Unit code and name - Resource - Enhance Your Future

CPCCCM1012A

Work effectively and sustainably in the construction industry

LEARNER RESOURCE

Developed by Enhance Your Future Pty Ltd 2 CPCCCM1012A Work effectively and sustainably in the construction industry Version 2

Course code and name

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................................................................ 2

UNIT INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 5

ABOUT THIS RESOURCE ...................................................................................................................................... 5 ABOUT ASSESSMENT .......................................................................................................................................... 6

ELEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE CRITERIA ....................................................................................................... 8

REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE.............................................................................................................. 10

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE .......................................................................................................................................... 10 REQUIRED SKILLS ................................................................................................................................................... 11

EVIDENCE GUIDE ............................................................................................................................................ 12

PRE-REQUISITES ............................................................................................................................................. 13

TOPIC 1 – IDENTIFY INDUSTRY STRUCTURE, OCCUPATIONS, JOB ROLES AND WORK CONDITIONS ................ 14

SCOPE AND NATURE OF THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY AND ITS NATIONAL ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE ARE RECOGNISED .................................................................................................................................................. 14

FEDERAL, STATE, AND TERRITORY ENVIRONMENTAL OR SUSTAINABILITY LEGISLATION, REGULATIONS AND CODES OF PRACTICE

RELEVANT TO THIS SECTOR AND APPLICABLE TO OWN WORK ROLE ................................................................................... 15 EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY/ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAWS ................................................................................. 15

CONSTRUCTION JOB ROLES, OCCUPATIONS AND TRADE CALLINGS OF THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY ARE IDENTIFIED AND RELATED TO DIRECT AND INDIRECT EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES .................................. 17

TRENDS IN TECHNOLOGY, WORK PROCESSES AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES WHICH ARE LIKELY TO IMPACT ON THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY ARE IDENTIFIED AND EVALUATED IN TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT OPTIONS ...................................................................................................................................................................... 19

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS ............................................................................................................................................ 19 WORK PROCESSES ................................................................................................................................................. 20 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES ......................................................................................................................................... 20

CONSTRUCTION EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS, ORGANISATIONAL REQUIREMENTS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES ARE IDENTIFIED AND RELATED TO JOBS AND CAREER PATHS ............................................................ 22

RELEVANT INDUSTRIAL AWARDS AND ENTERPRISE AGREEMENTS ...................................................................................... 22 AUSTRALIAN WORKPLACE AGREEMENTS (AWA’S) AND CERTIFIED AGREEMENTS .............................................................. 23 WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE? ...................................................................................................................................... 24

SAFE WORK METHODS AND PRACTICES ARE IDENTIFIED TO MEET AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT AND STATE AND TERRITORY OHS LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS ...................................................................................... 25

ENVIRONMENTAL AND RESOURCE HAZARDS/RISKS, INCLUDING COMPLIANCE WITH RELEVANT LEGISLATION ASSOCIATED WITH THE

ENVIRONMENT, JOB SPECIFICATIONS AND PROCEDURES ................................................................................................. 25 WHY IS WORKPLACE SAFETY IMPORTANT? .................................................................................................................. 25 INCORPORATE SAFE WORK PRACTICES INTO ALL WORKPLACE ACTIVITIES ............................................................................ 25 SAFETY LAW ......................................................................................................................................................... 26 OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY (OHS) IS EVERYONE’S BUSINESS. ............................................................................ 27

TOPIC 2 - ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR OWN WORKLOAD ............................................................................ 29

WORK ACTIVITIES ARE PLANNED AND PRIORITIES AND DEADLINES ARE ESTABLISHED WITH WORK GROUP MEMBERS SUCH AS SUPERVISORS AND COMMUNICATED TO OTHERS WHOSE OWN WORK PLANS AND TIMELINES MAY BE AFFECTED ........................................................................................................................ 29



TYPICAL SITE/TEAM WORK STRUCTURE, METHODS AND COMMUNICATION PROCESSES ......................................................... 29

WORK IS COMPLETED AGAINST THE PLAN AND TO THE STANDARD EXPECTED IN THE WORKPLACE AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH ANY GUIDELINES, DIRECTIONS AND SPECIFICATIONS PROVIDED BY SUPERVISORS, INCLUDING USE OF PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT .............................................................................. 32

