedures
➢ Employee work hours, breaks, and holiday/leave

entitlements
➢ Workplace training, instruction and supervision
➢ Workplace management.
This will include communication and consultation on health and safety matters so that workers know
how to be safe in their job roles and workplace. Consultation will include discussing ongoing and new
requirements for hazard and risk management at work.
Commonwealth and state/territory WHS laws

Although each state/territory is governed by its own WHS/OHS laws, there will be common areas
covered in all WHS legislation, for example, incident and injury management, risk control and workplace
training.
The model WHS laws from Safe Work Australia provide a consistent approach to WHS, and most states
and territories have incorporated these into their own laws (as of January 2020, Victoria and Western
Australia have not implemented the model WHS laws). For those states and territories that have
adopted the model WHS laws, there may still be differences to account for specific state/territory WHS
needs. Therefore, it is important to refer to your particular state/territory WHS legislation to make sure
you obtain the correct guidance.
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The table below may assist in identifying acts, regulations, codes and regulators relevant to your
state/territory:
Act Regulation Codes Regulator
Work Health and Work Health and ACT Codes of WorkSafe ACT
Australian Capital Safety Act Safety Regulation Practice
Territory (ACT) 2011 (ACT) 2011 (ACT)
Work Health and Work Health and NSW Codes of SafeWork NSW
New South Wales Safety Act 2011 Safety Regulation Practice
(NSW) (NSW) 2017 (NSW)
Work Health and Work Health and NT Codes of NT WorkSafe

Northern Safety (National Safety (National Practice
Territory (NT) Uniform Uniform
Legislation) Act Legislation)
2011 (NT) Regulations (NT)
Work Health and Work Health and Qld Codes of Workplace Health
Queensland (QLD) Safety Act 2011 Safety Regulation Practice and Safety
(Qld) 2011 (Qld) Queensland
Work Health and Work Health and SA Codes of SafeWork SA
South Australia Safety Act 2012 Safety Regulations Practice
(SA) (SA) 2012 (SA)
Work Health and Work Health and Tas Codes of WorkSafe

Tasmania (Tas) Safety Act Safety Regulations Practice Tasmania
2012 (Tas) 2012 (Tas)
Occupational Occupational Vic Compliance WorkSafe Victoria
Victoria (Vic) Health and Safety Health and Safety Codes and Codes
Act 2004 (Vic) Regulations 2017 of Practice
(Vic)
Occupational Occupational WA Codes of WorkSafe WA
Western Australia Safety and Health Safety and Health Practice
(WA) Act 1984 (WA) Regulations
1996 (WA)
Work Health and Work Health and Commonwealth Comcare
Commonwealth Safety Act 2011 Safety Regulations Codes of Practice
(Cwth) 2011 (Cwth)
Source ‘Work health and safety’ at the Australian Government, retrieved from
https://www.business.gov.au/risk-management/health-and-safety/work-health-and-safety.
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WHS publications
WHS codes of practice exist within each state and territory from the relevant WHS/OHS regulatory
body; model codes of practice also exist at Safe Work Australia. These provide practical guidance on
how businesses can carry out work in acceptable ways, in relation to health and safety. It should be
noted that some codes of practice that are termed as ‘approved’ will be specific to achieving
compliance.
The model code of practice ‘Work health and safety consultation, cooperation and coordination’ can be
found at Safe Work Australia at the following website link:
https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/doc/model-code-practice-work-health-and-safety-consultation-
cooperation-and-coordination.
Other publications may be found, such as WHS reports, fact sheets and industry information; these can
also be used to gain an understanding of WHS in the workplace. These may be found from WHS/OHS
regulator websites or through WHS consultancies and experts.
WHS communication, consultation and participation

Employers/organisations are obligated by law to communicate about work health and safety with
workers; they must inform, instruct and enforce health and safety as relevant to their organisation and
applicable WHS laws.
Communications on health and safety will cover aspects such as:

➢ Health and safety induction and training
➢ Incident and accident procedures
➢ Hazard identification and risk controls
➢ How to use and maintain equipment
➢ Employee and employer rights and obligations

in health and safety.
Communication can be made in different ways, depending on what needs to be communicated and the
best methods to communicate with everybody. For example, an urgent hazard and risk concern may
need to be communicated face-to-face in a meeting so that workers are quickly informed and further
questions can be answered. However, when communicating about hazards that already exist in the
workplace, signs and notices can be placed in the appropriate area to warn people, and safe work
procedures with risk controls can be issued to workers.
WHS consultation and participation is a part of an employer’s legal obligation to communicate about
health and safety matters. Consultation is about discussing and sharing information with others. It also
means that decisions on health and safety matters are made with the input of workers; employers must
consult with workers when health and safety matters and changes directly affect them.
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The model WHS laws state that consultation must take place when:
➢ Identifying hazards and assessing the risks to health and safety from the work that is
carried out or planned to be carried out
➢ Making decisions on eliminating or minimising those risks
➢ Making decisions on the adequacy of facilities for workers
➢ Proposing changes that may affect the health and safety of workers
➢ Making decisions about procedures for consulting with workers, resolving health or
safety issues, monitoring the health of workers and the conditions at the workplace,
and providing information and training for workers.
Consultation with workers can be carried out directly with the workers, or this can be done through
health and safety representatives and committees. A health and safety representative will represent a
workgroup; they will discuss and liaise with the workgroup to determine their opinions and viewpoints
on a health and safety matter. The health and safety representative will then participate in the WHS
consultation on their workgroup’s behalf. If using a health and safety committee, the committee will
consult with the organisation (or the person conducting the business or undertaking (PCBU)) on WHS
matters for the entire workforce. When established, health and safety committees must meet every
three months and at any reasonable time when half or more of the committee members request this.
Source ‘Work health and safety consultation, cooperation and coordination’ Code of Practice, at Safe
Work Australia, retrieved from https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/doc/model-code-practice-work-
health-and-safety-consultation-cooperation-and-coordination.
WHS policies, procedures, processes and systems

An organisation will have policies, procedures, processes and systems to conduct business in the
appropriate way. Policies provide the rules and framework for how an organisation conducts business,
while procedures will interpret these requirements into workplace actions. Processes and systems will
be created to manage specific parts of the organisation’s operations, for example, a process to order
stock and a system to manage stock ordering paperwork.
Policies, procedures, processes and systems should be put in place to manage WHS; this ensures that
health and safety are carried out consistently and to the required standards. Organisations will
incorporate legislation, ethical working and health and safety strategies into these aspects.
For example, policies, procedures, processes and systems will be created for:
➢ Incident and accident reporting
➢ Emergency evacuation
➢ Hazards and risk assessments
➢ WHS recordkeeping
➢ WHS training.
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Selecting WHS consultation and communication methods

When assisting in selecting WHS consultation and communication methods, you will need to follow your
organisation’s policies and procedures. This may include consulting with specific persons to discuss and
decide on the appropriate methods; it may include following a specific timeline that is required to
perform a consultation. All actions that you take must be in accordance with your organisation’s
requirements and WHS legislation.
Communication and consultation methods must be:

➢ Accessible to the relevant persons (e.g., they are able to attend an arranged
consultation, or information is provided in a language they can understand)
➢ Appropriate for the type of communication (e.g., if a confidential WHS

matter is being discussed, a private meeting can take place)
➢ Timely, to ensure information is provided within any required

deadlines (e.g., informing workers about new risk controls)
➢ In accordance with any established legal requirements (e.g., health

and safety committees that must meet every three months).
Methods include:
➢ One-to-one meetings
➢ Group meetings and consultations
➢ Emails and memos
➢ Letters and documents
➢ Notices and signs
➢ Presentations
➢ Verbal briefings.
The methods chosen must be relevant to the workplace. For example, if you work in an organisation
where half of the employees do not have access to a work email account, then this method will not be
reliable for communicating with all staff.
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Activity 1A
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1.2 – Identify and record key stakeholders according to WHS laws and related
documentation
➢ Determine the key stakeholders relevant to the communication or consultation
➢ Identify WHS duty holders relevant to communications and consultations
➢ Make a record of the key stakeholders according to organisational requirements.
Key stakeholders
The key stakeholders you need to be aware of will be those persons who have a role to play in
communication or consultation. They may be involved in preparing and delivering this, or they may be
your audience (i.e., those persons who need to receive the information or be consulted with).
In WHS laws, persons with WHS duties and responsibilities are also known as duty holders (they have a
duty to maintain and be involved in WHS).
WHS duty holders

Those with duties and responsibilities to consult, cooperate and
coordinate for work health and safety include the person
conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU), officers of the
PCBU, and designers, manufacturers, importers, suppliers and
installers of plant, substances or structures.
To explain this more clearly:

➢ The PCBU:
o they must, as far as reasonably practicable, consult with all workers who carry
out work for the business or undertaking, and who are affected by a health and
safety matter (or likely to be so). This includes all persons working there, for
example, along with full-time staff, this will include, part-time staff, contractors,
sub-contractors, apprentices, trainees, volunteers, and work experience
students. If agreed consultation procedures are in place, consultations must
follow these, according to the nature of the consultation
o they must consult, cooperate and coordinate activities with those persons who
have a work health and safety duty
➢ Officers:
o these are senior personnel/executives who work for the PCBU; they must ensure
the PCBU carries out WHS correctly and compliantly. This includes applying due
diligence, i.e., they must make sure WHS processes and systems are in place and
that activities are correctly undertaken by duty holders
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➢ Designers, manufacturers, importers, suppliers and installers of plant, substances or

structures:
o those persons who supply or install plant, substances or structures must test and
analyse these to ensure these meet health and safety standards. They must
provide the relevant health and safety information relating to these and consult
with businesses they work with, so they can ensure that plant, substances and
structures are handled and maintained appropriately, according to health and
safety needs.
Workers also have a duty and responsibility to engage in communications and consultations. They
should follow all reasonable requests and instructions relating to work health and safety and participate
as required.
Other duty holders will be those with specific WHS duties; these may be duties that they hold alongside
their own work roles.
Health and safety representatives

A health and safety representative (HSR), or a WHS representative, will be part of the workforce and is
most usually elected as representative by their workgroup. This position is useful for consultations or
discussions as they can represent the ideas and opinions of their workgroup when it is not possible or
feasible to include all employees at a meeting. Section 48 of the WHS Act states that if workers have an
HSR, that health and safety consultations must involve that representative. An HSR would also discuss
and inform their workgroup on health and safety matters, be present at health and safety interviews
with workers, and assist with training requirements.
Health and safety committees

A health and safety committee is made up of workers and organisational management; they are usually
established when a request is made by five or more workers, or by the health and safety representative
acting on behalf of these workers. An HSR can be included in the health and safety committee; however,
at least half of the committee members must be workers who are not nominated by management. After
a request is made to have a health and safety committee, the organisation must establish this within a
two-month period. The PCBU may also establish a health and safety committee as part of their activities
to consult on WHS matters.
Source ‘Work health and safety consultation, cooperation and coordination’ Code of Practice, at Safe
health-and-safety-consultation-cooperation-and-coordination.
Fire wardens and first aiders

These persons will be fully trained to carry out their WHS roles;
they will be involved in communications and consultations
relevant to fire hazards and illness or injury. You may need to
liaise with these persons when planning and preparing WHS
communication and consultation; for example, to discuss fire
or incident procedures, and emergency drill training.
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External contacts
You may also need to work with external emergency services to discuss your organisation’s emergency
response requirements, or if arranging an external event that is being held in the community. If your
organisation works with external WHS agencies or personnel, it may need to be involved in information-
gathering activities.
Identify your key stakeholders

To determine who your key stakeholders are, you will need to know the purpose of the communication
or consultation, the audience members who need to be communicated or consulted with, and the
outcome that needs to be reached. This will help you to identify the correct persons who need to be
involved. Once identified, these should be documented and recorded as necessary.
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Activity 1B
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1.3 – Research and collate information on organisational WHS obligations

relating to communication and consultation with required personnel
➢ Access information on WHS obligations for communication and consultation
➢ Collate information that is authoritative, reliable and current
➢ Sort and compile research information.
Research WHS obligations

To ensure you and your organisation are properly informed on the obligations for
WHS communication and consultation, it will be necessary to access up-to-date
information. If not accessing WHS legislation directly, you will need to access
information that accurately interprets these requirements.
Information that you may need to access includes:

➢ WHS acts, regulations and codes of practice
➢ Industry health and safety guidance
➢ Human resources and employee relations
➢ Government and local government WHS guidance.
Sources of information must be authoritative, reliable and current. Information must be relevant to the
type and size of organisation that you work for.
Authoritative information
This means that information must be from a source that is trustworthy. It should be from an
organisation, agency or body that is known as a WHS authority (such as your WHS regulator) or from a
source of knowledge that is known to be an expert in the field. Information must be supported by
evidence (such as a piece of legislation).
Reliable information
Information must be fully supported by facts and include any relevant references. The information that
you access must be complete in detail and from a source that can be checked. Information should be
traceable and verifiable.
Current information
Any information that you access should be the most up-to-date version that is available. This ensures
that you are working from the correct published information. If you rely on information sources for
WHS, you should ensure that you check your sources regularly and update information as it becomes
outdated.
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Researching
Your organisation may have a comprehensive WHS information system that has the information you
require. If so, it will just be a matter of sourcing the correct information and checking this still remains
up-to-date. Alternatively, you may need to speak with a variety of organisational and WHS persons to
gather information from internal departments and external sources. You will need to be clear when
asking and looking for this information; it will be necessary to make a note of what you need to find,
such as HSR duties in consultations or PCBU requirements on WHS communications. This will help you
to remain focused when gathering information.
Compile information on WHS communication and consultation

You may be given specific research tasks to perform, or you may need to work alongside others to
gather and collate information. A process should be followed so that activities are properly coordinated
and managed. A clear objective for your research will be needed and an understanding of roles, so you
know what you and any others will be doing.
If information is given to you verbally in a conversation, you should remember to ask where this has
been found so you can verify this later. This may include a specific WHS regulation, a website link to a
Government site, or a WHS authority.
Records of the information you find should be made; this will include recording your information
sources, the date this was obtained, where it was obtained from, and what this is relevant to.
Information should be carefully sorted and collated so it includes just the parts that are needed, and is
assembled into a logical or specific order.
WHS regulatory requirements

Each state/territory will have its own WHS/OHS act and regulations; for the following information, the
model WHS laws have been accessed.
Chapter two in the model WHS Regulations is about representation and participation; however,
different occupational hazards are covered throughout and include references to specific risks. Risk
management must be communicated to workers and consultation with workers must be carried out as
part of this; additional information will be found throughout the Regulations.
Chapter two representation and participation covers:

➢ Negotiations to determine workgroups for health and safety representation
➢ Procedures for the election of health and safety representatives
➢ The removal of health and safety

representatives
➢ A notice of entry for a person assisting a

health and safety representative
➢ Training for health and safety representatives

