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Training, instruction and information Train your workers in the work procedure to ensure that they are able to perform the task safely. Training must cover the nature of the work, the associated risks and the control measures to be implemented. Training should require workers to demonstrate that they are competent in performing the task according to the procedure. It is insufficient to simply give a worker the procedure and ask them to acknowledge that they understand and are able to perform it. Training, instruction and information must be provided in a form that can be understood by all workers. Information and instruction may also need to be provided to others who enter the workplace, such as customers or visitors. Supervision The level of supervision required will depend on the level of risk and the experience of the workers involved. High levels of supervision are necessary where inexperienced workers are expected to follow new procedures or carry out difficult and critical tasks. Maintenance Control measures need regular monitoring and maintenance to ensure they remain effective. You should decide what is required when you implement the control and establish a schedule for routine checks and maintenance appropriate to the controls. You may prepare a risk register identifying the hazards, what action needs to be taken, who will be responsible for taking the action and by when. An example is provided at Appendix D. How to ensure controls remain effective An important part of controlling risk is ensuring that your chosen control measures are maintained after their initial implementation. The following actions may help you monitor the control measures you have implemented and ensure that they remain effective. Accountability for health and safety Managers and supervisors should be provided with the authority and resources to implement and maintain control measures effectively. Accountability should be clearly allocated to ensure procedures are followed and maintained. Maintenance of plant and equipment This will involve scheduling and performing regular inspection and testing, repair or replacement of damaged or worn plant and equipment. It includes checking that any control measures are suitable for the nature and duration of work, are set up and used correctly. Further information on maintaining plant and equipment is available in the Code of Practice: Managing the risks of plant in the workplace. Up-to-date training and competency Most control measures depend on workers and supervisors having the appropriate competencies to do the job safely. Training must be provided to maintain competencies and to ensure new workers are capable of working safely. Up-to-date hazard information Information about hazards, such as plant and substances, may be updated by manufacturers and suppliers and should be checked to make sure controls are still relevant. New technology may provide more effective solutions than were previously available. Changes to operating conditions or the way activities are carried out may also mean that control measures need to be updated. Regular review and consultation Control measures are more effective where there is regular review of work procedures and consultation with your workers and their representatives. If maintenance processes reveal new hazards, or existing hazards that are not being addressed, you will need to perform a review of your control measures. Step 4—How to review controls The control measures you, as a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU), put in place should be reviewed regularly to make sure they work as planned. Don’t wait until something goes wrong. The WHS Regulations require a risk management process for specific risks. That process includes circumstances where you must review your control measures for those risks and, if necessary, change them. A review is required: when the control measure is not effective in controlling the risk before a change at the workplace that is likely to give rise to a new or different health and safety risk that the control measure may not effectively control if a new hazard or risk is identified if the results of consultation indicate that a review is necessary, or if a health and safety representative requests a review. In any case, as part of your ongoing duties as a PCBU, you should regularly review your control measures, including in the above circumstances. Managing work health and safety risks is an ongoing process that needs attention over time, but particularly when any changes affect your work activities. You may use the same methods as in the initial hazard identification step (Chapter 2—How to identify hazards) to check controls. Consult your workers and their health and safety representatives and consider the following questions: Are the control measures working effectively in both their design and operation? Have the control measures introduced new problems? Have all hazards been identified? Have new work methods, new equipment or chemicals made the job safer? Are safety procedures being followed? Have the instruction and training provided to workers on how to work safely been successful? Are workers actively involved in identifying hazards and possible control measures? Are they openly raising health and safety concerns and reporting problems promptly? Are the frequency and severity of health and safety incidents reducing over time? If new legislation or new information becomes available, does it indicate current controls may no longer be the most effective? If problems are found, go back through the risk management steps (Chapter 4—How to control risks), review your information and make further decisions about risk control. Priority for review should be based on the level of risk. Control measures for high risks should be reviewed more frequently. If you design, manufacture or supply products used for work, quality assurance processes may be used to check the product effectively minimises health and safety risks. Obtain feedback from users of the product to determine whether any improvements can be made to make it safer. Keeping records Keeping records of the risk management process demonstrates what you have done to comply with the WHS Act and WHS Regulations. It also helps when undertaking subsequent risk management activities, including reviewing your control measures. Keeping records of the risk management process has the following benefits. It: allows you to demonstrate how decisions about controlling risks were made assists in targeting training at key hazards provides a basis for preparing safe work procedures allows you to more easily review risks following any changes to legislation or business activities, and demonstrates to others (regulators, investors, shareholders, customers) that work health and safety risks are being managed. The detail and extent of recording will depend on the size of your workplace and the potential for major work health and safety issues. It is useful to keep information on: the identified hazards, assessed risks and chosen control measures (including any hazard checklists, worksheets and assessment tools used in working through the risk management process) how and when the control measures were implemented, monitored and reviewed who you consulted with relevant training records, and any plans for changes. There are specific record-keeping requirements in the WHS Regulations for some hazards, such as hazardous chemicals, plant and equipment. If such hazards have been identified at your workplace, you must keep the relevant records for the time specified. You should ensure that everyone in your workplace is aware of record-keeping requirements, including which records are accessible and where they are kept. his fact sheet provides general guidance for persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) and workers on preparing and maintaining general emergency plans for fixed workplaces under regulation 43 of the Work Health and Safety (WHS) Regulations. It does not cover additional requirements that apply to higher risk workplaces such as Major Hazard Facilities. Duty to prepare an emergency plan PCBUs must ensure that an emergency plan is prepared for the workplace, including for workers who may work at multiple workplaces. What is an emergency plan? An emergency plan is a written set of instructions that outlines what workers and others at the workplace should do in an emergency. An emergency plan must provide for the following: emergency procedures, including: an effective response to an emergency evacuation procedures notifying emergency service organisations at the earliest opportunity medical treatment and assistance, and effective communication between the person authorised to coordinate the emergency response and all people at the workplace testing of the emergency procedures—including the frequency of testing, and information, training and instruction to relevant workers in relation to implementing the emergency procedures. What types of emergencies should be covered? The types of emergencies to plan for may include fire, explosion, medical emergency, rescues, incidents with hazardous chemicals, bomb threats, armed confrontations and natural disasters. The emergency plan should be based on a practical assessment of hazards associated with the work activity or workplace, and the possible consequences of an emergency occurring as a result of those hazards. External hazards should also be considered in preparing an emergency plan, for example a chemical storage facility across the road. In developing the plan, consideration should be given to the application of all relevant laws, including public health laws (for example, workplaces that are also public places) and state or territory disaster plans.