Safe Operating Procedures 1 SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION 2 PURPOSE 2 SCOPE 2 DEFINITIONS 2 LEGISLATIVE CONTEXT 4

Transcription

1 OH&S Guideline Name: Approved by: Safe Operating Procedures Director Human Resources Last reviewed: December 2013 Safe Operating Procedures 1 SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION 2 PURPOSE 2 SCOPE 2 DEFINITIONS 2 LEGISLATIVE CONTEXT 4 SECTION 2 Procedure 5 SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION 7 Page 1 of 7

2 SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION PURPOSE The purpose of these guidelines is to ensure that safe operating procedures (SOPs) are developed for all tasks, machinery / equipment and substances used where there are potential risks of harm to any persons, property or the environment. The aim of developing SOPs is to: Outline a safe process of work for specific tasks, operation or use of machinery and equipment and in substance use Provide documented instructions that students and staff must be instructed in and deemed competent before undertaking an activity to which the SOP relates Meet legal requirements for hazard and risk assessment and control Provide evidence in audits and OH&S workplace inspections SCOPE These guidelines apply to the development of safe operating procedures for all tasks, machinery / equipment operation and substance use where there exists a risk of harm to any persons, property or the environment. These guidelines apply to all students and staff at all Swinburne campuses excluding Sarawak Campus. DEFINITIONS Word/Term Hazard Head of Management Unit Health and Safety Representative (HSR) Hierarchy of Control Definition Condition or situation which has the potential to cause injury or illness (physical or psychological) or damage to property and the environment. A person with manager / supervisory responsibility that is recognized within the approved organisational structure of the divisions within Swinburne University of Technology, and includes those with delegated responsibility for staff and resources. A member of a designated work group who has been elected and holds office in accordance with the provisions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act The Hierarchy of Control is the preferred priority for risk control, emphasising hazard elimination and, where this is not possible, risk minimisation and other considerations: elimination of hazard substitution of hazardous processes or materials with safer ones isolation engineering controls administrative controls Personal protective clothing & equipment Incident An event or sequence of events resulting in the loss of control over a hazard. An incident may occur in the form of: Page 2 of 7

3 an injury a near miss property or equipment damage act of violence Job Safety Analysis (JSA) Near Miss Reasonably practicable A process of systematically evaluating certain jobs, tasks, processes or procedures and eliminating or reducing the risks or hazards to as low as reasonably practical in order to protect workers from injury or illness An incident / event which had the potential to cause injury or damage to equipment, machinery, property, facilities. Means having regard to: the severity of the hazard or risk in question; the state of knowledge about that hazard or risk and any ways of removing or mitigating it; the availability and suitability of ways to remove or mitigate that hazard or risk; and The cost of removing or mitigating that hazard or risk. Risk Risk assessment How severely can someone be harmed by the hazard, and how likely it is that a person will be harmed by the hazard. A general OH&S industry term to cover a number of risk assessment formats for identifying hazards, associated risk and implementation of suitable controls: Standard Risk Assessment Job Safety Analysis (JSA) Plant Risk Assessments Manual Handling Risk Assessment Chemical Risk Assessment OH&S risk register Safe Operating Procedure (SOP) (A4 version) (A3 version) Safe Operating Procedure Student/ Staff Record A register of identified activities, operations and tasks with perceived risk to persons, property or operations that may involve, but is not limited to, biohazards, chemicals, contractor works, manual handling, plant & equipment, processes, university events, violence etc. A form of administrative control (training & instruction) that may come out of any of the risk assessment formats above An individual record for recording of training in specific SOPs activities, tasks or operations for students and staff. Page 3 of 7

4 LEGISLATIVE CONTEXT Name Occupational Health & Safety Act 2004 Location RESPONSIBILITIES Responsibilities Heads of Management Units shall: Ensure that appropriate SOPs are implemented in areas under their control Ensure that adequate and suitable resource provision is made available for the development of SOPs Ensure the business unit OH&S risk register is reviewed quarterly, actions recorded are completed and the register updated. Ensure the SOP template identified in this guideline is used. Ensure Safe Operating Procedure Student/Staff Record is maintained. Support managers in the execution of their OH&S responsibilities Managers shall: Ensure via information, training, instruction and supervision all staff and students are aware of their responsibilities under this guideline. Ensure staff and students are instructed by a suitably qualified and or competent person in SOPs relevant to their works/studies and comply with such Ensure hazards are identified through the risk assessments process and relevant controls are clearly explained in the SOP. Ensure the business unit OH&S risk register, is maintained and actions recorded are completed. Ensure the SOP template identified in this guideline is used. Ensure Safe Operating Procedure Student/Staff Record is maintained. Consult with health & safety representatives in the development of SOPs Ensure SOPs are reviewed and where necessary revised whenever changes occur, on report of an injury or on request by a HSR. Staff and students shall: Follow requirements of this guideline, relevant SOPs and any other additional requirements set out by their department or manager. Not undertake activities until having been instructed in relevant SOPs, been deemed competent and are authorised Take reasonable care for their own health & safety, and for the health & safety of anyone else who may be affected by their acts or omissions in the work / study environment. Report any hazards, near misses, injuries or illness as they become aware of these. The OH&S Consultant shall: Assist Heads of Management Units and managers to ensure SOPs are developed and implemented. Provide information and guidance to Heads of Management Units, managers / supervisors, Health & Safety Representatives and OH&S committees on Page 4 of 7

