BSBSUS201

Participate in
environmentally sustainable
work practices
Learner Guide
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Table of Contents

Unit of Competency ............................................................................................................................... 3

Application ..................................................................................................................................... 3
Performance Criteria ...................................................................................................................... 4
Foundation Skills............................................................................................................................. 5
Assessment Requirements .............................................................................................................. 6
1. Identify current resource use ............................................................................................................. 7
1.1 – Identify workplace environmental and resource efficiency issues ............................................... 8
Environment and resource efficiency issues .................................................................................... 8
Workplace example ........................................................................................................................ 8
Identifying issues ............................................................................................................................ 8
Activity 1A ...................................................................................................................................... 9
1.2 – Identify resources used in own work role ..................................................................................10
Identifying resources used .............................................................................................................10
Activity 1B .....................................................................................................................................11
1.3 – Document and measure current usage of resources using appropriate techniques ...................12
Measuring current usage of resources ...........................................................................................12
Invoices .........................................................................................................................................13
Different conditions .......................................................................................................................13
Activity 1C .....................................................................................................................................14
1.4 – Record and file documentation measuring current usage, using technology (such as software
systems) where applicable .................................................................................................................15
Recording current usage levels ......................................................................................................15
Methods for filing documentation .................................................................................................15
Activity 1D .....................................................................................................................................17
1.5 – Identify and report workplace environmental hazards to appropriate personnel .......................18
Identifying hazards ........................................................................................................................18
Report hazards ..............................................................................................................................19
Activity 1E......................................................................................................................................20
2. Comply with environmental regulations ...........................................................................................21
2.1 – Follow workplace procedures to ensure compliance .................................................................22
Workplace procedures ...................................................................................................................22
Policy scope ...................................................................................................................................22
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Sustainability initiatives .................................................................................................................23

Activity 2A .....................................................................................................................................26
2.2 – Report breaches or potential breaches to appropriate personnel ..............................................27
Reporting breaches........................................................................................................................27
Reporting breach of the EPBC Act ..................................................................................................27
Activity 2B .....................................................................................................................................28
3. Seek opportunities to improve resource efficiency ...........................................................................29
3.1 – Follow organisational plans to improve environmental practices and resource efficiency ..........30
Improving environmental practices ................................................................................................30
Travelling procedures ....................................................................................................................30
Hazardous chemical use.................................................................................................................31
Policy that reflects organisational plans .........................................................................................32
Activity 3A .....................................................................................................................................33
3.2 – Work as part of a team, where relevant, to identify possible areas for improvements to work
practices in own work area ................................................................................................................34
Improving work practices...............................................................................................................34
Participating in a group ..................................................................................................................35
Raise awareness at work................................................................................................................35
Activity 3B .....................................................................................................................................36
3.3 – Make suggestions for improvements to workplace practices in own work area .........................37
Making suggestions for improvement ............................................................................................37
Minimise resource use ...................................................................................................................37
Storage of goods and materials ......................................................................................................38
Activity 3C .....................................................................................................................................39
Summative Assessments....................................................................................................................40
References ........................................................................................................................................41
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Unit of Competency
Application

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to effectively measure current resource use and
carry out improvements, including reducing the negative environmental impact of work practices.

It applies to individuals, working under supervision or guidance, who are required to follow workplace
procedures and instructions, and work in an environmentally sustainable manner within scope of
competency, authority and own level of responsibility.

No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

Unit Sector

Industry Capability – Sustainability

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Performance Criteria
Element Performance Criteria
Elements describe the Performance criteria describe the performance needed to
essential outcomes. demonstrate achievement of the element.

1. Identify current 1.1 Identify workplace environmental and resource efficiency

resource use issues
1.2 Identify resources used in own work role
1.3 Document and measure current usage of resources using
appropriate techniques
1.4 Record and file documentation measuring current usage,
using technology (such as software systems) where
applicable
1.5 Identify and report workplace environmental hazards to
appropriate personnel

2. Comply with 2.1 Follow workplace procedures to ensure compliance

environmental 2.2 Report breaches or potential breaches to appropriate
regulations personnel

3. Seek opportunities to 3.1 Follow organisational plans to improve environmental

improve resource practices and resource efficiency
efficiency 3.2 Work as part of a team, where relevant, to identify possible
areas for improvements to work practices in own work area
3.3 Make suggestions for improvements to workplace practices
in own work area
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Foundation Skills
This section describes language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills incorporated in the
performance criteria that are required for competent performance.

