PARTICIPATE IN
SAFE WORK
PRACTICES
SITXWHS001
Workplace illness and injury
As well as the medical costs for the person who is injured, there are also many
other problems and costs that occur when people are injured or suffer illness
at work.
• Human cost
• Social cost
• Economic cost
• Organisational costs
Policies and procedures
A policy is a statement about an issue in the workplace and says what the
business intends to do about that issue.
A procedure sets out step-by-step instructions on how to deal with an
Discussion in the workplace.
A hospitality business may have policies or procedures for many tasks
such as:
• Using a meat slicer.
• Ejecting drunken patrons.
• Lifting and carrying.
• Evacuation from premises.
• Personal Protective Equipment.
• Cleaning floors.
• Using equipment such as convection
ovens.
• Using chemicals.
• Security.
• Maintenance.
Warning signs
Most workplaces will have warning signs around the building, on the walls and
above the doors, to warn staff and customers of hazards or to give instructions
about the business.
It’s important to follow the instructions on these signs and to ASK your
supervisor or manager about them if you are not sure.
The Hierarchy of Controls
The Hierarchy of Controls is:
Elimination – Eliminating toxic substances such as chemicals, hazardous
machinery or processes which are not necessary for a system of work.
Substitution – Substituting a toxic substance, hazardous machine or
process with one known to be less harmful to health.
Isolation – Enclosing or isolating a hazard from employees, to eliminate or
reduce the risk of injury or illness.
Engineering controls – Changing processes, equipment or tools.
Administrative controls – Changing work procedures to reduce exposure
to the existing hazards.
Personal protective equipment – Some tasks we do can be dangerous if
we do not protect ourselves, such as when we are using chemicals or
dangerous equipment.
Reporting unsafe conditions
These may include:
• Broken or damaged electrical appliances or cords.
• Uneven floors or broken tiles.
• Damage or missing machinery guards (slicer/ mixer).
• Blocked fire exits.
• Chemical spills.
• Unsafe shelving.
• Dangerous work practices.
• Areas with poor lighting.
• Damaged equipment.
• Missing safety signs.
• Suspicious or unusual people who do not belong around the building.
• Unattended packages left in public areas (bomb).
Report work related incidents
All injuries, accidents and illnesses must be reported to your Supervisor or
Manager no matter how minor you think they are.
It’s best to have a record of the accident just in case the minor injury becomes
serious in the future.
Some incidents and accidents because of their serious nature must be notified
to WorkCover within 48 Hours.
Discussion 1
Case study:
Mary needed some cleaning cloths, which were in a carton on the top shelf of
the storeroom. She could not find the ladder so she used the lower shelves to
climb up.
Suddenly, one of the shelves did not take her weight and broke. As she fell,
she grabbed another shelf to stop herself from falling. Because the shelves
were free standing and not anchored into the floor or fixed onto the wall, the
movement started the shelves falling – they landed on top of her. Paul raced to
stop the shelves falling, but was too late. He injured his arm in his effort to save
Mary. Mary ended up in hospital and is now a paraplegic, while Paul was off
work for six weeks with a broken arm.
What will Mary’s life be like after the injury?
Give 3 ways this accident could be have been avoided
Unsafe working conditions and
practices
Accidents are often a combination of factors that are the cause of the
accident. Unsafe working conditions and practices can lead to injury,
illness or even death.
• Hazards
• Obstructions
• Spills
• Poor maintenance
• No safety guards on machinery or equipment
• Poor lighting
• Incorrect storage
• Unsafe shelving
• Incorrect use of equipment
Common hospitality injuries

Inert gases from beverage systems
If these gas cylinders are stored in a ‘confined space’ such as a cellar or
cool room, then a leak from one of those cylinders can cause a build up of
these gases and be a danger to anybody entering the confined space.
How to avoid this problem:
• Store these gas bottles in open air areas not confined spaces with low
airflow.