SAFE WORK METHOD STATEMENT ............................................................................................................................. 32 WHAT IS A SWMS? .............................................................................................................................................. 32 WHO HAS HEALTH AND SAFETY DUTIES RELATING TO CONSTRUCTION WORK? .................................................................... 33 JOB SAFETY ANALYSIS (JSA) ..................................................................................................................................... 35 JOB SAFETY ANALYSIS (JSA) – EXAMPLE FOR OPERATING A FORK LIFT ............................................................................... 37 PERSONAL ISSUES .................................................................................................................................................. 38 VARIATIONS IN THE PROJECT .................................................................................................................................... 39 QUALITY REQUIREMENTS ........................................................................................................................................ 39 WHAT TO DO WHEN ISSUES ARISE ............................................................................................................................. 40

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT NEEDED TO ACHIEVE OR IMPROVE WORK OUTCOMES OR QUALITY AND STEPS TAKEN TO IDENTIFY OWN LEARNING NEEDS FOR FUTURE WORK REQUIREMENTS ARE COMMUNICATED CLEARLY TO THE APPROPRIATE PERSONNEL ..................................................................................................................... 41

TOPIC 3 - WORK IN A TEAM ........................................................................................................................... 42

SITE GOALS AND THE CONTRIBUTIONS TO BE MADE BY TEAMS IN A CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY ARE IDENTIFIED AND UNDERSTOOD ..................................................................................................................... 42

INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO TEAM ACTIVITIES ARE IDENTIFIED AND CONFIRMED WITH OTHERS IN THE TEAM ............................................................................................................................................................. 43

STATE THE GOAL OR GOALS ..................................................................................................................................... 43 DEVELOP AND COMMUNICATE TEAM OBJECTIVES ......................................................................................................... 43 DEVELOPING TEAM OBJECTIVES AND PERFORMANCE STANDARDS .................................................................................... 43 WHAT’S THE POINT OF SETTING GOALS? .................................................................................................................... 44 SMART GOALS..................................................................................................................................................... 44

ASSISTANCE AND ENCOURAGEMENT ARE PROVIDED TO OTHER TEAM MEMBERS WISHING TO MEET OR ENHANCE THEIR ROLE AND THE ROLE OF THE TEAM ..................................................................................... 46

INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION REQUIREMENTS................................................................................................ 46 MOTIVATION ........................................................................................................................................................ 47 PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS FOR MOTIVATING EMPLOYEES ................................................................................................ 47 EMPOWERMENT ................................................................................................................................................... 48 OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT ......................................................................................................... 48 MANAGEMENT OF A DIVERSE WORKFORCE ................................................................................................................. 49 RECOGNISE EXCELLENCE IN PERFORMANCE .................................................................................................................. 49

TEAM IMPROVEMENTS ARE INITIATED WHERE POSSIBLE AND/OR ENCOURAGED FROM OTHER TEAM MEMBERS ...................................................................................................................................................... 51

CAUSES OF DISHARMONY AND OTHER BARRIERS TO ACHIEVEMENT ARE REFERRED TO THE APPROPRIATE PARTY FOR RESOLUTION ............................................................................................................................... 53

TOPIC 4 - IDENTIFY OWN DEVELOPMENT NEEDS ........................................................................................... 55

SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE NECESSARY TO WORK EFFECTIVELY IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY ARE IDENTIFIED ..................................................................................................................................................... 55

APPROPRIATE OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN AND DEVELOP REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE FOR FUTURE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY WORK OPPORTUNITIES ARE IDENTIFIED AND EVALUATED ................................. 57

TOPIC 5 - IDENTIFY CURRENT RESOURCE USE AND IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE RESOURCE EFFICIENCY ..................................................................................................................................................... 59



WORK SITE ENVIRONMENTAL AND RESOURCE EFFICIENCY ISSUES AND RESOURCES USED IN OWN WORK ROLE ARE IDENTIFIED AND RECORDED USING APPROPRIATE TECHNIQUES ................................................... 59

BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF SUSTAINABILITY ON A CONSTRUCTION WORK SITE .................................................................... 59 PEOPLE - PLANET - PROFIT ....................................................................................................................................... 61 SUSTAINABLE PRACTICE IN RESOURCE EFFICIENCY ......................................................................................................... 62 FUEL CONSUMPTION .............................................................................................................................................. 62 RELEVANT ENVIRONMENTAL AND RESOURCE EFFICIENCY SYSTEMS AND PRACTICES .............................................................. 63

Energy efficiency .......................................................................................................................................... 63 Water efficiency ........................................................................................................................................... 64

IDENTIFYING RESOURCE USAGE ................................................................................................................................. 64 ENERGY USAGE ..................................................................................................................................................... 65 WASTE ................................................................................................................................................................ 66 WATER USAGE ...................................................................................................................................................... 66