Reading

➢ Recognises and interprets textual information to establish job requirements from relevant
information

Writing

➢ Completes documents using required formats

Oral Communication

➢ Articulates ideas clearly and uses simple and relevant language to identify and report issues to
designated person

Numeracy

➢ Calculates basic metric measurements to determine resource usage

Navigate the world of work

➢ Understands and adheres to legal and regulatory responsibilities related to own work

Interact with others

➢ Selects and uses appropriate conventions and protocols when communicating with co-workers
in range of work contexts
➢ Collaborates and cooperates with others to achieve joint outcomes

Get the work done

➢ Implements actions as per plan, taking some responsibility for sequencing and timing of tasks
➢ Uses main features and functions of digital tools to complete work tasks and access information
➢ Analyses current practices to identify opportunities for improvement
➢ Answer the activity in as much detail as possible, considering your organisational requirements.
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Assessment Requirements
Performance Evidence

Evidence of the ability to:

➢ Locate and interpret a range of environment/sustainability legislation and procedural requirements

➢ Participate in and support discussions for an improved resource efficiency process
➢ Identify, document and measure usage of resources
➢ Collaborate with team members on suggestions for improving workplace practices.

Knowledge Evidence

To complete the unit requirements safely and effectively, the individual must:

➢ Identify environmental and resource hazards/risks as well as environmental or sustainability

legislation, regulations and codes of practice applicable to own role
➢ Outline sustainability requirements in the workplace
➢ Identify reporting channels and procedures to report breaches and potential issues
➢ Identify where to find environmental and resource efficiency systems and procedures.

Assessment Conditions

Assessment must be conducted in a safe environment where evidence gathered demonstrates

consistent performance of typical activities experienced in the sustainability field of work and include
access to:

➢ Documentation, information and resources related to workplace environmental and resource

efficiency issues
➢ Office equipment and resources
➢ Case studies and, where possible, real situations
➢ Interaction with others.

Assessors must satisfy NVR/AQTF assessor requirements.

Links

Companion volumes available from the IBSA website: http://www.ibsa.org.au/companion_volumes -

http://companion_volumes.vetnet.education.gov.au/Pages/TrainingPackage.aspx?pid=13
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1. Identify current resource use

1.1. Identify workplace environmental and resource efficiency issues

1.2. Identify resources used in own work role

1.3. Document and measure current usage of resources using appropriate techniques

1.4. Record and file documentation measuring current usage, using technology (such as software
systems) where applicable

1.5. Identify and report workplace environmental hazards to appropriate personnel

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1.1 – Identify workplace environmental and resource efficiency issues

Environment and resource efficiency issues

Organisations within Australia are obliged to take part in environmentally sustainable work practices
that aim to limit the amount of resources used and minimise damage to the environment. In order to
carry out improvements within your workplace, it is necessary to firstly look at current resource use and
organisational issues.

Potential issues may include:

➢ Lack of opportunities to recycle

➢ Creating large amounts of waste, such as food and

material waste

➢ Receiving of distributing products with large amounts of

packaging

➢ Inefficient machinery

➢ Having to travel excessive distances to attend meetings or conferences

➢ Lack of energy efficient resources such as lightbulbs.

Workplace example
Imagine you have just started with a new organisation, you notice that a fellow colleague leaves the
light on in an unused room after they have finished cleaning; this is an environmental efficiency issue as
it is impacting on the environment and is also resulting in unnecessary costs for the organisation. If this
were to continue, it should be brought to the attention of a supervisor as the colleague may be unaware
of the implications. This is where you can help not only the organisation and present colleagues, but
also future team members as you can bring about change, whether through ensuring better induction
processes, more team meetings, training programmes or even the implementation of a suggestions box.

Identifying issues
Identifying issues within the workplace should not be the responsibility of a single person. It is the duty
of everyone to consider safety and the impacts of practices on the environment. Additionally, in large
organisations or where work takes places across different locations, it is not possible for a single
employee to assess whether practices are sustainable.

Actions to identify efficiency issues may include:

➢ Comparing resource use between teams

➢ Observing every day practices

➢ Discussing opinions on resource use in meetings

➢ Checking for recycling opportunities

➢ Observing the disposal of goods or materials.