• Have staff trained and aware of the danger.
• Install a gas monitor alarm.
• With every cylinder change install new O rings.
• Store gas cylinders upright with chains to hold them upright.
• Don’t have too much in stock; a low stock lowers the risk.
• Have inspections of system and monitoring alarm.
Discussion 2
Study the images and discuss the problems.
What is the hazard?
What is the cause of the problem?
How can we avoid this problem?
Accident prevention for the workplace
• Use a dry oven cloth, not a dirty wet tea-towel when carrying or using
hot pots, plates or dishes.
• Use goggles and masks (PPE) when handling cleaning chemicals, or
any chemicals that may have strong fumes, which may burn your eyes
or throat.
• Use gloves when handling chemicals.
• You should NEVER lift and pour chemicals from a large container into a
smaller one.
• If you have to transfer chemicals from large containers into smaller
containers, you should use pumps or taps.
• When lifting, always keep your back straight and knees bent and lift with
your legs.
• Make sure you are trained how to use the equipment properly and
safely in your workplace.
This also includes:
• Knife safety
• Maintenance: Do not use faulty equipment.
Electric shock is still one of the most common
causes of injury in the industry.
• Storage: Correct storage for all products is
essential whether they are chemicals, food,
beverage or equipment.
• Lighting: Poor lighting is dangerous as it can
cause people to fall and cut themselves or trip
over obstacles they cannot see.
Spills and obstructions
• If you spill it, clean it up as soon as possible.
• If you did not spill it, still clean it up. Find out who did it and
remind the person that the spill could have caused an accident.
• You may need more than one person to clean up major spills.
• Check what type of spill it is by reading the instructions on the
container.
• Use safety equipment such as gloves, mask and goggles, if
necessary.
• Ask someone else to help.
• Place a ‘slippery floor’ sign at the place of the spill.
• Let other staff and customers know that the floor is wet and
slippery.
Reporting machine faults
• Do not expect your Manager or Supervisor to know that the equipment
does not work. If you use the equipment, you must inform them when
something is not working or in need of repair.
• Large premises usually have a system where all repairs are reported to
the supervisor who fills in a maintenance request and sends it on to the
Maintenance department.
Discussion 3
Look around your workplace and identify ten possible hazards.
Explain how these hazards can be managed to ensure less risk of causing
a workplace injury.
How to lift and carry
This will depend on:
• Where and how equipment is laid out.
• The height of the equipment or work benches.
• The size and weight of mobile equipment.
• How far you have to carry equipment or goods.
There are many safe ways of moving large, bulky or heavy
equipment:
• Cartons or objects that are large and heavy should always be
lifted by two people onto a trolley for moving over a long
distance.
• If the carton or object is being lifted from the floor to a table,
then two people should lift it together.
• Large, bulky equipment should be treated with care.
How to lift safely
How to sit and stand
Standing at a workstation
• The desk should be at the right height to enable you to stand erect
without having to slouch over or reach up to the keyboard.
• When keying in data, the keyboard should be at a level to allow your
upper arms to hang freely by your side, with the forearms horizontal to
the desk and the elbows at a 90-degree angle
• The top of the monitor should be at eye level; this is not always possible
when stationed behind a desk. Remember that the main purpose of
standing behind a desk, e.g. Reception, is to service guests – not to
serve as a workstation where one stands for hours on end keying data
into a computer.
The office working environment
Lighting – Natural lighting is always preferable but is not always possible.
Anti-glare filters can be used to reduce glare on the screen, although it is
better to position monitors in such ways as to avoid any reflective glare.
Temperature – If productivity is to be maintained, and your health and
welfare to take into account, the room temperature has to be at a
comfortable level.
Ensure there is enough airflow around your workstation. When working in a
confined area, it may be necessary to have a desk fan.
Air conditioning – This can lead to eye irritation and dryness. Together
with the glare from a computer, this can result in headaches. By taking
preventative measures, the chance of these difficulties arising can be
reduced greatly.