WORK SITE ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS RELATING TO THE USE OF RESOURCES ARE IDENTIFIED AND REPORTED TO DESIGNATED PERSONNEL ....................................................................................................... 68

WHAT IS A HAZARD? .............................................................................................................................................. 68 HAZARD IDENTIFICATION AND RISK ASSESSMENT .......................................................................................................... 69 HOW LIKELY IS IT TO HAPPEN? .................................................................................................................................. 70 HOW BAD IS IT LIKELY TO BE? ................................................................................................................................... 70 EXAMPLES OF COMMON HAZARDS ............................................................................................................................ 71

ENTERPRISE PLANS TO IMPROVE ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTICES, ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS AND RESOURCE EFFICIENCY ARE FOLLOWED AND MAKE SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO WORK SITE PRACTICES IN OWN WORK AREA ................................................................................................................... 74

WASTE MANAGEMENT ............................................................................................................................................ 74 WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A WASTE ASSESSMENT? ....................................................................................................... 75 WHAT'S INVOLVED? .............................................................................................................................................. 75 REDUCING WASTE ............................................................................................................................................ 76 IMPROVE PURCHASING .................................................................................................................................... 77 IMPROVING STORAGE ...................................................................................................................................... 78 CONSERVING ENERGY ...................................................................................................................................... 80 CONSERVING WATER ....................................................................................................................................... 81 REDUCING RISK ................................................................................................................................................. 82 IMPROVING INFORMATION ............................................................................................................................. 83

TOPIC 6 - COMPLY WITH ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS ............................................................................ 85

PROCEDURES ARE FOLLOWED TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE WITH ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS .............. 85

ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE................................................................................................................................ 85 ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION................................................................................................................................. 85 ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS .............................................................................................................................. 86 PROCEDURES ........................................................................................................................................................ 86

BREACHES OR POTENTIAL BREACHES ARE REPORTED TO DESIGNATED PERSONNEL ...................................... 88

WHAT ARE THE PENALTIES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL OFFENCES? ......................................................................................... 89

SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................................................... 90

REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................................... 91



T O P I C 1 – I D E N T I F Y I N D U S T R Y S T R U C T U R E , O C C U P A T I O N S , J O B R O L E S A N D W O R K C O N D I T I O N S

SCOPE AND NATURE OF THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY AND ITS NATIONAL ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE ARE RECOGNISED

The building and construction industry is one of the main forces in the Australian economy and provides major contributions to creating wealth in the country and providing welfare for communities. The building and construction industry is at the forefront of building Australia’s economic and social infrastructure.

At the same time, the well-being of the building and construction industry is closely linked to the general state of the domestic economy.

It has been estimated that “the total construction task over the next decade will require work done to the value of $2.4 trillion. The residential and non-residential building sectors combined will require $1.25 trillion worth of work and the engineering construction sector $1.15 trillion worth. The construction workforce currently represents over 9 per cent of the total Australian workforce with the number of jobs expected to increase by 300,000 to around 1.3 million employees by 2021.” – Master Builders Australia.1

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, “the value of work done by the building and construction industry was $172.9 billion in the year to September 2011, excluding around $30 billion of smaller renovations work. Residential building work done was $46.7 billion, non-residential building $32.5 billion and engineering construction $93.7 billion. At November 2011, the construction industry employed 1,039,900 people.”

Building and construction is one of the most important small business sectors. In broad terms, small business accounts for around half of national employment and over one-third of domestic product.

1 http://search.homepage-web.com/?src=omnibox&partner=acer&q=The+construct...



As you can see the job description outlines in basic terms the roles you must undertake as part of your employment with the exampled company.

There are many different job roles in the construction industry. All of these are important to the effective operation of a work site. Your job description will tell you more about your job role. Some of the different roles include:

• Bricklaying and block laying

• Carpentry

• Concreting

• Demolition

• Dogging

• Formwork and falsework

• Painting and decorating

• Rigging

• Roof tiling

• Scaffolding

• Solid plastering

• Steel fixing

• Wall and ceiling lining

• Wall and floor tiling

• Waterproofing



CONSTRUCTION EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS, ORGANISATIONAL REQUIREMENTS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES ARE

IDENTIFIED AND RELATED TO JOBS AND CAREER PATHS

Your role in a construction industry site will be determined by several factors. The main factors that influence your job role and career path are employment conditions, organisational requirements and your responsibilities and duties.

These factors need to be identified and related back to your job role. The easiest way to do this is to compare them with your job description and to ask for assistance where you need it.