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Activity 1A
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1.2 – Identify resources used in own work role

Identifying resources used

Training and induction
When starting a new role you will most likely be provided with training and/or an induction to make you
aware of the work place and your role. You should be shown where all of the resources you will be using
are kept i.e. storage cupboard. You may also be provided with a manual and/or a work order which will
list equipment and your authority to use them along with health and safety information amongst other
important work requirements. Once you are aware of the resources you will be using, you can then
keep an eye on your usage of such items to help keep costs and environmental efficiency issues down.

You could also speak to a colleague or supervisor to establish the range of equipment that needs to be
used in relation to your role. This may involve finding out how to use the resources, as well as actions
that can be taken to reduce inefficiency and waste.

Resources that will be used in your work place may include:

➢ Computers

➢ Paper

➢ Photocopier

➢ Stationery

➢ Water

➢ Timber

➢ Chemicals

➢ Cleaning machinery i.e. vacuums

➢ Cleaning products

➢ Cleaning equipment i.e. mop

➢ P.P.E i.e. gloves and safety goggles.

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Activity 1B
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1.3 – Document and measure current usage of resources using appropriate

techniques

Measuring current usage of resources

It has been highlighted that you ought to establish the current usage of resources within your
organisation prior to implementing new sustainability policies. How could you try and reduce waste if
you don’t know how much waste you are producing?

Benefits of measuring and monitoring resource usage may include:

➢ Saving money – monitoring resource use within
the organisation will help to identify wasteful
behaviour and make it easier to implement
sustainable policies

➢ Motivating team members – keeping an eye on

resource usage can motivate employees to lower
their personal usage, especially if a designated
sustainability team or individual exists within the
organisation

➢ Satisfying management – providing senior personnel with quantifiable savings based

on resource use can make them satisfied with employees and may result in rewards
being issued

➢ Identifying problems – you will quickly notice if a problem exists within your
organisation, such as a technical fault or human error, and this can be rectified before
further profits are lost

➢ Comparison between teams – if your organisation consists of a number of different

teams or across locations, measuring resource use enables you to compare between
teams and create competition.

The methods for measuring current usage will vary significantly depending on the resource being
measured. This may include looking at invoices, checking order forms and weighing waste produced.

Generally, resources can be split into the following categories:

➢ Energy – gas, fuel and electricity

➢ Waste – office or industrial waste

➢ Water – used across different sites of the organisation

➢ Materials or goods – office supplies, concrete, timber, food etc.

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Invoices
When suppliers send you bills for the amount of resources you have purchased from them, these are
known as invoices. They will be useful for tracking your usage. Invoices could be observed to measure
current usage of electricity, gas, water and other resources such as paper for example. Invoices should
be stored safely so you can refer back to them whenever you need.

You could also create spreadsheets to calculate the amount digitally. This would make it easier to keep
track of various resources.

For example:

Month Electricity Water Paper

January $200 $35 $20

February $220 $80 $20

March $195 $30 $30

Year so far $615 $145 $70

Invoices are useful for noticing anomalies or other results that stand out. For example, why has the
water bill spiked to $80 in February, compared to $35 in January? This is more than double. It may mean
you have to investigate whether there was a problem with inefficient use of resources or leaks.

Different conditions
There are a range of different conditions that might alter resource usage. You will need to consider
them in order to gain an accurate reading.

For example, if you measured how much electricity was used for heating during the summer, you might
assume it wasn’t much. However this would be very different if it was done during winter. You may
need to take different readings throughout the year to find the average usage.

Another condition that will affect resources is level of business. Many organisations have busy periods
where they have more customers and require more resources. Depending on the business, this could be
a large or small fluctuation. You will once again need to take a variety of readings to find what is
considered ‘normal’ usage.
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Activity 1C
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1.4 – Record and file documentation measuring current usage, using technology
(such as software systems) where applicable

Recording current usage levels

There is little point in measuring the usage of resources within your organisation if you are not going
record them securely and refer back to them in the future. It is important to track resources used
continually to assess where inefficiency has occurred, and referring back to previous weeks, months and
years can help you in establishing whether policies and procedures have been effective or not.

The individual or persons required to record information regarding resource usage will vary between
organisations.

