GRETTI JAILANI 152966 7.0 Consultation 7.

1 Definition of consultation

Consultation can be defined as seeking and giving of advice, information, and/or opinion, usually involving a consideration. In order to produce an effective management system including the safety and health at places of work, consultation is needed in both sides between the employer and employee. Consultation must involve sharing of information and opportunity to express both sides views and taking those views into account in making the final decision. 7.1.1 Requirement to consult

Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 1994 (Act 514), Part VII, Subsection 30(3) of the act, Every employer shall consult the safety and health committee with a view to the making and maintenance of arrangements which will enable him and his employees to co-operate effectively in promoting and developing measures to ensure the safety and health at the place of work of the employees, and in checking the effectiveness of such measures. From the enactment above, the committee functions as a platform for cooperation between employer and employees to promote and develop measures in enhancing the safety and health in workplace and to ensure the effectiveness of these measures. 7.1.2 Purpose of consultation The purpose of the above enactment is to ensure there is meaningful and effective consultation about matters that may affect employees health, safety and welfare as well to reduced injury and disease. Consultation between employers and employees can result in healthier and safer workplaces, better decisions on health and

GRETTI JAILANI 152966 safety matters, a stronger commitment by everyone to implementing decisions, and greater cooperation and trust between employers and employees. 7.1.3 Important of consultation Consultation is important to be done and has many advantages. By consultation, a safe workplace can be easily achieved as everyone involve in the work communicates with each others to identify hazards and risks, talks about any health and safety concerns and works together to find solutions. This includes cooperation between the people who manage or control the work and those who carry out the work or who are affected by the work. By drawing on the knowledge and experience of the workers, more informed decisions can be made about how the work should be carried out safely. There are some benefits or advantages of effective consultation. Firstly, it gives greater awareness and commitment because workers who have been actively involved in how health and safety decisions are made will better understand the decisions. Secondly, it creates positive working relationships because understanding the views of others leads to greater cooperation and trust. The requirements to consult, to cooperate and to coordinate activities with other duty holders will help deal with any gaps in managing health and safety risks. The gaps that occur may due to the lack of understanding of how the activities of each person may give hazards and risks to others which may be exposed, assumption of duty holders that someone else is taking care of the health and safety matter and the person who takes action is not the best person to do so. Therefore, by consulting, cooperating and coordinating activities with other duty holders, it gives understanding on how the activities may impact on health and safety and select the best control measure to deal and prevent the hazard.

GRETTI JAILANI 152966 7.2 When to consult

Employers are required to consult employees (and their health and safety representatives) about health and safety matters that could directly affect them. This includes when: 1. Identifying hazards, assessing risks and deciding how to control risks. In deciding how to control risks, employer must consult with employee who will be affected by this decision, either directly or through their health and safety representative. Employee experience may help the employer to identify hazards and choose practical and effective control measures. 2. Assessing the adequacy of workplace welfare facilities. Facilities may include the washing facilities, toilet, change room, personal storage and first aid. Employer has to consult with employee about any changes that may affect the adequacy of the facilities which help to determine whether the facilities need to be change or expanded. 3. Determining the membership of any health and safety committee. Consultation is needed as to determine the most suitable persons to be appointed as members of safety and health committee. The person appointed has to be responsible and can cooperate with the workers to produce a safe and healthy working place. 4. Deciding on health and safety policies and procedures. Idea and opinion from all the members needs to be considered when doing the health and safety policies and procedure as these will become the guidance for all the people in the workplace. 5. Proposing changes to the workplace that could affect the health and safety of employees, including changes to the equipment or substances used or how work is done.

GRETTI JAILANI 152966 To propose change in the workplace such as change in the equipment, substances or building, the employer should consult with employee and take consideration on how the changes will affect them in term of safety and health. Sharing information will lead to better solution in proposing the changes as there is agreement with both parties and at the same time take into account the other persons that may be affected in the changes. Under Subsection 15(1) of the act, It shall be the duty of every employer and every selfemployed person to ensure, so far as it is practicable, the safety, health and welfare at work of all his employees. Consultation is needed here to ensure the safety, health and welfare at work of all the employees by employer. In order for the consultation to take place, the hazard must be identified first as been explained in Chapter 4. So far as it is practicable used means practicable having regard to the severity of the risk in question, knowledge about the risk and ways to remove or reduce it, the availability and suitability of ways as well as costs to remove or reduce it. Employer must be aware of the hazard or risk in the workplace and two ways communication must be done between the employer and employee to give a knowledge about the safety and accident that may occur from the hazards to ensure the employee safety. In Bioreactor Laboratory, some equipments used for the research such as the laboratory fume cardboard is used to remove any fumes produced from the chemical substances as been listed in Table 2, within the box. To ensure the safety of students that use the equipment, the technician must explain the right way to use the fumes cardboard so that the student do not exposed to the chemical which can cause harm to the human body. Employee that has limited knowledge about the effect of the hazard in workplace may have high probability to be exposed to the hazards. Therefore, every technician shall know how to identify hazard and ensure all students that doing their research in the laboratory has

GRETTI JAILANI 152966 safe working condition. It is really advisable for students to read the safety precaution, rules and procedure when handling the equipment in the laboratory to prevent any accident that may affect themselves and other persons in the laboratory. If the students are not sure about the procedure, they shall consult the technician to guide them and show them the right way of using it. Employee must cooperate with his employer when doing any work in a working area that has hazards. When the employer has set up a safe system of work and the employee endanger himself through unsafe act, this is considered as non-cooperative. This is same for student doing their work in the laboratory as they must obey the laboratory rule and not doing any unsafe act that may endanger themselves which also cause problem for others. They also must consult to the technician if they find any hazard in the laboratory so that the technician can act faster following certain procedure to eliminate or mitigate the hazard. When handling chemical hazardous to health, personal protective equipment such as goggle, safety shoes or apron are very important as it is used as a control measure to prevent the hazard. Students that handle the chemical such as hydrochloric acid and sulphuric acid must wear the protective equipment to ensure their safety. If there is no protective equipment supply, students must consult the technician to provide the protective equipment to be used when doing the experiment. 7.3 Who to consult