RELEVANT INDUSTRIAL AWARDS AND ENTERPRISE AGREEMENTS

An industrial award is an document that provides the details of conditions of employment that an employer is obliged to provide for an employee, as agreed between Union(s) and employers, and which can be enforced under the Industrial Relations Act 1996 (Commonwealth).

Enterprise agreements are collective agreements made at an enterprise level between employers and employees about terms and conditions of employment. The Fair Work Commission can provide information about the process of making enterprise agreements, as well as assess and approve agreements.8

The main factors that relate to job roles can include:

• Construction employment conditions include coverage of:

o Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs)

o Bulletins and newsletters

o Enterprise agreements

o Industrial awards

o Industry and workplace codes of practice

8 https://www.fwc.gov.au/awards-and-agreements/agreements/make-agreement



SAFETY LAW

In an effort to make workplaces healthier and safer, the government has written Workplace or occupational health and safety WHS (OHS) laws. It is the duty of everyone to ensure they observe these laws.

Each of the state governments and the Australian Commonwealth has developed their own health and safety laws, and these are set out in Occupational or Workplace Health and Safety Acts.

Like the road rules, the acts of each state and the Commonwealth are similar to each other and cover common ground. Under WHS (OHS) Acts, almost everyone at a workplace has responsibilities for occupational health and safety. These responsibilities are known as the ‘Duty of Care’.

Employers (and their management) have the greater responsibilities. This is because they have control of the workplace and are in the best position to make changes. Employers and management have responsibilities to:

• Provide a safe environment to work in, for example, safe equipment and

materials, safe ways to work

• Provide information, instruction, training and supervision to employees as

needed to ensure they can work as safely as possible

• Identify unsafe situations before problems arise, and take corrective action to

make them as safe as possible

• Take action to investigate any accidents, and to prevent them from happening

again

• Ensure that the work done does not cause harm to any person

The safety law is the...

Workplace Health and Safety Act 2011 and/or Occupational Health, Safety Act 2004 - It ensures you are safe and healthy at work. All workers, casual, part-time, full-time, contract and even students, are protected by the safety law.



It is the role of your supervisor and manager to let you know when you are not working safely, as a lack of knowledge on your part or a presumption by them that you know how to do something could result in an injury and impact on the whole team resulting in time off for you and deadlines not being met by your team.

Induction is a good time to listen closely to the workplace policies on how things are done, what the company attitude is to the safety and what procedures you will need to follow in your part of the workplace.

For a team to be successful, responsibilities and duties must be undertaken in a positive manner to promote communication and effective work processes that stay within deadlines. This can be achieved by adhering to the following guidelines:

• Safety procedures

• Directions from a supervisor

• Workplace policies and procedures

• Accepting responsibility for your own work and assisting co-workers as

required

• Being flexible with respect to the tasks you complete, the more multi-skilled

you and your team are, the more work will be completed within the

designated timeframes

• Attending all team meetings and training provided by your organisation

• Checking that required materials and equipment are available and meet the

requirements of the task

• Seeking advice/obtaining information as required from colleagues and

supervisors

• Abiding by your Industry Code of Conduct

• Any other requirements of your job description

• Legal requirements, such as anti-discrimination legislation and OHS

regulations and equal employment opportunity



The complexity of construction work, however, means that there are a number of businesses or undertakings with duties relating to construction work, ranging from a person conducting a business or undertaking who:

• Designs the building or structure

• Commissions the construction work

• Is a principal contractor

• Has management or control of a workplace at which construction work is

carried out

• Carries out high-risk construction work

There are also other duty holders that have responsibilities under the WHS Act (Com)/OHS Act (Vic) and Regulations including:

• Officers (e.g. Company directors)

• Workers

• Other persons (e.g. visitors to construction sites)

It is common in the construction industry for a person to have dual roles. For example, contractors and subcontractors can be persons conducting business or undertaking but they may also be workers.

This is recognised in the WHS Act (Com)/OHS Act (Vic) which provides that a person can have more than one duty by virtue of being in more than one class of duty holder.

The WHS Act (Com)/OHS Act (Vic) provides that more than one person can have the same duty and requires that such persons comply with those duties to the standard required, even if another duty holder has the same duty. This is, however, qualified by the extent to which the person has the capacity to influence and control the matter or would have had that capacity but for an agreement or arrangement purporting to limit or remove that capacity.

The WHS Act (Com)/OHS Act (Vic) requires such duty holders to consult, cooperate and coordinate activities with all other persons who have a duty in relation to the same matter, so far as is reasonably practicable. While this is a specific obligation under the



WHS Act, it can also be seen as a practical way in which dual duty holders can ensure that they each fulfill their obligations under the WHS Act (Com)/OHS Act (Vic) and Regulations.