You could record this information by creating a simple template, or through use of software systems.
There should be a column within a spreadsheet that includes the time period, such as a weekly or
monthly measure. The total employee numbers or total hours
worked could also be included, as this may help to explain increases
or decreases in resource use. Further columns should be created
that highlight resources used, including the energy, waste, water
and materials or goods categories noted in section 1.3. It is vital to
include the correct measurement when recording current usage and
this will vary depending on the size of the organisation. For
example, you might note the weight of resources in tonnes or
kilograms.

Methods for filing documentation

You will need to store information in accordance with the organisation’s procedures. Your
organisation’s policies should be freely available in the workplace. Information may be stored in either
physical or digital form.

Physical information
When information is stored on paper, it is considered physical records. This is often older records or
information that isn’t important enough to digitise. Alternatively, some organisations prefer not to or
are unable to use computers.

Procedures may relate to:

➢ How information is organised

➢ How it is stored (e.g. in a cupboard, desk, filing cabinet)

➢ How access to it is controlled (e.g. keys, written permission).

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Digital information
Digital information is anything that is stored on a computer or hard drive; it is often in the form of Word
documents or spread sheets.

Procedures may relate to:

➢ Which computers or hard drives the
information is stored on

➢ Who has access to the information

➢ How it is protected (e.g. passwords,

encryption)

➢ How often it is updated and who has

responsibility for that.

Following procedures
You should research your organisation’s procedures whenever you need to store information. This could
be done by asking your supervisor, contacting a relevant department in your organisation (e.g. Human
Resources, IT) or checking your company handbook if you have one. Don’t be afraid to ask further
questions such as “How does this apply to my situation?” to avoid breaching the procedures.

If you don’t have good knowledge of storage protocols or digital technology, you may need to ask
others for assistance. They could show you how to properly store it.
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Activity 1D
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1.5 – Identify and report workplace environmental hazards to appropriate

personnel

Identifying hazards
There are a number of potential hazards that can be encountered in any workplace. It is important to be
able to identify hazards as soon as they arise and inform the necessary people within your workplace.

What is a hazard?
A hazard is something that has the potential to cause injury or harm to a person, property or the
environment.

Hazards at work may include:

➢ Noisy machinery

➢ Moving vehicles

➢ Slippery floors

➢ Loose cables

➢ Hazardous substances such as:

o chemicals

o gases

o pesticides

o fumes

➢ Electricity

➢ Working at heights

➢ A repetitive job

➢ Sharp tools

➢ Violence at the workplace.

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Methods for identifying hazards may include:

➢ Conducting site safety audits

➢ Completing safety checklists

➢ Inspecting the workplace

➢ Observing daily activities

➢ Investigating accidents and incidents

➢ Reviewing injury or illness registers

➢ Environmental monitoring of the workplace

➢ Investigating staff complaints or reports of safety

concerns

➢ Reviewing staff feedback via consultative

processes, such as meetings, surveys or
suggestion box submissions.

Duty of care
Duty of care is the term used to describe an ability to anticipate possible causes of injury. It concerns
the obligation that a person should exercise reasonable care with respect to others, including protecting
them from harm. In Section 19 of the WHS Act, there is a primary duty of care that an employer offers
to their workers. In sections 27, 28 and 29 of the WHS Act, officers, workers and other persons must
ensure that they take care to keep the workplace safe and to comply with the employer’s instructions.

All staff members have a distinct responsibility in the workplace to be accountable for their own safety
and the safety of their co-workers.

Report hazards
The organisation that you work for should have procedures in place for reporting hazards. This will
include the method of communication, such as if identified hazards need to be highlighted through e-
mail, software system, or in person to a specific person.

The person that issues need to be reported to will also vary, such as to a manager, supervisor or
relevant authority.

Details that you should report include:

➢ The type of hazard, such as sharp tools or noisy machinery

➢ The location of the hazard

➢ The length of time it has been noticed

➢ The impact the hazard has had or could have.

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Activity 1E
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2. Comply with environmental regulations

2.1. Follow workplace procedures to ensure compliance

2.2. Report breaches or potential breaches to appropriate personnel

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2.1 – Follow workplace procedures to ensure compliance

Workplace procedures
Different work places will have different procedures to follow to ensure compliance and you will be
made aware of these procedures when you start with the organisation.

Procedures are commonly located:

➢ In employee hand books

➢ In training guides or documents

➢ On the company intranet or website

➢ On noticeboards

➢ Store in files in the office

➢ Within documents saved on employee’s computer accounts.