Appropriate posture
Refer back to the diagram relating to correctly designed workstations and
take note of the correct posture when operating a keyboard.
Preventing Repetitive Strain Injury
Ensure your posture is always correct. As you are working, consciously
think about your posture at the workstation until it becomes second nature.
Exercise
You need to have a routine that will include periods of rest and a range of
exercises that will enable your muscles to recuperate.
Security
There are many ways that our security can be threatened. Security
problems in the workplace can cover many areas, such as:
• Robberies
• Unusual events
• Key control
• Theft
• Suspicious or unusual characters
• Requesting undesirables to leave the premises
• Security of property
Possible security solutions
Robbery – Never keep large amounts of cash on the property.
Key control – If keys are lost or stolen, it can cost thousands of dollars to
replace the locks and master keys to storerooms, guest rooms or other
areas.
Theft – This means stealing (the taking of money or goods on purpose for
your own gain).
Security – Most workplaces have procedures which cover security
Undesirables – The method of removing drunks, drug-affected or other
suspicious or unusual character is usually set by the manager.
Lost and found
Any property that you find must be handed in to your supervisor, manager
or security as soon as possible.
If you find property and place it in your pocket and it is found on you later,
or another staff member reports you were seen picking up the item, you
could be accused of theft.
For your own protection report it and hand it in as soon as you find the
item.
Emergency situations
Bomb threats – These are usually made over the phone. Take as much
information as you can while speaking to the caller and ask questions such
as:
• Who are you?
• Where is the bomb?
• When will it go off?
• Why are you threatening us?
• What type of bomb is it?
Fire – All hospitality establishments are covered by laws to ensure all fire
exits are clear and well signed.
Classes of fire

Fire extinguishers
• Water type
• Vaporising liquid type
• Dry chemical powder type
• Carbon dioxide type
Operation – PASS System
Fire procedures
Tell them the:
• Location.
• Size of the fire.
• Type of fire, i.e. electrical, oil, chemical, general.
• If there are any injuries.
Give the following information:
• Your name.
• Address, location of the fire.
• Type of fire.
• Size of the fire and if it has spread or is contained in one area.
• If anyone is injured and how many.
What next?
•Listen for any instructions.
•Get out of the area and close all doors and windows behind you.
•If others are in the area, warn them of the fire.
•Help them if it does not place you or others in greater danger.
•Notify your supervisor or manager.
Evacuation procedures
•Always follow your Supervisor’s instructions or your establishment’s fire
evacuation procedures, to ensure you go to the correct assembly area.
•Managers and supervisors will need to check all staff and all guests have
been evacuated and accounted for.
•Do not leave the area until told to.
•Do not go back into the building until the fire brigade or police say it is safe.
Emergency procedures
Medical
Make sure there is no danger to you or the victim, then tell your
supervisor/manager of the emergency. The situation may be:
•A person has had a heart attack.
•A person slips and falls.
•A person collapses.
•A person is severely cut by machinery.
•A person has been affected by chemicals.
•A person is injured in a fight.
Call an ambulance 000
Chemical spills and toxic fumes
Give them all the information you can such as:
•Address of the spill location.
•Type of chemical (if known).
•Is there a risk of fire?
•Is anyone hurt and how many?
•Evacuate the area.
•Ask everyone to move to a safe area in an orderly fashion.
•Depending on the amount of chemical spilled, you may need to evacuate the
whole building or just the area.
•If possible, open the windows and doors to allow the fumes to escape.
•If there is a danger of fire, evacuate and leave it to the professionals to deal
with.
Evacuation procedures
•DIAL 000 or notify the main switchboard.
•Check that no one else is in the area.
•If there is no danger to yourself, assist injured people.
•Leave via the nearest emergency exit.
•Do not use the lifts.
•Go directly to the designated assembly area or meeting point.