At any one time, there is generally a number of business operators working at a construction site. Some of these people will have the same duties under the WHS Act (Com)/OHS Act (Vic) and Regulations. For example, each contractor or subcontractor at the site who is a person conducting a business or undertaking will have the same duties under the WHS Act (Com)/OHS Act (Vic) and Regulations.12

JOB SAFETY ANALYSIS (JSA)

Job safety analyses (JSA’s) are work statements is developed for work tasks which have medium to high level of risks of injury. They apply to individuals carrying out the work and those working nearby the task being performed.

The purpose of the Job Safety Analysis statement is to provide a document that records the safest way to undertake a work-related task. The development of a JSA requires consultation between the management and the worker/s responsible for carrying out the task. Once a JSA has been developed the task must be carried out by personnel according to the JSA major steps and control measures.

The process of developing a JSA is undertaken in a four-step process:

• Identify and record the major steps of the task

• Identify any hazards present in each step of the task

• Risk assess each hazard using a risk matrix

• Eliminate or provide controls for each hazard identified

In this topic only the first two steps will be addressed:

• Identify and record the major steps of the task

• Identify any hazards present in each step of the task

12 http://www.whitecardsafety.com/course-overview.html



• Traumatic events

• Illness

• Stress

There are also some easily changeable issues, some of which self-inflicted, that can affect the performance of your work:

• Lack of expertise

• Alcohol/Drug-induced

• Sleep deprived

• Conflict with other workers

VARIATIONS IN THE PROJECT

Variations in the project itself can provide issues that affect the performance of workers. These could be oversights in the plans, lack of resource availability, natural hindrances (rain, snow, fire, etc.), an injury, breakdowns and many others.

While some of these are uncontrollable, you will be able to work around potential issues in the project with careful planning and control.

QUALITY REQUIREMENTS

Quality requirements include relevant regulations, and some of these are:

• Australian standards

• Internal company quality policy and standards

• Manufacturer specifications, where specified

• Workplace operations and procedures

These quality requirements set the standards on how your work should be carried out and to what quality of work.



INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO TEAM ACTIVITIES ARE IDENTIFIED AND CONFIRMED WITH OTHERS IN THE TEAM

Once the main project has been outlined, and the teams have split off, there will need to be a secondary planning stage where each team will discuss with themselves what they are trying to accomplish and create objectives that will assist them to complete the project. It is a good practice to involve the entire team in this, so everyone has some input and understanding of what is involved.

STATE THE GOAL OR GOALS

• List the tasks required to achieve those goals

• Where there are similar tasks, group them under one heading

• Determine the resource requirements to complete each task

• Define the role, responsibility, authority and accountability required to

complete each task

• Allocate roles

DEVELOP AND COMMUNICATE TEAM OBJECTIVES

What are team objectives?

Objectives are the specific goals that the team will accomplish in a fixed amount of time. These are the groundwork for how the team plans its activities and work schedules.

DEVELOPING TEAM OBJECTIVES AND PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

Goal setting is extremely important. In the same way as you have personal goals, the site has goals and team members have goals. The trick is not to make them incompatible, with everyone pulling in different directions, but to harness what everyone wants and needs and work together to achieve it.

What is more useful is that while we retain our own goals, and the business has its goals, if we are at least moving in the same direction, then it’s more satisfying for everyone.



skipped - things move "along the chain" in a predictable fashion according to preconceived arrangements.

MOTIVATION

A pivotal aspect of leading a team is to create an environment in which team members are motivated to achieve high standards of performance. This is important for you and your career; you need to realise that the way your staff perform is a direct reflection of your abilities. Management will judge you, by the way, your staff members perform.

Motivation is a way of improving staff morale, gaining the cooperation of others, maintaining or positively changing the culture of the business and raising team cohesion.

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS FOR MOTIVATING EMPLOYEES

There is no simple, universal, single way of motivating all team members; staff members have individual needs, and motivation programs should match their personal triggers.

Some guidelines are:

• Recognise individual differences

• Match people to jobs

• Use goals

• Ensure that goals are perceived as attainable

• Individualise rewards

• Link rewards to performance

• Check the system for equity

• Do not ignore money

It is definitely a difficult question to identify what motivates people. Much of the research on motivation talks about incentives and rewards, which can be very successful; however, it is known that for many people, job motivation is driven by more



TEAM IMPROVEMENTS ARE INITIATED WHERE POSSIBLE AND/OR ENCOURAGED FROM OTHER TEAM MEMBERS

Team improvement may be enhanced through the inclusion of input from all members of the team. By giving everyone a chance to speak, and recognising their ideas as being valuable, creates a greater knowledge base and a broader range of ideas to draw from.