You should always check your work order and even notice boards that may be present around the work
place to ensure you do not miss out on updates or important
information regarding procedures.

Other information that may be present on your work order can

include:
➢ Work place security

➢ Routes of entry

➢ Equipment log books

➢ Use of chemicals and machinery

➢ Legislation.

Policy scope
A major aspect of participating in environmentally sustainable workplace practices involves complying
with relevant national, and state or territory laws. It is therefore crucial to consider the policy scope
when developing workplace sustainability practices.

National law
The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) is an Act of
the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment,
including its biodiversity and its natural and culturally significant places. The EPBC Act enables the
Australian Government to join with the states and territories in providing a truly national scheme of
environment and heritage protection and biodiversity conservation.
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State and territory laws:

➢ Australian Capital Territory - Environment Protection Act 1997

➢ New South Wales - Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997

➢ Northern Territory - Environmental Assessment Act 1982

➢ Queensland - Environmental Protection Act 1994

➢ South Australia - Environment Protection Act 1993

➢ Tasmania - Environmental Management and Pollution Control Act 1994

➢ Victoria - Environment Protection Act 1970

➢ Western Australia - Environment Protection Act 1986.

Sustainability initiatives
You will need to address sustainability initiatives through reference to standards, guidelines and
approaches.

These may include:

➢ Energy Efficiency Opportunities Bill 2005

➢ Global Reporting Initiative

➢ Green office guide

➢ National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER)

scheme

➢ Product stewardship

➢ Supply chain management.

Energy Efficiency Opportunities Bill 2005

Under this Act all large controlling corporations that have met or exceeded their energy use threshold
should undertake an assessment to analyse where they could improve efficiency. This report should be
published for public view to demonstrate that they are managing their energy responsibly. Assessment
will need to be approved and there are a number of requirements for an assessment plan.

Global reporting initiative

The global reporting initiative (GRI) is an international independent organisation that helps businesses,
governments and other organisations understand and communicate the impact of business on critical
sustainability issues. GRI wants to make it standard practice for all organisations regardless of size or
sector to report on their sustainability.
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Green Office Guide

The Green Office Guide is a joint initiative of Commonwealth, State, and Territory government agencies.
This guide helps organisations to create a more environmentally friendly office environment.

It suggests, in general organisations should:

➢ Choose ENERGY STAR office equipment which is classed as more environmentally
friendly and typically features things like sleep modes
➢ Train staff to use equipment appropriately to ensure energy saving systems are turned
on when equipment is in use
➢ Use green power which is energy generated from renewable sources such as wind,
solar, biomass and mini-hydro.
It also gives advice about specific computer equipment e.g. desktop computers and monitors,
photocopiers, printers, fax machines, multifunction devices and air-conditioning systems.

They use an example of a photocopier to highlight the costs that can be saved and the reduced impact
to the environment as a result of using energy efficient equipment. If you buy an energy-efficient
photocopier that is designed to work well with recycled paper and refilled toner cartridges, copy
double-sided whenever you can, set up an effective paper recycling system, and set the photocopier to
power-save when you’re not using it, a number of positive implications will result.

In comparison to using a standard photocopier that is left on continuously, you will:

➢ Reduce the electricity you use by up to 80%, thus saving on your electricity bill
➢ Halve your paper and toner bills
➢ Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from electricity, paper and
toner by 75%
➢ Leave 50 trees in the ground which would otherwise have been
chopped down to make paper
➢ Increase productivity through improved staff morale
➢ Enhance your company’s profits.
National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) scheme
The NGER scheme was established by the National Greenhouse and Energy
Reporting Act 2007 and is a single national framework for reporting and disseminating company
information about greenhouse gas emissions, energy production, and energy consumption.

The main objectives of the NGER scheme are to:

➢ Inform government policy
➢ Inform the Australian public
➢ Help meet Australia’s international reporting obligations
➢ Assist commonwealth, state and territory government programmes and activities
➢ Avoid duplication of similar reporting requirements in the states and territories.
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Product stewardship
Good product stewards are people/companies who set a good example and recycle and reduce their
waste. The product Stewardship Act 2011 ‘allows for products to be regulated in several ways while also
making provision for voluntary activities.’

