This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to assist with managing the work health and safety (WHS) implications of using contractors. It involves identifying contractor duties, establishing organisational WHS compliance requirements associated with those duties, establishing and communicating the requirements expected of contractors, monitoring contractor compliance with WHS requirements, and implementing required responses to identified non-compliance.

The unit applies to those who work in a broad range of WHS roles across all industries in organisations that use contractors to supply services, including labour hire and temporary workers, cleaning, catering, security, maintenance, repairs, installations and alterations, and major contracts and projects, as relevant to the organisation. This includes casual and volunteer workers. It does not cover visitors, or outworkers or suppliers of goods, materials or products to workplaces.

NOTES

1. The terms ‘occupational health and safety’ (OHS) and ‘work health and safety’ (WHS) are equivalent, and generally either can be used in the workplace. In jurisdictions where model WHS laws have not been implemented, registered training organisations (RTOs) are advised to contextualise this unit of competency by referring to existing WHS legislative requirements.

2. The model WHS laws include the model WHS Act, model WHS Regulations and model WHS Codes of Practice. See Safe Work Australia for further information.

The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State or Territory legislation, Australian standards and industry codes of practice.