Representing the team interests can be a varied task. It can include:

• Individual performance

• Team performance

• Changes required

• Training needs

• Staff and job role changes

Individual performance – staff performance levels generally require reporting to upper management. This information can be gathered through performance appraisals and one-on-one meetings.

Team performance – Team performance is also another reporting item that needs to be communicated to upper management. It can involve goals met, resources used, team achievements and poor performance.

Changes required – This can include safety and security changes, resources required, financial restraints and changes to policies and procedures relating to staff/team members.

Training needs – as you work with staff you will notice there are some who will require training. As organisational policies and procedures changes training is a must for all team members. You will need to communicate this with your upper management to ensure you are meeting the staff interests.



T O P I C 4 - I D E N T I F Y O W N D E V E L O P M E N T N E E D S

SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE NECESSARY TO WORK EFFECTIVELY IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY ARE IDENTIFIED

To work in the construction industry, you will need to learn all of the basic skills and knowledge that Are required to be able to effectively work.

The construction industry will require you to have a basic understanding of the following knowledge aspects:

• Sustainability

• Quality requirements

• Environmental and resource hazards and risks, including compliance with

relevant legislation associated with the environment, job specifications and

procedures

• Working safely

• Relevant environmental and resource efficiency systems and practices

• Site meeting procedures

• Typical site/teamwork structure, methods and communication processes

Required skills:

• Communication skills

• Numeracy skills to apply measurements and make calculations

• Organisational skills, including the ability to plan and set out work

• Teamwork skills

• Use tools and equipment safely and correctly

• Ability to read user manuals for equipment



T O P I C 5 - I D E N T I F Y C U R R E N T R E S O U R CE U S E A N D I D E N T I F Y O P P O R T U N I T I E S T O I M P R O V E

R E S O U R CE E F F I C I E N C Y

WORK SITE ENVIRONMENTAL AND RESOURCE EFFICIENCY ISSUES AND RESOURCES USED IN OWN WORK ROLE ARE

IDENTIFIED AND RECORDED USING APPROPRIATE TECHNIQUES

BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF SUSTAINABILITY ON A CONSTRUCTION WORK SITE

Business sustainability involves the following three aspects in relation to the ‘triple bottom line’:

• Economic well-being: job security, decent wages, safe and healthy work

environment

• Environmental health: clean air, clean water, diverse ecosystems, safe and

reliable food sources

• Social equity: equal access to opportunities, freedom from discrimination,

poverty and homelessness, protection from terrorism and wars, assistance

after natural disasters14

14http://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/~/media/resources/documents/publications%20and%20research/knowledge%20archive/archived%20publications/archive%20sust%20vic%20bus%20serv%20learner%20guide%2010111.pdf.



• Choosing a cruising speed that balances schedule requirements and fuel

consumption

• Ensuring correct tyre pressures

• Turning the engine off when not needed

• When to use air conditioning vs. open windows

Regular vehicle maintenance and servicing will not only minimise repair costs but will also have a positive contribution toward efficiency.

Coordinating deliveries to minimise the number of trips needed. Plan the traffic routes to minimise on the distances travelled, but at the same time, take into consideration the flow of traffic in order to meet schedules.

Think about the way in which the vehicles are loaded. Careful planning will maximise the quantity of goods that can be safely loaded, which will in turn reduce the number of required trips.

RELEVANT ENVIRONMENTAL AND RESOURCE EFFICIENCY SYSTEMS AND PRACTICES

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Energy efficiency can be improved in many ways. Significant savings can be made by focusing on equipment; lighting and heating that can be switched off at certain times. Automated systems such as movement triggered light switches are a way you might wish to tackle power consumption.

You might focus on a particular area or piece of equipment used in the construction process to optimise energy consumption while maintaining (or improving) productivity rates. Not only might this be cost beneficial to your organisation, but it may also prove to be a benchmark for others to follow.

The type of heating or cooling being used may well be improved upon. Insulation may have fallen off, become damaged or is not effective for some other reason. Steam traps



WORK SITE ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS RELATING TO THE USE OF RESOURCES ARE IDENTIFIED AND REPORTED TO

DESIGNATED PERSONNEL

It is important that when a worksite environmental hazard is identified and that it is reported to the appropriate personnel, this could be the supervisor, Workplace Safety Officer, Health and Safety Committee, or even the managing staff.