•Remain there until your manager or supervisor has checked that everyone is
present.
•Do not leave this area until you are told to leave by your supervisor or the
police.
•Do not go back into the building until the police or fire brigade tell you it is
safe to do so.
Participate in safe work practices
Work Health and Safety is the responsibility of everybody
Most large workplaces will have some formal consultation processes such as
Health and Safety Representatives and a Work Health and Safety Committee.
Your responsibilities
It is your responsibility to ensure that your immediate work area is free from
hazards and is a safe environment for you and others to work in.
Work groups
A Work Group (WG) is the group of people, and area, covered by an elected
health and safety representative or representatives.
For example, in a large business you may have designated work groups of:
•Office.
•Storeroom.
•Management.
•Casuals.
•Service staff.
•Kitchen staff.
•Front of house staff.
Health and safety representatives (HSR)
A Health and Safety Representative (HSR) is a person who has been elected
to represent a Work Group. You should be aware of who is the Health and
Safety Representative for your Work Group and go to them if you have any
safety concerns.
Work Health & Safety Committees
A Work Health and Safety Committee is a committee made up of both workers
and management with two functions:
•To help with cooperation on safety matters.
•To help formulate and spread information on safety matters.
Discussion 6
What telephone number do you dial to call the fire brigade?
What telephone number do you dial to call the police?
What telephone number do you dial to call the ambulance?
Give three questions to ask a person in a medical emergency if they are
capable.
Name two situations which you would say are a medical emergency.
Give four things you should do in an evacuation.
Give three things you should do for a chemical spill.
Australian law
Acts of parliament are laws made by elected parliaments and these are the
most important. Each state in Australia has its own laws; they are very similar
but not exactly the same.
Regulations are the rules that deal with certain issues in greater detail than
are contained in the act of parliament; they cover issues such as, first aid
treatment, medical assistance, accident reporting, chemical handling and
handling of dangerous goods such as petrol.
Codes of practice are standards set by the industry for the industry. They are
minimum standards of work practices for occupational health and safety, and
the employer, employee and visitors on site. They cover such issues as
manual handling, chemicals, cranes on building sites and first aid.
How the law works
Employer responsibilities and Duty of care
•An employer MUST provide a safe workplace for workers and visitors.
•Employers MUST train workers how to use equipment and work in a safe manner.
•Employers MUST know and abide by the laws, including Acts, regulations and codes of
practice.
•An employer may be required to set up a Work Health and Safety Committee.
•An employer MUST consult and discuss safety issues with the workers.
•Employers MUST also maintain an injury register. .
•An employer MUST provide safety equipment such as masks, goggles and gloves when
using chemicals; ear protectors if using very noisy equipment.
Employee responsibilities and Duty of care
•Work in a manner that is safe to fellow workers.
•An employee cannot refuse to follow safe work practices that have been set up in the workplace.
•Report any injury or illness as soon as possible to the supervisor or manager.
•Use all safety equipment provided correctly for the jobs it is supplied for.
•Report all faulty equipment.
•Refrain from damaging or removing safety guards on equipment, interfering with the safe operation of
any machinery or equipment used at work.
•Refrain from interfering with or getting in the way of someone who is trying to assist any person who
may be hurt or in danger.
Discussion 7
John is a new employee. His Supervisor has trained him how to safely and correctly move
and stack all the heavy cartons to the storeroom, when they are delivered. A trolley is
provided for this. John decided that the cartons were not that heavy, so he stacked one on
top of the other and picked them up. He could not be bothered to go into the storeroom to
collect the trolley. As he started to stand up, he felt a pain in his back. He continued to lift the
cartons and carry them to the store. The cartons were too high for him to see over them and
next thing he knew he was falling.
RESULT: One broken leg and an injured back, three days after starting a new job.
What are the employer’s duties of care?
What are John’s duties of care?
What duties of care where broken and by who?