This includes:
➢ Voluntary accreditation - organisations can become accredited providing they meet a
specific set of requirements

➢ Co-regulatory – is where the Australian Government regulates the scheme but they are
conveyed by industry e.g. recycling targets

➢ Mandatory – would mean a legal obligation to carry out product stewardship.

Supply chain management

You should think about managing your supply chain in terms of procurement, transport and services, in
order to make it greener.

You could think about the following:

➢ Upgrading your technology so that it is
more efficient

➢ Analysing the use of your raw materials

e.g. wood, stone, cotton

➢ Can you reduce packaging or make it

recyclable?

➢ Can you reduce or eliminate waste?

➢ Are you located in the best place for your business? Can you bring the elements of the
chain closer together?

➢ Is your transport the best in can be in terms of emissions?

➢ Are your suppliers sustainable?

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Activity 2A
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2.2 – Report breaches or potential breaches to appropriate personnel

Reporting breaches
Breaches of environmental and organisational regulations are a serious matter and should be reported
to the appropriate personnel as soon as possible. For example, you notice a member of your team is
disposing of chemical waste down/near a storm water drain; this is against government and
environmental laws and therefore would be a fineable offence for both the employer and the company.
Both the main water ways and storm water drains are protected by laws and therefore any actions
going against this would be seen as a breach of environmental regulations.

Who in your workplace would you report such an incident to?

Types of breaches:
➢ Not disposing of waste correctly
➢ Pouring chemicals into main waterways/storm drains
➢ Excessive noise
➢ Air pollution through burning certain
materials/products.
All of which can carry a fine or even a prison sentence.

Appropriate personnel:
➢ Supervisor
➢ Management
➢ Client
➢ Environmental Agency Worker (If within your authority).
Breaches or potential breaches should be reported no matter how insignificant they may appear to
ensure the company you are working for do not incur any fines but more importantly to ensure no
accidents occur due to the breach.

Reporting breach of the EPBC Act

Examples of breaches under the EPBC Act include:
➢ Taking action without approval
➢ Breaching an approval condition
➢ Commencing an action after submitting a referral but it is not yet approved
➢ Failing to take action in a specific manner
➢ Failing to obtain or not complying with a permit.
If you feel that an aspect of the EPBC Act has been, or is likely to be broken, then you should contact the
Department of the Environment.

Email: compliance@environment.gov.au
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Activity 2B
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3. Seek opportunities to improve resource efficiency

3.1. Follow organisational plans to improve environmental practices and resource efficiency

3.2. Work as part of a team, where relevant, to identify possible areas for improvements to work
practices in own work area

3.3. Make suggestions for improvements to workplace practices in own work area
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3.1 – Follow organisational plans to improve environmental practices and

resource efficiency

Improving environmental practices

Every work place should strive to be as sustainable as possible, especially when using resources i.e.
paper. Never has the importance of the environment been more prevalent than it is today and
therefore we should all do out bit to help out. However, you need to follow organisational plans when
developing approaches to improve environmental practices and resource efficiency.

Mission statement
A mission statement is a qualitative statement that defines the overall
purpose of the organisation and its primary objectives. Mission
statements rarely change, and are used to motivate employees and
others within the business.

Vision statement / corporate aims

A vision statement, also known as the corporate aims, is a set of ideas
and targets that define the future of the organisation. They are used to
provide a common objective and purpose for employees within a
company that helps to guide their actions and build team spirit. Vision
statements help to form the objectives of an organisation.

Aims may involve:

➢ Delivering a better quality good or service

➢ Providing a higher standard of customer service

➢ Reducing costs

➢ Company growth

➢ Attracting more customers.

Travelling procedures
Utilising video conferences
One method of reducing your ecological footprint is to minimise the extent that travelling long distances
is required. Where possible, you should look to utilise video conferencing where you will not have to
waste time and money travelling between venues. If your organisation operates between states or
countries, you can make significant savings over time and interact with people at short notice. Video
conferences also provide the advantage over telephone calls that you can see as well as hear the
recipient, meaning you can see their body language and can view the same documents or presentations.
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Rostering employees
If your organisation operates across a number of different locations, you could act with greater
environmental awareness by considering the rostering of employees and travelling between sites. For
example, if an employee’s role involves them working at various different sites, an operations or human
resources manager could schedule so that they visit the sites within one round trip. In comparison to
continually travelling back and forth from a base location, this will not only reduce emissions, but will
save on fuel costs and the cost of overnight stays. In addition, productivity should increase as
employees will spend less time travelling.