Consultation is important to be done between employer and employee to provide a safe and healthy working environment. Employee can talk about the hazards or problem in the workplace enable the employer to be aware of the hazard and safety issues experienced by employees. Employees can provide suggestions to solve the health and safety problems. The participation of employee in determining the hazards and risk in workplace give opportunity

GRETTI JAILANI 152966 for them to express their view about the occupational safety and health issues. Employee may share their opinion based on their experience and knowledge and employer should take value and take into account about their opinion. For the employer, they shall identify decisions that have health and safety implications. Employer also should consider how they can ensure effective and meaningful consultation. Employer can provide employee with information which enable them to come to discuss the consultation option. Employee has their duty to consult their employee about the hazards and safety issues in workplace. They must be aware of their duty to report the hazard to the employer. Before that, employee must become familiar on how to identify hazards and the principles for controlling risk. Employee also should understand about their rights to be consulted about decisions that may have implication in their health and safety. They should become familiar with the safety and health organization such as the safety and health committee in the workplace. 7.3.1 Employer representative

The employer representative which is Dr. Nazli is responsible to the safety and health in the laboratory. When doing a meeting with the technicians in charged for all laboratories in Department of Process and Food Engineering, they must discuss and identified the hazardous conditions or operations in the laboratory and determine safe procedures and controls which can be implemented in the laboratory. To provide a safe and healthy environment working condition, consultation is needed to minimizing potential hazards and provides a safe environment for repairs and renovations for any damage machines. As a committee member, Dr. Nazli is responsible to do the laboratory inspection every three months.

GRETTI JAILANI 152966 7.3.2 Head of laboratory

The Head of the laboratory which is Dr.-Ing. Mohd. Noriznan Mokhtar has responsibility for the health and safety of all personnel working in his laboratory. The head of the laboratory also need to check the laboratory needs and he also needs to conduct periodic self-inspections of laboratory or facility and maintaining records of inspections. To provide the personnel under him equipped with the knowledge about the safety and health when in the laboratory, he need to consult the personnel to go for training which include information of the location and availability of hazard information. The head of the laboratory also has to ensure the availability of all appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves and eye protection and ensuring the PPE is maintained in working order. 7.3.2 Employee representative (Technician)

All workers in a laboratory should consult with their supervisor regarding protective equipment appropriate to the individual laboratory. Mr. Shahrul as the employee representatives and also all the technicians has to ensure that the laboratory is in good and safe conditions. If there is facility damage in the laboratory such as lamp not functioning or problem in the air conditioner, Mr. Shahrul will consult the Development and Asset Management Office to ask for the facility to be repair by filling in a maintenance form. The maintenance form is shown in the Appendix. In terms of the first aid kit, if the items in the first aid kit is not enough or has expire, Mr. Shahrul will consult with the university health centre using certain procedure to resolve the matter. If Mr. Shahrul wants to make a complaint related to occupational safety and health, he needs to follow the procedure specified. The procedure is shown in flowchart below.

GRETTI JAILANI 152966

Start

Action by: Complainer

Flow chart
Report complaint Receive complaint Investigate

Coordinator
Prepared a preliminary report Send report to PGH

No

Should refer to OHD

PGH Yes

Medical examination Further investigation

Coordinator
OHD/OHN/Investigation team

Valid poisoning/

No

Illness?

OHD Yes

Fill JKKP 7 Provide a detail report Submit report to PGH Submit and present report Take corrective and prevention action Monitor action

OHD/OHN

PGH
PTJ leader/relevant parties

No
Coordinator Suggestion new action Effective?

PGH/Coordinator

Yes
Update record

PPS

End

GRETTI JAILANI 152966 7.4 How to consult Consultation can be done using few ways such as conducting staff meeting, suggestion boxes, posters, noticeboards, email, committees, safe operating procedures, instruction and training, surveys, questionnaires, brainstorming and focus groups. 7.4.1 Health and Safety Committees

A key function of health and safety committees (HSC) is to facilitate cooperation between employers and employees on health and safety matters. HSC assist the employer to develop, implement and review measures to protect employees health and safety at work. In order to review the effectiveness of the measures taken, a survey or questionnaire can be distributed to the workers to find their response to the safety measurement which have been implemented in the workplace. Various activities also can be done by the committee to expose the workers about occupational safety and health such as training, briefing and safe workplace competition. 7.4.1 Staff meeting

Consultation when doing staff meeting with health and safety representative must include sharing information with the safety health representative which is Dr. Nazli and Mr. Shahrul for the Department of Process and Food Engineering. Information must be made available in a timely way and must be provided in a form that can be understood by them. Every staffs has the opportunity to express their views about the safety and health issues and the representatives shall take those views into account. To provide a safe working environment, staffs can discuss about the safe operating procedure of the equipment available in the workplace as well as discuss about the hazards and risk in the workplace.

GRETTI JAILANI 152966 Abbreviation OHD OHN PGH PPS PTJ Occupational Health Doctor Occupational Health Nurses Director Assistant Science Officer Responsibility Centres

Reference Minister for Education and Industrial Relations, (2011). Work health and safety consultation, co-operation and co-ordination. Queensland Government Gazette. Accessed Disember 13, 2012 from http://www.deir.qld.gov.au