P a g e | 23
➢ Issue resolution (including the minimum requirements for resolution)
➢ Cessation of unsafe work in regards to worker benefits and entitlements
➢ Workplace entry by ‘WHS entry permit holders’.
Source ‘Model Work Health and Safety Regulations’ at Safe Work Australia, retrieved from
https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/doc/model-work-health-and-safety-regulations.
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Activity 1C
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1.4 – Assist with any required revisions to consultation and communication

methods according to organisational policies and procedures
➢ Review consultation and communication methods as instructed
➢ Follow a process to review and revise consultation and communication methods
➢ Amend and finalise consultation and communication methods according to

organisational requirements.
Review consultation and communication

When seeking to establish participation processes, your organisation will need to fully assess and review
whether consultation and communication methods meet organisational and legislative requirements.
After methods have been selected, they should be reviewed to make sure these cover all of your
organisation’s WHS communication and consultation needs.
You may need to confirm that:

➢ All types of workers have been included in communication
and consultation methods (such as part-time workers, trainees,
volunteers, and contractors)
➢ Methods are cost-effective and can be resourced
➢ Methods are timely according to the subject for

communication or consultation
➢ Equipment to conduct communications and consultations is

available, and personnel are trained to use this.
It may be necessary for your organisation to develop criteria by which to assess these methods; a
checklist of criteria can be constructed to identify if requirements can be met. These will be the points
(or statements) that your organisation recognise as being the measure by which to determine if
methods meet WHS needs.
For example, criteria to review communication and consultation methods may include:
➢ Do procedures exist and adequately manage WHS communication and consultation?
➢ Will WHS legal requirements be met when using this method of communication or
consultation?
➢ Have roles and responsibilities in WHS communications and consultations been

determined and agreed upon?
➢ Are workers included in WHS consultation requirements without negative

consequences to normal business operations?
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➢ Has WHS representation been achieved with this method?
➢ Are workers given encouragement and the means to participate in consultations?
Any role you may have in assisting in a review of WHS communication and consultation methods must
be carried out according to instructions and workplace procedures.
A process to review these will include:

➢ Working and collaborating with other personnel involved in the review, as needed
➢ Determining the objectives for the review
➢ Assessing methods against the requirements that need to be met
➢ Discussing, reviewing and agreeing on methods.
Revise consultation and communication methods

If methods need to be revised in any way, you will need to amend these
according to organisational policies and procedures. Policies and
procedures will include WHS and organisational recordkeeping needs.
A process to revise these will include:

➢ Working and collaborating with others to make and
approve revisions, as needed
➢ Making revisions to WHS and workplace communication and

consultation records and documentation
➢ Checking new records and documentation for spelling, grammar and meaning
➢ Circulating revised records and documentation to the persons involved in the approval
of methods
➢ Repeating the revision process until final approval is received
➢ Finalising records and documentation for organisation storage, use and distribution.
For example, you may need to reschedule WHS consultation times, revise content for a presentation,
change meeting room requirements, and notify others of changes to consultation arrangements.
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Activity 1D
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1.5 – Participate in consultation with required personnel to agree any proposed

consultation and communication methods
➢ Consult with others to agree on consultation and communication methods
➢ Determine policies and procedures relating to consultation and communication

methods
➢ Use relevant interpersonal skills in consultations.
Discussing consultation and communication arrangements

As briefly mentioned in the last chapter, consultation and communication
methods must be agreed on by the organisation. This will involve those
persons who are required to make decisions on WHS and work processes.
Personnel may include:

➢ The PCBU
➢ Officers
➢ Work managers/supervisors
➢ Health and safety representatives
➢ Health and safety committee members.
A consultation to agree on the methods will involve explaining what these are, and the situations they
will be appropriate for. Each method should be assessed and agreed upon with the parties involved. If
anything is not agreed on, it will be necessary to discuss the specific method further to determine why
and what, if anything, can be done to make this work.
This process allows an organisation to assess, in collaboration, what is appropriate to do. It seeks to
address issues before they arise, and takes a joint decision-making approach. This ensures that each
work area/department is able to contribute (as applicable) and that the organisation has a shared
responsibility to carry out or engage in WHS communications and consultations.
Consultations can be formal or informal, and your organisation may employ both formal and informal
methods. Informal methods involve simple, regular conversation between people in an organisation so
they keep informed about their views or any concerns; these are generally ad-hoc. Formal methods
involve planning when and where you will have conversations about health and safety.
P a g e | 29
A formal decision-making process, such as the one below, can be used:

➢ List all possible options/solutions to resolve the problem at hand
➢ Set a timeframe for when a decision needs to be reached, and decide who has the final
say in decision-making
➢ Gather information relevant to the problem, proportionate to the weight of the

decision that needs to be made
➢ Assess all potential risks related to the solutions put forward
➢ Decide on the values that are important to the decision
➢ Scrutinise the pros and cons, comparing all possible solutions
➢ Make a decision. If at this stage, there is not one clear favourite solution, or the
solution reached is making you feel uneasy, you can go through the process again.
Consultation should decide which methods will be used. Outcomes from the consultation should be
recorded and confirmed with the participants. Each person will need to be kept informed on what has
been agreed and the next actions that are due to take place.
Organisational policies and procedures relating to consultation and communication methods may
include:
➢ Deciding on the appropriate method to use
➢ Seeking and making arrangements to access resources
➢ Scheduling the communication and/or consultation
➢ Developing the content for the communication/consultation, including:
o the objective of the communication/consultation
o the message and how it should be structured and delivered
o the language and words
o the style of presentation
➢ Approving the content and method of

delivery
➢ Notifying others that the

communication/consultation will be
taking place
➢ Seeking participation in the communication/consultation.

P a g e | 30
Communicating
When communicating, you will need to use the appropriate conventions and protocols that are
expected of you. For example, in an informal discussion, you can take a more relaxed approach in how
you convey information to the other person; in a formal discussion, it will be necessary to plan the exact
words and message, and speak in the required organisational tone. (Tone relates to the attitude and
manner that you use in your delivery.) Your organisation will provide the expectations for
communicating with others in its communication policies and procedures.
Good interpersonal skills can help you to engage in a meeting. If you have good interpersonal skills, you
will usually be able to talk with ease to a variety of people with different backgrounds and at a wide
range of levels. Your communication will be confident, eloquent and adaptable to suit different
situations.
The following are examples of interpersonal skills:

➢ Verbal communication (spoken or written word)
➢ Non-verbal communication (body language,

gesturing, appearance and mannerisms)
➢ Listening and questioning skills
➢ Collaboration
➢ Negotiation
➢ Problem-solving
➢ Decision-making
➢ Assertiveness.
Communication should be a two-way process between the parties involved, each giving and receiving
information.
The communication process involves:

➢ Talking to each other about WHS matters
➢ Listening to others’ concerns and raising your own concerns
➢ Seeking and sharing views and information
➢ Considering what others say before making decisions
➢ Advising workers on the outcome of consultation in a timely manner.
Source ‘Work health and safety consultation, co-operation and co-ordination’ at SafeWork SA, retrieved
from https://www.safework.sa.gov.au/show_page.jsp?id=113708.
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Activity 1E
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2. Contribute to WHS consultation

2.1. Contribute to facilitating WHS consultation and participation processes according to WHS laws
2.2. Identify and report barriers to effective WHS consultation and participation processes to
required personnel according to organisational policies and procedures
2.3. Make suggestions that could assist in removing identified barriers to effective WHS consultation
and participation processes, according to organisational policies and procedures
2.4. Identify, record and communicate to others, the duties, rights and responsibilities of required
personnel in the consultation process
P a g e | 33
2.1 – Contribute to facilitating WHS consultation and participation processes

according to WHS laws
➢ Assist in WHS consultation and participation processes for the organisation
➢ Support participants to contribute in consultations
➢ Carry out WHS consultation and participation according to WHS laws.
Facilitating WHS consultation and participation processes