WHAT IS A HAZARD?

Definition of a hazard is ‘anything (including work practices or procedures) that has the potential to harm the health or safety of a person’.

Hazards can be grouped into five areas:

• Physical e.g. noise, radiation, light and vibration

• Chemical e.g. poisons, dusts

• Biological e.g. bacteria, viruses, plants, parasites

• Mechanical/electrical e.g. slips, trips and falls and production equipment

• Psychological e.g. fatigue, violence, bullying

Hazards may be caused by:

• The work environment

• Equipment and products used

• Poor work design

• Lack of or inappropriate workplace procedures

Workplace hazards include:

• Manual handling e.g. lifting and carrying

• Environmental factors e.g. noise and air quality

• Machinery



Hazards need to be reported and documented. This is a safeguard for all concerned should there be an accident or incident. Information required on the hazard reporting form is:

• Date hazard was reported

• The person reporting the hazard

• Location of the hazard

• Description of the hazard

• Risk assessment to determine the significance

• Control recommendations. i.e. how the control measure can be implemented

e.g. training, guarding, protection

Once a hazard has been identified and reported, it should be recorded in an active Hazard Management Register. All efforts must then be made to control if not eliminate the hazard.

Plant Being hit by projectiles, striking objects, being caught in machinery, overturning vehicles

Cuts, bruises, dislocations, fractures, amputation, eye damage

Hazardous substances Exposure to chemicals, e.g. solvents, acids, hydrocarbons

Dizziness, vomiting, dermatitis, respiratory problems, burns to skin or eyes

Temperature, UV radiation

Effects of heat or cold from weather or work environment

Sunburn, frostbite, heat stress, heat stroke, hypothermia

Biological Allergens, needle stick, exposure to infectious agents

Severe allergic reaction, injuries, skin rash, infection

Occupational violence Intimidation, conflict, physical assault

Nausea, shock, collapse, physical injuries



Waste involves the manufacture and discharge or disposal of things that cannot be sold at a profit. The cost of waste management and disposal is almost always much less than the value entrained in the waste. By finding the lost dollars, you will identify the waste reduction and profit increasing opportunities.

REDUCING WASTE

Segregated waste can often be recycled and may be a valuable product for another business remember the 3 R’s:

• Reduce

o Measure the amount of waste you produce - Waste is the difference

between the materials you pay for and the materials your customer

pays for

o Account for the difference between the tonnage of raw materials and

the tonnage of products you produce

o This will allow you to identify reduction opportunities

o Determine which processing steps produce the most wastes and

devise measures for waste prevention or reduction

o Calculate the theoretical minimum waste production from your

processes. You should aim to keep within 10 per cent of this figure

o Devise ways of reducing your waste with your employees and

suppliers, and possibly provide incentives for waste reduction

o Remember, your waste management contractor is a key supplier for

assisting with waste minimisation. Ask contractors how they may

assist in streamlining your waste management process

o Quantify changes in waste production, so improvements are

measurable - Make sure you include internal wastes such as rework

and recycle streams

• Reuse

o Reuse drums and containers and other recyclable items where

possible – employ exchange systems where possible



• Spill response

o Keep spill kits readily accessible in your chemicals storage area

o Ensure spills are cleaned immediately with a spill kit, and recycled or

disposed of correctly

o Workplace safety and efficiency can be improved through proper store

management

CONSERVING ENERGY

Reducing the amount of energy used has a two-fold effect. Not only does it save money, but also helps in reducing the impact on the environment. Improvements can be made by:

o Turning off lights and equipment not being used

o Using energy-efficient lighting and office equipment

o Use energy saving lighting products where possible e.g. fluorescent

tubes

o Installing skylights to reduce the need for artificial lighting

o Minimise expenditure on space heating. A 1 °C increase above 20 °C

can increase cost by as much as 20%

o Installing insulation to cut down on heating and cooling costs

o Use self-closing doors where possible to limit internal temperature

changes

o Only using hot water when necessary

• In the process

o Improve insulation of all hot process items and steam lines to

minimise simple heat loss

o Improve insulation on refrigerant cooling lines

o Avoid steam leaks. A 1 kg/min steam leak costs about $1/hour and

$2/hour in an air-conditioned space



o Regularly assess the environmental performance of the business

• Recording

o Maintain up to date MSDS sheets, and keep them stored in a place

which is easily and readily accessible

o Keep current records up to date and manage your historical records

effectively

• Reporting

o Construct reports centred around the products that you sell - For

example; litres of water per tonne of product, or kilograms of waste

per tonne of product

o Track rates of the materials used, product yields, the amount of

product wasted e.g. (spills) and waste output rates

o Systematically record your measurements, and determine total costs

for each waste product (that is, know how much each waste really

costs)

o Ensure consistency when performing and recording measurements

e.g. (using the sane measuring equipment)

o Establish regular reports for major resource consumables including

water and energy - Report all consumption by a per unit production

basis, not by time (for example, litres of water/unit of production not

litres of water/minute)

Measuring resource consumption and waste production, you will be able to manage your business more successfully, particularly in increasing efficiency and reducing waste...and proving it!