Travelling to work
You might also decide to implement a car share scheme
within the workplace. 14% of Australia’s greenhouse gas
emissions are as a result of transport, and cars and light
vehicles account for a large proportion of this.

Benefits of employees lift sharing include:

➢ Emissions will be reduced

➢ Employees can save money on fuel and vehicle maintenance

➢ It provides an opportunity for colleagues to interact and build positive working

relationships.

Another option could involve encouraging employees to bike to work, for example through offering
rewards.

Hazardous chemical use

Many organisations require the use of a range of toxic materials or chemicals – it can be found in
electrical products e.g. computers. Chemicals used in the workplace may include acids, oxidizers,
poisons and solvents. It is important to think about how you can reduce the use of these substances.

Some ideas can be found below:

➢ Use environmentally friendly cleaning products (those that have been made using
natural resources instead of chemical i.e. lemon juice)

➢ Buy natural soap for use in the bathrooms

➢ Sometimes it might be difficult to entirely eliminate the use of toxic materials. In this
case consider looking for products with a reduction

➢ Use ink and toner saving settings on equipment such as printers and photocopiers.
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Policy that reflects organisational plans

To demonstrate that your organisation is committed to sustainability, you will need to ensure that you
are constantly thinking about new ways to improve economic efficiency, as well as environmental and
social sustainability in all aspects and levels of your organisation.

This means:
➢ Products and services you supply

➢ Products and services you use

➢ The building you work in

➢ Transportation

➢ Procedures and efficiency

➢ Training staff and staff incentives.

Whenever you undertake planning you will need to think:

➢ Is there a more sustainable way of doing this?

➢ For example if your organisation is planning to expand and needs new offices are there
ways of ensuring the most sustainable option is achieved?

Eco-builds feature:
➢ Solar panels for heating water

➢ Water conservation

➢ Low energy bulbs

➢ Cellulose insulation

➢ Non-toxic paints

➢ Timber that is grown from sustainably managed forests.

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Activity 3A
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3.2 – Work as part of a team, where relevant, to identify possible areas for
improvements to work practices in own work area

Improving work practices

You should not ever feel afraid to make a suggestion regarding sustainable work practices, especially if
you feel it will benefit your work team or the wider organisation. There is a good chance that ideas will
be listened to carefully by colleagues and they may not have been considered before. Innovative ideas
could result in new policies and procedures being implemented, which could result in savings being
made to the business and this could result in rewards or bonuses being allocated to employees.

Even if the suggestions are not taken forward by supervisors or managers, they will recognise that you
are making an effort to improve company practices.

It is worthwhile organising regular team meetings or informal discussions where areas for improving
work practice can be discussed.

Brainstorming
Benefits of brainstorming in a group include:
➢ Working together as part of a team will usually result in a
greater number and more in depth areas for improvement
being identified in comparison to everyone thinking
individually

➢ Employees may develop suggestions made by others;

interesting ideas can be developed throughout the session

➢ There are little or no costs involved to organising a group

brainstorming session, whereas it would cost to hire external individuals to assess
workplace practices

➢ Joint discussion can make employees at different levels feel involved and valued

➢ As ideas for development will have been developed collectively, employees are more
likely to be support new policies and procedures as they become introduced.
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Participating in a group
In order for teams to work effectively together and identify areas for improvement, it is important that
the individuals involved have a general understanding of sustainable work practices and are capable of
communicating in a group environment. This involves group members being aware of the policy scope
in relation to environmental practices and making sure that they participate in the group. However,
making yourself heard and putting your points across assertively in a group can difficult to achieve.

Here are some tips for making a full and active contribution to group discussions:
➢ Prepare what you want to say – make sure that you are clear about the points that you
want to make and make sure that they are relevant to the discussion

➢ Have reasons or evidence to support the points you are making

➢ If people interrupt you, either:

o politely ask them to wait until you have finished making your point

o wait till they have finished speaking and then carry on with what you were saying

➢ If you find it difficult to get the space to speak, say something like ‘I’d like to add
something here’ or ‘may I say something please?’ – this will get people’s attention and
it’s very clear that you would like to contribute something

➢ Make sure that you behave the way that you would like others to behave towards you
– avoid interrupting others while they are speaking, etc.