Once methods to consult have been chosen, you will need to assist in the delivery of this, as relevant to
your job role. You may need to identify and plan activities in support of the other persons involved and
ensure that WHS is effectively carried out.
Consultation may require you to:

➢ Confirm a suitable date and time for the consultation to take place
➢ Prepare and arrange room requirements (such as booking a meeting room and
arranging a suitable room layout and space for working in)
➢ Produce a consultation agenda
➢ Assist in the preparations of a

presentation or supporting
documentation
➢ Arrange for resources (such as an

interactive whiteboard)
➢ Inform others that a consultation will

take place
➢ Send an invite to participants to attend

the consultation.
Management and WHS personnel will provide you with the correct guidance on what needs to be done.
Planning activities
To plan how consultation activities need to take place, it will be necessary to have a full understanding
of what is going to take place.
This will include:

➢ The number of persons who will be involved in both the delivery and participation of
the consultation
➢ The expected duration of the consultation

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➢ Whether the consultation is to inform about a health and safety matter or to provide
feedback from a previous health and safety consultation
➢ Whether the consultation requires active participation from workers at the time of its
occurrence, or if workers are being given additional time afterwards to provide their
feedback
➢ The health and safety matter being discussed and consulted on
➢ The activities that are due to take place (such as an initial briefing, a question and
answer session, and individual or group exercises)
➢ Any diverse needs of participants (such as translations of text or wheelchair access).
Scheduling activities
Your organisation will need to schedule activities in the correct sequence and make sure that enough
time has been allowed for these to take place. Creating an agenda or schedule will mean that timings
can be checked and worked out; if activities do not correspond to the time allowed, you can revert back
to management so that changes can be made.
The schedule should be documented and communicated to those who are involved. This can be done
prior to the consultation; it may be necessary for participants to come prepared with their views on a
health and safety matter.
Assisting in consultations
During consultations, you may be required to assist in activities; for example, you may need to provide a
spoken introduction or hand out WHS information sheets. You will need to use appropriate
interpersonal skills to facilitate the consultation process and to encourage any necessary contributions
and ideas from participants.
It may be necessary for you to:

➢ Provide examples
➢ Conduct suitable activities to generate contributions (such as a

health and safety quiz or a brainstorming session)
➢ Ask questions and opinions about health and safety
➢ Answer questions and provide specific information relevant to

the issue or concern
➢ Hand out questionnaires and provide instructions.
You will need to be open to interacting with others and make sure you have a friendly and welcoming
manner with all participants. You may also need to be assertive to ensure that the consultation stays on
track and that the agenda is followed. To be assertive, you need to be direct and focused on the
objectives of the consultation; it is not being brash or off-hand, it is leading others to participate in a
respectful and confident manner.
P a g e | 35
To encourage ideas and contributions, you may need to pose suitable questions that invite
participation, for example, ‘How do you think we should manage the new health and safety risk?’ or
‘What should be considered in the new work arrangements?’ Any contributions should be encouraged
in the spirit of trust and collaboration. It should be made clear that participation in WHS consultations is
without negative consequences; all workers have a right to provide their views regardless of what the
organisation may think.
Equally, you can facilitate contributions through activities such as filling out questionnaires or providing
suggestions in an anonymous feedback box. This may work better for employees who are reluctant to
speak out or when there are too many participants to take individual spoken contributions from.
It is important to ensure that the communication of WHS requirements is both

clear and accurate. You should attempt to keep the details simple and relate
them directly to events and circumstances within your organisation. It will be
necessary to identify the purpose of such communications and ensure that you
keep to the relevant points. Provide explanations of any technical details that
have to be included and clarify any information as necessary. The individuals
and parties should come away with a full understanding of requirements and
the types of assistance that they are expected to provide.
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Activity 2A
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2.2 – Identify and report barriers to effective WHS consultation and

participation processes to required personnel according to organisational
policies and procedures
➢ Assess the barriers to WHS consultation and participation
➢ Recognise when barriers exist to participation
➢ Report barriers according to organisational policies and procedures.
Barriers to WHS consultation and participation

At the time of consultation, you may discover that barriers to effective participation are present. This
may occur for different reasons, for example, a consultation process that does not represent the needs
of all workers or organisational culture that has little regard for health and safety activities.
Barriers to effective consultation and participation can emerge at any time in your organisation. It will
be imperative that any you recognise, or are made aware of, are reported to the relevant WHS
personnel and/or management. An indication that barriers exist is when you identify that individuals or
groups are not engaging in consultation and participation processes.
The following are potential barriers to WHS consultation and participation processes:
➢ Absence of emotional resonance in your message – meaning
people do not care
➢ Demanding workloads – workers who need to meet

work or production deadlines may not have the time
to attend
➢ Inaccurate targeting – meaning people presume all

WHS communications are irrelevant to them
➢ Inequalities – meaning some people are ignored or

their work area is not relevant to (or included) in the
consultation
➢ Lack of clarity of message – meaning people do not understand or are confused
➢ Organisational culture – some groups or individuals may not hold a high opinion of
WHS; they may be unwilling to be involved
➢ Physical barriers – meaning people cannot attend consultations and their views/issues
go ignored
➢ Poor WHS representation – meaning that workers’ views are not being heard or
listened to
➢ Poor timing – meaning people forget or find it irrelevant to their current needs.
P a g e | 38
Source ‘Worker/HSR – Communication and consultation’ at Comcare, Australian Government, retrieved

from https://www.comcare.gov.au/promoting/roles_and_responsibilities/worker/communications.
Policies and procedures will guide you to identify and report the barriers that are relevant to your
organisation.
To identify barriers, it might be necessary to:

➢ Speak with employees of various positions
➢ Check WHS consultation and participation records and attendance
➢ Review the effectiveness of previous consultation and participation processes
➢ Hold meetings to discuss implementation with work teams
➢ Read through plans and consider whether they are feasible.
To report barriers, you should inform those persons who are involved in managing WHS for the
organisation. This may include the PCBU, the officer, or another person with WHS duties. The method to
report may be face-to-face, in a WHS meeting, or in writing. If the matter relates to an urgent need or a
potential non-compliance with WHS laws, this should be reported immediately.
Your organisation will have procedures in place for reporting; they may also have barrier reporting
protocols. These steps should be followed and should adequately cover the type and nature of
reporting that needs to be done. There will be reporting for both urgent and non-urgent requirements.
Reporting protocols may include:

➢ Verbal/spoken reports
➢ Written notifications
➢ In-depth reports
➢ Filling out forms.
There can be a variety of barriers that impact on consultation and

participation. It can be difficult to get what you want to say
delivered in the right tone at the right time. However, by making
people aware of these barriers, you can help your organisation to
overcome them.
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Activity 2B
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2.3 – Make suggestions that could assist in removing identified barriers to

effective WHS consultation and participation processes, according to
➢ Follow organisational requirements to assist in removing barriers to effective WHS
consultation and participation processes
➢ Engage in problem-solving activities to assist in determining ways to overcome the

barriers
➢ Suggest how to overcome the barriers to effective participation.
Addressing barriers to participation

Once barriers are known to exist, it will be necessary to remove these so that all members of the
workforce are able to contribute to WHS consultation and participation processes. Before suggestions
can be made on how to do this, you and any others will need to understand why these are happening.
You will need to determine:

➢ When participation is not occurring, for example:
o the times when this happens (such as during peak

work periods)
o during specific participation activities
➢ Which individuals or groups are not participating, for

example:
o work activities that may prevent participation from

certain groups
o workers on shifts that are not able to attend a

consultation
➢ Why participation is not occurring, for example:
o workers are not properly informed about WHS

consultations in advance
o workers do not feel that their contributions are being listened to.
Investigations will need to take place, so the causes can be recognised. A fair process will need to be
followed; it will involve gathering information from the relevant sources, such as discussions with
individuals and groups, and analysing WHS consultation records and feedback. Your organisation should
make sure that it looks at all the evidence and identifies the root cause behind the occurrence. It is only
by determining the underlying reason that the issue can be fully addressed and resolved successfully.
P a g e | 41
Problem-solving processes
Problem-solving skills will help you and others to look beyond the occurrence in order to understand
why this may be happening. This is applying a process to help you reach conclusions and to take the
appropriate actions to remedy this.
A problem-solving process will include the following steps:

➢ Identifying what the problem is
➢ Gathering information and evidence relating to this
➢ Analysing and assessing the information and evidence
➢ Identifying possible solutions
➢ Deciding on a solution
➢ Creating a plan to implement the solution.
It is sensible to work with others when solving problems, as this can help you to look at the problem
from other perspectives. It also means that you discuss the issues and take time to reflect on the
possible options collaboratively, before making a final decision.
Root cause analysis

A root cause analysis is a simple process that guides you to work through a problem in a logical way. In
many situations, the root cause will originate in one of the following three areas, physical factors,
human factors and organisational factors.
The physical factors are the occurrences that prevent actual physical participation, such as workers who
cannot stop work production and are unable to attend. The human factors relate to the decisions that
people make, such as consultation arrangements that do not facilitate participation. The organisational
factors will relate to the systems and processes used to carry out WHS consultation and participation;
for example, a process that is not clear or which does not allocate responsibility for a task.
The steps to follow in a root cause analysis are:

➢ Define the problem
➢ Gather the information/evidence
➢ Identify what the potential causes could be
➢ Assess and identify the root cause:
o look for a sequence of events that may have led to the problem
o look for any influential factors that may exist, such as workplace
culture or a change in management
➢ Make recommendations and implement solutions.

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There are techniques that you can use to identify the root cause, such as breaking down the problem
into smaller parts, so you gain a better understanding of the whole issue. You can also create a cause
and effect diagram; basically, this is working out the problem in a visual format. By writing down the
barrier, you can then proceed to brainstorm the potential causes on paper. Once complete, you can
then assess the options you have written down to find the answer.
Source ‘Root Cause Analysis – tracing a problem to its origins’ at Mind Tools, retrieved from
https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_80.htm.
Follow organisational policies and procedures

Organisational policies and procedures should be followed in all of your work activities and when you
need to assist others in removing the barriers to participation. Your role should be made clear to you, so
you are aware of how and when you need to contribute to work health and safety.
This will include:

➢ The tasks you must do alone and with others
➢ Who you need to report or refer to
➢ The responsibilities that you have.
Overcoming the barriers

Consultation and participation processes can only be implemented
successfully if any identified barriers are overcome.
You can help to overcome barriers by:

➢ Engaging people on an emotional level
➢ Providing clear messages with concrete examples to help people focus their energies
➢ Thinking about what you say and how you say it (is what you are saying aligned with
what you are feeling and thinking?)
➢ Backing up written material by verbal communication
➢ Checking the tone of the communication
➢ Providing some news as this is better than no news
➢ Letting people know the status of what is happening, you are the key in communicating
change, and workers look to you to see if there is real acceptance
➢ Plan ahead and book a meeting room and give plenty of notice of the meeting (place,
time and date) and provide alternative consultation methods for people who miss the
meeting, e.g., email, survey or suggestion box
➢ Consult employees who represent a cross-section of the working population to ensure

fairness and equality.
P a g e | 43
Source ‘Worker/HSR – Communication and consultation’ at Comcare, Australian Government, retrieved

from https://www.comcare.gov.au/promoting/roles_and_responsibilities/worker/communications.
P a g e | 44
Activity 2C
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2.4 – Identify, record and communicate to others, the duties, rights and
responsibilities of required personnel in the consultation process
➢ Access information and records to identify the duties rights and responsibilities for
WHS consultation and participation
➢ Clarify the duties, rights and responsibilities for WHS consultation and participation
with management
➢ Communicate the duties, rights and responsibilities for WHS consultation and
participation with the relevant persons.
Communicating to others
At various points, you may need to communicate information to managers, colleagues and workers. To
do this, you will need to have good communication skills. As well as being able to speak and write
information in a clear and concise way, you will need to be aware of how you present yourself to others.
Communication skills include:

➢ Emotional intelligence – the ability to connect and
empathise with others, and to understand the other
person’s position
➢ Spoken skills – to provide information in an appropriate

way, using clear language and a suitable tone, and to
ensure that others understand you in return
➢ Written skills – to structure information so it is clear

in meaning, correct in spelling and grammar, and is
well presented
➢ Non-verbal skills – to engage with others and facilitate productive interactions; this will
include your own dress and presentation, your body language (such as making eye
contact), being aware of a person’s personal space, not fidgeting, and not using
gestures that are considered to be inappropriate.
Communication skills give you the tools to speak and interact with a wide variety of people. Along with
established organisational communication procedures, they help you to choose the most appropriate
method of communication and to construct messages that are relevant and in context to the other
person or group.
Duties, rights and responsibilities

You may need to identify and communicate the duties, rights and responsibilities of others in relation to
WHS consultations. As mentioned in section 1.2 of this unit, under WHS laws, duty holders will have
duties, rights and responsibilities in WHS activities.
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Relevant to WHS consultation and participation processes, duties, rights and responsibilities are:
➢ The PCBU must consult with workers on matters of health and safety, or ensure that
this is carried out on their behalf by the officer or another appointed person; planned
changes that impact on health and safety or changes to risk controls must be discussed
with the workforce
➢ The officer must ensure that the organisation/PCBU complies with WHS laws, including
having regular and schedules WHS consultation and participation processes; they must
ensure that the organisation has appropriate WHS processes to manage these and
other WHS needs
➢ WHS personnel must participate as necessary; along with providing information and
expertise on WHS matters, they may have a role to play in the consultation and
participation process, such as a health and safety representative that must consult with
and represent their workgroup, or a health and safety committee that consults with
management on behalf of the workforce
➢ Workers must attend WHS consultations and participate, they must engage with the
process and help make health and safety decisions; workers must follow all reasonable
WHS instructions, policies and procedures.
The PCBU and management have a right to expect that workers will comply with WHS in the workplace
and take every precaution to maintain their own health and safety, and that of those around them.
Workplace policies, procedures and protocols must be followed, and workers must report any WHS
incidents or concerns that arise.
All workers have a right to be involved in work health and

safety consultation, and for their opinions and feedback
to be listened to. Opinions and feedback should be
assessed and incorporated into organisational WHS
decisions, as applicable and feasible. If workers determine
that a work activity is unsafe to carry out, they have a
right to stop doing this. Therefore, it is in the interest of
the organisation to seek workers’ opinions and feedback
and to listen to this.
Determining duties, rights and responsibilities