T O P I C 6 - C O M P L Y W I T H E N V I R O N M E N T A L R E G U L A T I O N S

PROCEDURES ARE FOLLOWED TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE WITH ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS

Compliance is about meeting the requirements of accepted practices, legislation, prescribed rules/regulations, specified standards, or the terms of a contract. Businesses must comply with environmental standards to ensure sustainability.

• Law - legislation passed by governments which are enforceable by courts

• Regulation - a rule designed to control or governs conduct.

• Code of practice - written guidelines issued by an official body setting out

recommended or preferred processes, actions or organisational structures to

be applied in a given setting

• Best practice - methods and techniques that have consistently shown

superior results which are used as benchmarks

ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE

Environmental compliance means conforming to environmental laws, regulations, standards and other requirements. Increasing environmental concerns have led to a significant increase in the number and scope of compliance imperatives across all global regulatory environments. Being closely related, environmental concerns and compliance activities are increasingly being integrated and aligned to some extent in order to avoid conflicts, wasteful overlaps and gaps.

ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION

The environmental legislation which applies to any industry is the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the EPBC Act). This act is the Australian Government’s central piece of environmental legislation. It provides a legal framework to protect and manage nationally and internationally important flora, fauna, ecological communities and heritage places — defined in the EPBC Act as matters of national environmental significance. This legislation is enforced by the Enforcement officers from the Environmental Protection Authority. The purpose of this act is to:



• Protect, restore and enhance the quality of the environment provide

information about the environment to the public promote opportunities for

the public to be involved in environmental protection

• Reduce risks to human health. For this to be done, enterprises must reduce or

eliminate harmful waste, reduce the amount of non-recyclables used and use

materials that can be reused, recovered or recycled

• Make continuous efforts to improve practices to obtain environmental

sustainability19

ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS

Environmental regulations can have an effect on the operations of a business at any time. Whatever the products your organisation is producing and the wastes associated with them, you must comply with the law. Businesses impacted by disasters such as flooding or fire are also required to implement clean-up plans to avoid pollutants entering and damaging the ecosystem.

The Environmental Protection Agency and state agencies enforce environmental laws. To find out what laws impact your business and how you can comply, check out the resources below.

• EPA Environmental Laws and Regulations

• EPA Small Business Guide

• State Environmental Laws

PROCEDURES

Procedures play a vital role in incorporating sustainability into the daily operations of your business. Achieving the goals and strategies laid out by management will rely, in part, on setting up the right work systems and clear procedures. Providing information, training or mentoring will ensure that all employees understand what is expected of them. Another crucial factor is making sure that the procedures are applied consistently.

19 http://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/publications/epbc-act-frequently-asked-questions



BREACHES OR POTENTIAL BREACHES ARE REPORTED TO DESIGNATED PERSONNEL

Workplaces formulate procedures to ensure they are complying with the legal requirements in relation to the environment. Procedures will apply to organisations and individuals which include reporting hazards and risks observed in the workplace. These may be regarded as reporting breaches or potential breaches of standards.

Breaches may relate to pollution, emissions, spills and overuse of resources. Workplace documents and manuals outline the procedures for dealing with these occurrences. Any hazard or breach must be reported, followed by the appropriate remedial actions being taken. The extent of the documentation will depend on the nature of the breach. For example, spills of hazardous materials require more extensive documentation than water collection on the floor after a rain.

If you find that there is a breach or a potential breach of the environmental protection, then you should immediately report this to you supervisor or senior staff member.

There are times though that your report may not being taken seriously and /or ignored by your supervisor(s), and you will have to report this to another person. This could include:

• Next level up in Management

• Worksafe

• Environmental Protection Agency

Australian, state and territory environment legislation applies to certain business activities and is administered by both state and local governments in the form of licenses and permits.

Every workplace will have some legislative requirement related to the environment. Every worker should be aware of their responsibility as well as the overall responsibility of the business.

Unit code and name - Resource - Enhance Your Future

Documents

Transcript of Unit code and name - Resource - Enhance Your Future