Unit of competency details

Unit descriptor 

This unit covers developing workplace policy and procedures for sustainability and describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to: develop and implement a workplace sustainability policy, including the modification of the policy to suit changed circumstances.

Application of the unit 

This unit applies to people with managerial responsibility who undertake work developing approaches to create strategies within workplaces.

Prerequisite units 

Employability skills 

This unit contains employability skills.

ELEMENT 

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA 

1. Develop workplace sustainability policy

1.1. Define scope of sustainability policy.

1.2. Gather information from a range of sources to plan and develop policy.

1.3. Identify and consult stakeholders as a key component of the policy development process.

1.4. Include appropriate strategies in policy at all stages of work for minimising resource use, reducing toxic material and hazardous chemical use, and employing life cycle management approaches.

1.5. Make recommendations for policy options based on likely effectiveness, timeframes and cost.

1.6. Develop policy that reflects the organisation's commitment to sustainability as an integral part of business planning and as a business opportunity.

1.7. Agree to appropriate methods of implementation.

2. Communicate workplace sustainability policy

2.1. Promote workplace sustainability policy, including its expected outcome to key stakeholders.

2.2. Inform those involved in implementing the policy as to outcomes expected, activities to be undertaken and responsibilities assigned.

3. Implement workplace sustainability policy

3.1. Develop and communicate procedures to help implement workplace sustainability policy.

3.2. Implement strategies for continuous improvement in resource efficiency.

3.3. Establish and assign responsibility to use recording systems for tracking continuous improvements in sustainability approaches.

4. Review workplace sustainability policy implementation

4.1. Document outcomes and provide feedback to key personnel and stakeholders.

4.2. Investigate successes or otherwise of policy.

4.3. Monitor records to identify trends that may require remedial action and use to promote continuous improvement of performance.

4.4. Modify policy and or procedures as required to ensure improvements are made.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE 

This section describes the skills and knowledge required for this unit.

Required skills 

• communication skills to adjust communication to suit different audiences; to respond effectively to diversity; to work as a member of a team to consult on and validate policy
• literacy skills to read and evaluate complex and formal documents such as policy and legislation
• problem skills to effectively manage different points of view and dissenting stakeholders
• research, analytical and writing skills to research, analyse and present information; to prepare written reports requiring precision of expression and language and structures suited to the intended audience
• use literacy skills to fulfil job roles as required by the organisation. The level of skill may range from reading and understanding documentation to completion of written reports
• use oral communication skills/language competence to fulfil the job role as specified by the organisation including questioning, active listening, asking for clarification, negotiating solutions and responding to a range of views
• use numeracy skills to estimate, calculate and record complex workplace measures
• use interpersonal skills to work with others and relate to people from a range of cultural, social and religious backgrounds and with a range of physical and mental abilities.

Required knowledge 

• best practice approaches relevant to own work area
• environmental or sustainability legislation, regulations and codes of practice applicable to industry and organisation
• equal employment opportunity, equity and diversity principles and occupational health and safety implications of policy being developed
• policy development processes and practices
• principles, practices and available tools and techniques of sustainability management relevant to the particular industry context
• quality assurance systems relevant to own organisation
• relevant industry competency
• relevant organisational polices, procedures and protocols
• relevant systems and procedures to aid in the achievement of workplace sustainability.

EVIDENCE GUIDE 

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment 

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit 

The evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit must be relevant to workplace operations and satisfy holistically all of the requirements of the performance criteria and required skills and knowledge and include achievement of the following:

• candidate's involvement as a key person in planning, developing and implementing organisational policy and that the developed policy complies with legislative requirements
• implementation strategy, as part of the policy, that has been devised, implemented and reviewed showing a measurable improvement utilising the chosen benchmark indicators
• communicating with stakeholders to discuss possible approaches to policy development and implementation, and contributing to the resolution of disputes among stakeholders
• developing and monitoring policies for analysing data on enterprise resource consumption
• using software systems for recording and filing documentation for measurement of current usage and using word processing and other basic software for interpreting charts, flowcharts, graphs and other visual data and information
• reviewing and improving policies by identifying improvements and benchmarking against industry best practice and attempting new approaches continuously over time.

Context of and specific resources for assessment 

The context of the unit applies to all sectors of the Agrifood industry. It may be applied to all sections of an organisation, including the office, the factory floor, or work area. With such a broad application, the unit will need to be contextualised as it is applied across an organisation and across different industry sectors.

RANGE STATEMENT 

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole.

Scope of workplace sustainability policy may include:

• addressing sustainability initiatives through reference to standards, guidelines and approaches such as:
• ecological footprinting
• Energy Efficiency Opportunities Bill 2005l
• Global Reporting Initiative
• green office program
• green purchasing
• Greenhouse Challenge Plus (Australian government initiative)
• ISO 14001:1996 Environmental management systems life cycle analyses
• life cycle analyses
• product stewardship
• supply chain management
• sustainability covenants/compacts
• triple bottom line reporting
• integrated approach to sustainability which includes environmental, economic and social aspects, or a specific approach that focuses on each aspect individually
• investigating particular business and market context of the industry/organisation
• meeting relevant laws, by laws and regulations or best practice to support compliance in environmental performance and sustainability at each level as required (such as Environmental Protection or Biodiversity Conservation Act):
• international
• commonwealth
• state/territory
• industry
• organisation
• parts of the organisation to which it is to apply, including whether it is for the whole organisation, one site, one work area or a combination of these.

Unit sector 

Work

Co-requisite units 

Competency field