5 development of SOPs. Supporting Managements Units in the regular review of SOPs as indicated in these guidelines. Health & Safety Representatives: Have a key role to play in dealing with OH&S issues. They can assist greatly in the identification of hazards through the following: Consulting as part of the development of SOPs Encouraging staff to report hazards, incidents and near misses in the workplace Facilitating consultation with staff in relation to hazards and potential controls of hazards in their workplace. SECTION 2 Procedure Safe Operating Procedure (SOP) 1. Undertake Risk Assessment 1.1 Prior to developing the SOP, a risk assessment of the task / activity must be completed, using the prescribed SUT risk assessment procedure and risk assessment template, relevant to the task/activity. The risk assessment must ensure that all hazards associated with the task / activities are identified. Refer to OH&S Risk Assessment Procedure 2. Development of SOPs 2.1 SOPs must be documented, using the Swinburne SOP template, by a staff member with sound, hands on experience and knowledge of the task / activity and be written using language that clearly prescribes all aspects of the task / activity. 2.2 It is preferable to include the experience and knowledge of several staff members to enhance the effectiveness of the instructions. Sometimes it may be necessary to obtain further expert opinion or expertise. 2.3 MSDSs, substance technical information (e.g. for a bio-hazard materials) and manufacturer s plant / equipment user manual or instructions provided with the equipment / machinery are a good resources for safety information to include in SOPs. 2.4 The local Health and Safety Representative is consulted during the development of SOPs. 2.5 The following steps should be adopted when developing SOPs. 1. Assess identified hazards and controls through relevant risk assessments and manufactures instructions for inclusion in the SOP 2. Observe the task or process 3. Record the sequence of job steps 4. Assess potential hazards of each step 5. Assess the risk of the hazards and determine ways of eliminating and controlling the hazard 6. Review associated legislative requirements 7. Test the procedure by consultation and make changes where required Page 5 of 7

6 Obtain approval of the safe work instruction from a supervisor or manager 3. Format of SOPs 3.1 The use of pictures, tables, visual diagrams, charts and flow diagrams within the SOP can assist in providing a concise and effective reference and training document. 4. Priorities for the development of SOPs 4.1 It is recognised that in some areas, the preparation of SOPs for all tasks requires a significant investment of time as well as resources. For this reason it is recommended that Management Units prioritise the tasks for which SOPs need to be written as identified within the business units OH&S risk register and determined by the risk rating. 4.2 The priorities for the preparation of the SOP should be: Existing tasks / activities where there are high to medium level risk activities Where identified through the risk assessment process, high to medium level risks exist, these must have SOPs prepared before undertaking such tasks 5. SOPs should incorporate All hazards and risks associated with the task / activity; Personal protective equipment to be worn while undertaking the task Precautions to be undertaken before commencing the task / activity (precommencement checks) Clear instructions for undertaking the task described in a safe manner including; > Instructions to ensure that the area is left safe for others to use > After hours access procedures (where applicable) > If individual or multiple persons are involved Emergency procedures specific to the task and key contacts in the event of a malfunction / emergency Clean up procedures and correct waste disposal guidelines 6. SOPs must be Reviewed, signed and dated by the Head of Management Unit or their delegate; Displayed prominently in close proximity to the location of where the task / activity is to be performed; Listed in the business units OH&S risk register. The register must be readily available in the business unit; o Registered with OH&S who will maintain a register of all SOPs on the Swinburne intranet. Used as an integral part of the training process, but not as a replacement for training programs. 7. Training Where a task / activity is identified as requiring a SOP, training must be provided to students Page 6 of 7

7 / staff before undertaking the task / activity. Staff and students are to be instructed by a suitably qualified and or competent person in SOPs relevant to their works/studies. The Safe Operating Procedure Student/Staff Record must be completed for each student / staff member when having completed training and deemed competent for each relevant SOP. Training records must be maintained at the business unit for a period of five years. 8. Review of SOPs SOPs must be reviewed: When a task changes or is modified When a new hazard is identified After an incident relevant to the SOP occurs When the instructions are found to be inadequate Before out-of-service machinery is returned to operation Every two years On request of a HSR 9. Records Management SOPs are to be retained in both hard copy and electronic at the local level and a copy forwarded to the Swinburne OH&S unit SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION Forms and Records Management Form Retention Time Retention Location OH&S risk register Five Years Local level Safe Operating Procedure (SOP) (A4 version) Five Years Local level (A3 version) Safe Operating Procedure Student / Staff Record Five Years Local level *University Disposal Schedule is available at Page 7 of 7