Raise awareness at work

Consider if you were to start promotional activities at work to help raise awareness among staff and
stakeholders. You could promote the benefits to stakeholders e.g. how creating a sustainability policy
will reduce costs and make work more efficient. Inform customers of how you are trying to become
more sustainable and responsible.

You could also:

➢ Have a competition e.g. people who think
of new ideas could be rewarded/given
incentives, or personal carbon footprint
competitions – those who reduce their
footprint the most are rewarded

➢ Ask for volunteers to join an environmental

group to help raise more awareness

➢ Advertise lifts – encourage staff to buddy-up when travelling by car to work

➢ Build showers and bike racks to encourage people to bike or jog to work

➢ Train staff in sustainability principles and techniques e.g. to use any new equipment as
part of the scheme or any new procedures like changing printer settings to double-
sided etc.
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Activity 3B
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3.3 – Make suggestions for improvements to workplace practices in own work

area

Making suggestions for improvement

There will be a time and place for suggestions and this will include:
➢ During meetings

➢ Break times

➢ Training periods

➢ Appraisals

➢ During discussions with colleagues or your supervisor

➢ When leaving messages/memos on the notice board.

It may be the case that you feel yourself and/or your colleagues could actually benefit from having more
meetings or training and this is something you can bring up with your supervisor. If your work site is
fairly large and you rarely see your supervisor, client or fellow colleagues, it may be an idea to leave
messages on a notice board or to start up a ‘suggestions box’ in a populated area. This way, everyone
can make anonymous suggestions for ways in which to improve work practices, whether that is in
general or when considering the environment and resources.

Minimise resource use

The major area that employees are likely to make suggestions regarding is methods of reducing
resource use within the workplace.

Cutting the use of resources at work could be achieved by:

➢ Making it easy to recycle in the workplace, try recycling:

o paper and card

o glass

o plastic

o batteries

o aluminium

o printer cartridges

➢ Encouraging staff to use crockery cups/glasses for their drinks rather than plastic
disposable cups

➢ Creating a compost bin for food waste

➢ Recycling electrical equipment e.g. computers, printer, fridges, microwaves etc.

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➢ Buying products that have minimal packaging

➢ Reminding staff to recycle through internal email or posters

➢ Thinking about restricting the ordering of stationary – create a special ordering system

➢ Buying laptops rather than desktops as they use less energy

➢ Using LCD screens, which are more space and energy efficient

➢ Considering EMO software to turn computers off automatically in non-working hours

e.g. overnight or weekends

➢ Reducing margin settings so that printer uses less paper

➢ Using recycled paper

➢ Send emails instead of printing or photocopying when possible

➢ Printing double-sided

➢ Using an electronic filing system to save paper.

Storage of goods and materials

As well as considering the use of equipment and materials
within the workplace, it is necessary to also think about
whether they are being stored sustainably. You should read
through any workplace documentation about storing goods and
materials, as well as any instructions that came alongside the
good/materials; what do they say about safe and appropriate
storage?

Improving workplace storage may include:

➢ Only storing what you need – this will make it easier to locate things at a later time,
meaning you will time and potentially money by not having to re-order items products
that are already in storage

➢ Keeping all storage areas uncluttered, clean and clearly labelled – this will reduce the
likelihood of accidents occurring and will again make things easier to find

➢ Ensuring that materials in storage cannot collect, contaminate or mix with rainwater

➢ Ensuring storage tanks, including those underground, are not leaking

➢ Cleaning and drying equipment following item instructions prior to storage

➢ Storing all materials and wastes in separate clearly designated areas

➢ Checking expiry dates for all stored materials.

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Activity 3C
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Summative Assessments
At the end of your Learner Workbook, you will find the Summative Assessments.

This includes:

➢ Skills assessment

➢ Knowledge assessment

➢ Performance assessment.

This holistically assesses your understanding and application of the skills, knowledge and performance
requirements for this unit. Once this is completed, you will have finished this unit and be ready to move
onto the next one – well done!
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References

These suggested references are for further reading and do not necessarily represent the contents of
this unit.

Websites
EPBC Act - https://www.environment.gov.au/epbc

Green Office Guide -

http://www.environment.gov.au/archive/settlements/publications/government/purchasing/green-
office-guide/pubs/green-office-guide.pdf

All references accessed on and correct as of 08/07/2016, unless other otherwise stated.