The duties, rights and responsibilities, relevant to your organisation’s operations, should be provided to
you by the PCBU, the officer or another appointed WHS duty holder. Alternatively, your organisation
may have WHS records with this information.
If you need to establish the duties, rights and responsibilities for the consultation process, you must
refer to your state/territory WHS laws and confirm these in context to your organisation. You should
confirm this with the other relevant persons involved in WHS to make sure this covers all of the
necessary aspects. Once you have this information, you should record this for your own WHS
consultation and participation records, so you have the right details. After confirming the duties, rights
and responsibilities, you should communicate these accordingly.
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Activity 2D
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3. Consult and communicate effectively with required

personnel
3.1. Identify appropriate forms of communication for required individuals and/or parties
3.2. Convey WHS information to required personnel in plain language and according to
3.3. Participate in confirming that required personnel understand WHS information, instructions and
signs
P a g e | 49
3.1 – Identify appropriate forms of communication for required individuals

and/or parties
➢ Assess the purpose and objective of communications
➢ Determine the needs of individuals and parties in communications
➢ Decide forms of communication that are relevant to the purpose, objective and needs
of others.
Communication needs
When determining how to communicate with individuals and parties, you should find out the purpose
of the communication and/or consultation, and what needs to be achieved as a result of this. It will be
relevant to know who your intended audience is and their level of understanding of the subject matter.
Once known, you can then identify which forms of communication will be most suitable and how best
to construct the communication.
Forms of communication include:

➢ Meetings and discussions
➢ Email correspondence
➢ Q&A sessions
➢ Feedback questionnaires
➢ WHS surveys
➢ Presentations
➢ Workshops (such as brainstorming WHS

improvements or team quizzes to identify priority WHS
concerns)
➢ Printed information, documents and fact sheets.
For example, if you know that you need to plan a future consultation with the officer, you may choose
to use email correspondence to make the arrangements. This ensures that you have a written record of
discussions and agreements, which can then be used as evidence of your organisation’s WHS
consultation activities.
Equally, if you need to create a consultation schedule for a WHS consultation with workers, you will
most likely produce a written agenda to be circulated prior to the meeting, and then a range of
materials for use in the consultation (as applicable to the consultation objective). This could include a
presentation to inform workers about a WHS matter, followed by a Q&A or feedback session.
P a g e | 50
Seeking contributions
In relation to health and safety within the workplace, it is very important to consult with employees and
anybody else who may have an impact on the health and safety of an organisation. It allows for a
discussion on WHS matters and gives everyone within the organisation a chance to share their opinions.
By combining the knowledge and experience of everyone, a safer and healthier workplace can be
achieved. One way of reducing the number of workplace injuries is through meaningful consultation.
This is because risks and hazards can be easily identified, and practical solutions can be found and
implemented.
Seeking contributions should allow:

➢ Reporting of faulty or worn equipment
➢ Discussion of WHS training needs/gaps
➢ Identification of new hazards or risks
➢ Discussion of health and safety procedures and any

changes
➢ Discussion of the adequacy of facilities
➢ The opportunity to offer solutions to WHS issues.

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Activity 3A
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3.2 – Convey WHS information to required personnel in plain language and

according to organisational policies and procedures
3.3 – Participate in confirming that required personnel understand WHS
information, instructions and signs
➢ Provide WHS information in plain language communications
➢ Follow organisational policies and procedures to communicate WHS information
➢ Use appropriate processes to confirm people’s understanding of WHS information,

instructions and signs.
Provide clear WHS information

Some information that you need to provide may be complex in its form or nature; therefore,
communications must be constructed using plain language that is not open to misinterpretation.
It should also be remembered that not everyone will interpret information in the exact same way;
factors, such as experience, age, education and cultural influences, will have a bearing on how
individuals and parties understand information. Anything that you can do to simplify information giving
will help you to provide a clearer understanding to others.
Plain language communications

This is about conveying your message in the most direct and logical way. It is
using fewer words in order to communicate a clear point or action.
Plain language includes using:

➢ Short sentences and everyday words
➢ Simple grammar structure, using clear pronouns (such as, ‘you’ and
‘we’)
➢ The active voice so that sentences have a clear action
➢ Short paragraphs and separated text sections to make information clearer to read.
A document that has small paragraphs and headings will be far easier to read and understand than text
that has no line breaks or visual features (such as a bullet list). Plain language (or plain English) is quicker
and easier to read, making it more likely to engage the reader; it will be easier to assimilate. It doesn’t
necessarily mean that less work or information has gone into the piece.
To create plain language communications, you will need to know:

➢ Who the audience is
➢ What you are communicating
➢ What (if anything) they must do in return.

P a g e | 53
To prepare a plain language communication, you should write your proposed message and then re-read
this to check for unnecessary wording and complicated sentences. You should re-read this as many
times as it takes to edit or change this, so that information has the correct meaning, flows well, and is
easy to understand. It takes time to develop a plain language style of communication; it is all too easy to
use mixed pronouns and long, descriptive sentences when first forming your content. It is only after
reading this through that you will be able to look at this from the audience’s perspective.
This style of communication is good in all aspects of business, as information is conveyed quicker and in
less time.
You will need to follow organisational requirements in workplace communications; this will include the
method of delivery, the style of writing, presentation, and the content that is communicated. Your
organisation may have document and communication guidelines for this purpose.
Confirm understanding of WHS information

WHS information is important for the workforce; it is used to guide employees to work safely.
Therefore, you will need to confirm this has been seen, heard, and understood (as relevant to the
individuals and parties).
WHS information includes:

➢ Safety notices and signs
➢ WHS policy and procedure documents
➢ Codes of practice
➢ Risk records
➢ Safety data sheets
➢ Equipment and machinery instructions
➢ Emergency protocols and plans.
Confirmation may be required as a spoken confirmation, or it may be required in writing. For example, if
you need to confirm that employees have seen new warning signs in the work area, you may seek a
spoken confirmation as you show them the signs. Equally, if your organisation updates its WHS policies
and procedures, you may provide an updated employee handbook for staff to read, along with a form
for them to sign and date after they have read this. It will depend on your WHS recordkeeping needs as
to whether a record needs to be kept in writing.
You may need to confirm that:

➢ The individual or group has seen/heard this
➢ The individual or group has understood this
➢ The individual or group has agreed to comply with this.

P a g e | 54
Digital tools
Digital tools will make work easier and quicker to do; they are designed to perform tasks in the most
efficient and effective way. These include computer systems with a variety of software packages and
storage capabilities, tablets and devices for portable working, and interactive whiteboards and
overhead projectors for delivering visual presentations.
Communication technologies also include a range of telephone systems with capabilities, such as voice
mail, telephone conferencing and call tracking. They include videoconferencing and online messaging.
You can:
➢ Access information electronically from organisational information systems, using
secure logins and controlled permissions
➢ Access information online and connect with external information sources, using secure
systems that are protected from external threats
➢ Create and update records, reports and documents; this may include using:
o page layout software
o spreadsheet and analysis software
o graphics, tables, charts, graphs and images
➢ Perform communications; this may include using:
o management planning software, to create schedules and plan communications
o scanners and printers
o email and messaging to arrange communications
➢ Produce visual presentations using digital display tools.
Your organisation must ensure that you are aware of the digital tools that are available to you; you will
need to be appropriately trained and instructed on how to use these.
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Activity 3B
P a g e | 56
4. Raise WHS issues with required personnel

4.1. Raise relevant WHS issues in meetings and support others to do so
4.2. Record and communicate WHS discussions and their outcomes according to organisational
4.3. Follow up meeting outcomes according to own job role, and organisational policies and
procedures
4.4. Communicate WHS-related outcomes of meetings to required individuals and/or parties

P a g e | 57
4.1 – Raise relevant WHS issues in meetings and support others to do so

➢ Follow WHS requirements to raise issues in meetings
➢ Encourage others to speak up and raise their own WHS issues in meetings
➢ Facilitate an environment where contributions are valued and respected.
Raising WHS issues

A WHS issue is any concern a person has regarding health and safety within the workplace, for example,
trailing wires in the office that causes a trip hazard.
Everybody within an organisation should know how to raise and resolve a WHS issue if they identify
one. You and any others involved in the organisation and implementation of WHS consultation and
participation should make this clear. This will ensure the appropriate action is taken quickly to minimise
any risks.
WHS issues may be raised:

➢ In WHS consultations and meetings
➢ Through a health and safety representative (HSR) or a health and

safety committee
➢ Directly with work managers and supervisors
➢ Directly with a WHS duty holder (e.g., the PCBU, an officer, or an

appointed WHS contact).
During WHS meetings and discussions, time for contributions and feedback from participants should be
given; if there is no direct questioning to ask about WHS issues, this will provide a suitable means for
participants to raise one. To help support others to do this, you should facilitate an environment where
contributions are actively welcomed; you may want to discuss the topic of WHS issues to demonstrate
this. Discussions should be open and place value on information sharing, however trivial or minor this
may appear to be. All WHS issues and concerns, however small, should be listened to and acted on as
necessary.
WHS issues can also be obtained through a written feedback process, or through an open-door policy,
where individuals are encouraged to visit and report an issue or concern.
If you identify a WHS issue, or one is raised with you, and are uncertain how to handle it, then the
appropriate actions may include speaking to the PCBU, officer, or your WHS superior. Between yourself
and the WHS duty holders, you may be able to develop and implement a process that will resolve the
issue. This may require a consultation with any affected workers. If the issue cannot be resolved, the
assistance of an HSR may be required. If this is the case, the worker, the HSR and the supervisor will
attempt to solve the WHS issue.
You should be aware of your organisational procedures in regard to raising WHS issues.
P a g e | 58
Workplace meetings
Workplace meetings are an important element of business management and can be formal or informal.
Meetings can help to:

➢ Solve problems
➢ Improve performance
➢ Encourage employers and employees to

communicate
➢ Share information
➢ Resolve disputes
➢ Move things forward
➢ Build teamwork.
An effective meeting should take the least amount of time to successfully achieve the objectives, and all
participants should leave feeling satisfied.
To carry out a successful meeting:

➢ Design an agenda; for example:
o introductions
o summary of the reason for the meeting
o small group discussion
o report back/question period
o evaluation
➢ Be aware of time restrictions
➢ Bring the materials needed for the meeting
➢ Create an empowering atmosphere and be positive
➢ Use a variety of facilitation tools; for example:
o go-rounds – everyone takes a turn to speak without interruption or comment

from other people
o parking space – when something comes up that is not relevant to the discussion
at hand, “park” it in the parking space (such as a large sheet of paper on the wall)
and deal with it at an appropriate time later. This allows you to stay focused but
reassures participants they will be heard
P a g e | 59
o small groups – create safer spaces for people to contribute to the meeting; each
group can employ someone to take notes
o talking stick – people may speak only when they hold the talking stick; this makes
people conscious of when they interrupt others
o throwback to the group – if someone asks a question, throw it back to the group.
Source ‘Facilitating Meetings’ at Seeds For Change, retrieved from

http://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/facilitationmeeting.
Questioning and listening skills

In discussions and meetings, you will need to be able to use questioning and listening skills to facilitate
contributions.
Active listening
Active listening involves giving your full attention to the person speaking. Not only is this about hearing
what the other person is saying, but it is also about being engaged in the communication. You should
maintain your full concentration when listening to others and make sure that you do not interrupt
them. You are also advised to give positive affirmations to demonstrate that you are listening and
interested in what is being said; this can help encourage the speaker to provide more information.
Active listeners will use these non-verbal techniques:

➢ Smiling and nodding to show agreement
➢ Maintaining eye contact
➢ Maintaining a direct and open posture
➢ Mirroring the other person’s body signals
➢ Ignoring potential distractions
➢ Respecting personal space.
Questioning skills
It is important to know how to ask questions in the right manner, so you encourage information sharing.
You should determine an appropriate point at which to ask questions, and avoid interrupting the
speaker as much as possible; use an approach or style that is personable and not confrontational.
Different types of question can be used, depending on the situation and what is being discussed. Some
questioning styles are mentioned below.
P a g e | 60
Question types include:

➢ Open questions – these prompt the speaker to elaborate about a point or to provide
further information; for example, ‘Why do you think…?’
➢ Closed questions – these are straightforward questions that require a short and clear
answer, such as a ‘yes’ or ‘no’, and are useful to clarify information; for example, ‘How
many times has this occurred?’
➢ Clarifying questions – these are useful if you need to check that information is correct;
for example, ‘Am I right to believe that…?’
➢ Probing questions – these are used to find out information from the speaker in a
targeted way; for example, ‘What happened when you…?’
➢ Funnel questions – this is using a series of questions to work through a specific point in
order to reach an outcome; for example:
o ‘when did you notice the hazard?’
o ‘how has it impacted in the workplace?’
o ‘have there been any incidents relating to the hazard?’

P a g e | 61
Activity 4A
P a g e | 62
4.2 – Record and communicate WHS discussions and their outcomes according
to organisational policies and procedures
➢ Follow organisational policies and procedures to record and communicate WHS
discussions and their outcomes
➢ Identify what needs to be recorded during WHS discussions.
Recording WHS discussions and their outcomes

Someone should be appointed to take notes in meetings to document what takes place and to record
any significant points or actions that need to be performed. These actions will be assigned to certain
people in the meeting. For example, if someone needs to complete a hazard check for their work area,
they will be documented as performing that action by a certain date. This can then be followed-up by
the relevant manager or WHS personnel, or during the next scheduled meeting.
The following information has been taken from Safe Work Australia’s ‘Work health and safety,
consultation, co-operation and co-ordination’ code of practice.
“Consultation with workers and with other duty holders does not have to be documented unless
specifically required under the WHS Regulations…However, it is good practice to keep records to
demonstrate compliance with consultation requirements. Records of consultation may also assist the
risk management process and make disputes less likely. Records should include outcomes of
discussions.
Records can be brief and simple, and cover:

➢ What the safety matter is
➢ Who was identified as affected, or likely to be affected
➢ Who was involved in consultations
➢ Key issues consultation identified
➢ What decision has been made and why
➢ Who is to take action and by when, and
➢ When the action was completed.”
Source ‘Work health and safety, consultation, co-operation and co-ordination Code of Practice’, Safe
health-and-safety-consultation-co-operation-and-co-ordination.
The structure and content of your documentation will vary according to its purpose and your
organisational requirements. You should always ensure that it is structured sensibly, in line with
organisational policies and procedures, and that you refer to the evidence that supports the
recommendations and actions. Documentation should be sequenced logically and chronologically, so
this will be accurate to how events occurred, and can be read and understood by others.
P a g e | 63
When documentation is written in the active voice rather than the passive, it gets the message across
more directly and helps with concise writing. This is also a feature of plan language.
Documents should:
➢ Be concise
➢ Be objective
➢ Be appropriate in language (no slang, unless recording direct speech)
➢ Be appropriately structured
➢ Include only necessary information.
Records procedures
Records are required to show accountability of organisational activities and for fulfilling legal reporting
requirements. These should be logically documented to workplace system requirements and
signed/dated as required. Dating records ensures that events can be sequenced and given the
appropriate referencing, signing or electronic signing also lets the relevant persons know who is
responsible.
Dating records also means that required actions that have been recognised as a result of monitoring can
be carried out within any necessary timeframes. Requested health and safety improvements can be
logged, dated and carried out to ensure legal compliance. This makes information accessible and clear
to the relevant persons who need to act on this. Using organisational forms, templates and established
documentation processes ensures that employees will be able to follow their work requirements.
Records may be:

➢ Paper records, e.g., filling out paper forms and
documenting/printing out records to evidence
events
➢ Database records to ensure the correct

information is documented and processed
between staff or departments
➢ Electronically made to templates and files on a

central computer system or to a web/cloud-based system.
Records may need to be copied and circulated to other employees or managers; always make sure that
a stored original is kept so that if a copy is circulated and lost, a record still exists. You will need to make
sure that you are familiar with your organisation’s way of working and follow their requirements.
P a g e | 64
Activity 4B
P a g e | 65
4.3 – Follow up meeting outcomes according to own job role, and organisational
➢ Carry out follow-up requirements according to their job role and organisational
requirements
➢ Assist in making WHS improvements as recognised in meeting outcomes.
Following up on meetings
After meeting outcomes have been decided and documented, they will need to be carried out within
the specified time period. You may need to monitor actions or check with work personnel to confirm
they have been completed. Your level of involvement will depend upon your job role. You should follow
organisational policies and procedures to complete your follow-up requirements.
Hopefully, the outcome of consultations, and the co-operation and co-ordination of work
tasks with other duty holders, will be that each member involved understands how their
work tasks can impact on health and safety.
To effectively follow up the outcomes of meetings:

➢ “You must inform your workers of your final decision or course of
action as soon as possible
➢ You should provide information to help them understand the

reasons for your decision.”
Source ‘Work health and safety, consultation, co-operation and co-ordination Code of
Practice’, Safe Work Australia, retrieved from
https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/doc/model-code-practice-work-health-and-safety-consultation-
co-operation-and-co-ordination.
Workers will need to know how a decision affects them and how they can implement or oversee any
changes to work health and safety.
Follow-up actions may include:

➢ Creating plans and schedules for improvements, with WHS personnel
➢ Communicating WHS consultation/meeting outcomes to employees
➢ Liaising with work personnel and others to coordinate and assist in activities
➢ Monitoring WHS records and activities
➢ Consulting with individuals and groups to check on progress
➢ Reporting to management when actions have been completed
➢ Scheduling and arranging a follow-up WHS consultation or meeting.

P a g e | 66
Activity 4C
P a g e | 67
4.4 – Communicate WHS-related outcomes of meetings to required individuals

and/or parties
➢ Identify methods to communicate WHS outcomes to others
➢ Follow organisational and WHS requirements to communicate WHS-related outcomes.
Communicate the outcomes

To communicate the outcomes of WHS meetings, you should utilise all available resources in your
workplace. Often the easiest and quickest way to do this is to send an email communication to the
relevant people. However, this may not always be appropriate. If it isn’t, different communication
methods can be used.
Communication methods include:

➢ Email
➢ Face-to-face conversations
➢ Formal letters
➢ Companywide announcements
➢ Departmental announcements
➢ Scheduled meetings.
Your organisation may use specific methods to communicate WHS matters with the workforce;
methods must be accessible and timely for all employees. They should comply with WHS requirements
for workplace communications.
When communicating, you should prepare what it is you want to say beforehand; if not using
documentation or creating a presentation to do this, you can prepare a short script that identifies the
key points. This can be used to guide your spoken communications.
In follow-up communications, you may need to:

➢ Provide information in writing (such as amended WHS policies and procedures)
➢ Log follow-up communications for WHS consultation records
➢ Provide information within a specific timeframe
➢ Provide further information or answer questions in response to the communication.
The outcomes of WHS consultations should be communicated as soon as possible. The message must be
consistent and clear; you should use plain language to communicate. It may be necessary to speak with
health and safety representatives or a health and safety committee to communicate the outcome of
WHS meetings to others.
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Activity 4D
P a g e | 69
Summative Assessments
At the end of your Learner Workbook, you will find the Summative Assessments.
This includes:
➢ Skills Activity
➢ Knowledge Activity
➢ Performance Activity.
This holistically assesses your understanding and application of the skills, knowledge and performance
requirements for this unit. Once this is completed, you will have finished this unit and be ready to move
onto the next one – well done!
P a g e | 70
References
These suggested references are for further reading and do not necessarily represent the contents of
this unit.
Websites
‘Work health and safety’ from the Australian Government: https://www.business.gov.au/risk-
management/health-and-safety/work-health-and-safety
‘Model Work Health and Safety Regulations’ from Safe Work Australia:
https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/doc/model-work-health-and-safety-regulations
‘Work health and safety consultation, co-operation and co-ordination’ from SafeWork SA:
https://www.safework.sa.gov.au/show_page.jsp?id=113708
‘Worker/HSR – Communication and consultation’ from Comcare, Australian Government:

https://www.comcare.gov.au/promoting/roles_and_responsibilities/worker/communications
‘Root Cause Analysis – tracing a problem to its origins’ from Mind Tools:
https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_80.htm
‘Facilitating Meetings’ from Seeds For Change: http://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/facilitationmeeting
Publications
‘Model Code of Practice: Work health and safety consultation, cooperation and coordination’ from
Safe Work Australia: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/doc/model-code-practice-work-health-
and-safety-consultation-cooperation-and-coordination
All references accessed on and correct as of 14/01/2020, unless otherwise stated.

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STUDENT LEARNER GUIDE

Unit of Competency ............................................................................................................................. 4

Unit Mapping Information

Regulation, Licensing and Risk – Work Health and Safety

1. Participate in 1.1 Contribute to selecting WHS consultation and

2. Contribute to WHS 2.1 Contribute to facilitating WHS consultation and participation

3. Consult and 3.1 Identify appropriate forms of communication for required

➢ Interprets a range of textual information to determine regulatory and procedural requirements,

➢ Presents information using language and non-verbal communication appropriate to audience

Navigate the world of work:

➢ Follows policies, procedures and legislative requirements relevant to own role.

Interact with others:

Get the work done:

➢ Identifies barriers to consultation and applies problem-solving processes to assist with

During the above, the candidate must:

➢ Communicate WHS information to others

➢ Raise WHS issues in meetings and follow up on outcomes

➢ Support others to raise relevant WHS issues.

➢ Purpose of organisational WHS policies, procedures, processes and systems

➢ Organisational WHS obligations relating to communication and consultation

➢ Commonwealth and state/territory WHS laws and publications relating to:

o identifying and recording key stakeholders

o WHS communication and consultation processes

➢ Organisational policies and procedures relating to:

o consultation and communication methods, and processes for revising them

o addressing barriers to effective WHS consultation and participation processes, including

o recording and communicating WHS discussions

➢ Elements of WHS communication and consultation:

o potential barriers to WHS consultation and participation processes, and methods to

o roles and responsibilities of WHS personnel

o how the consultation process influences and is related to workplace information

➢ Opportunities for interaction with others

➢ Workplace equipment and resources required for the performance evidence.

Companion Volume Implementation Guides are available from VETNet -

1. Participate in establishing consultation processes

1.1 – Contribute to selecting WHS consultation and communication methods

➢ Assist others in selecting appropriate WHS consultation and communication methods

➢ Follow organisational policies, procedures, and WHS legislative requirements in WHS

Work health and safety (WHS) laws

This relates to:

➢ Suitable worker facilities and workplace conditions

➢ Standard safe working procedures

➢ Employee work hours, breaks, and holiday/leave

➢ Workplace training, instruction and supervision

Commonwealth and state/territory WHS laws

Act Regulation Codes Regulator

Work Health and Work Health and NT Codes of NT WorkSafe

Work Health and Work Health and Tas Codes of WorkSafe

WHS communication, consultation and participation

Communications on health and safety will cover aspects such as:

➢ Incident and accident procedures

➢ Hazard identification and risk controls

➢ How to use and maintain equipment

➢ Employee and employer rights and obligations

➢ Making decisions on eliminating or minimising those risks

➢ Making decisions on the adequacy of facilities for workers

WHS policies, procedures, processes and systems

➢ Hazards and risk assessments

Selecting WHS consultation and communication methods

Communication and consultation methods must be: