NORTHERN SYDNEY INSTITUTE

RYDE COLLEGE

APPLY SAFE WORKING PRACTICES

WRRLP1B

Learner Guide
REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE FLORISTRY INDUSTRY
The Importance of Regulations

Regulations are part of the legal framework of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. These regulations provide a basic guideline for workplace health and safety systems to help industry comply with the “duty of care” principle outlined in the Act. They set the standards to be achieved for the management of particular hazards such as noise, chemicals, and machinery and emphasize a process of identifying, assessing, and controlling the risks.

In Australia every year the Floristry industry suffers injury and illness that occurs in the workplace due to the lack of knowledge or understanding of the Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Act.

The Laws in NSW, Australia

The OHS Act covers every place of work in NSW. The Act covers the self-employed as well as employees and employers.

Other policies to consider

NSW Work Cover - OH&S Act 2000

Factories Shops and Industries Regulation 1962 Amended 1992

Workers Compensation Act Amended 1985

Hazardous Substances Regulation 12 July 1996

Local Government Act, ordinance 55 and 71

Public Health Act 1991

Trade Waste Policy

NSW Work Cover – Occupational Health and Safety

Work Cover is the name of the Occupational Health, Safety, and Rehabilitation and Compensation scheme in New South Wales. The Work Cover Authority administers it and is responsible for the administration of injury, prevention, rehabilitation and compensation services for the workers. The statutory functions of the Authority include promoting the prevention of work-related injury, sickness and disease, ensuring the efficient and equitable rehabilitation and compensation of injured workers, and ensuring the financial viability and efficient operation of workers compensation insurance arrangements. In recent years it has become a very important issue, companies and employers as well as employees are now made to follow certain guidelines, to ensure they work in a relatively comfortable and safe environment. This Act has been updated to the OHS Regulations 2005, whereby mandatory standards of operation procedures must be kept on the premises for review by staff or Work Cover. The Law advises identification of hazards, deciding on how dangerous they are and have to find ways to remove them or separate people from them.

Prosecution and Penalties

Offences against the OHS can result in substantial penalties. The nail and beauty industry has strict rules and regulations, which must be adhered to. An employer or employee who does not follow the requirements of the OHS can be guilty of an offence and liable to a penalty. These penalties vary in levels from $2,000.00 to an excess of $30,000.00

Element 1: Observe Basic Safety Procedures

Standards for Florist shops

Structural requirements: The shop must be structurally suitable for floristry. It must have appropriate shelving and storage as well as adequate workspace with suitable benches and lighting. There should be non slip flooring and designated wet and dry areas in the shop. With water being present and the possibility of foliage falling on the floor in the front of the shop where customers may slip over, florists must be vigilant in keeping the area clean and dry. Please see the following table for other considerations.

Area to be addressed / What needs to be considered
Floors / Non slip flooring to prevent falls and slips
Rubber mats to prevent varicose veins and leg problems from standing on cold, hard floors
Benches / Standard height – 85-95cm to prevent back problems from hunching over table or neck problems from working with neck strained
Possibly design so sundry items are at fingertips and there is minimal bending or stretching to reach items
Footrests under benches – to shift weight
Tools / A safe storage compartment to prevent cuts etc.
Sharpener installed as blunt objects can increase the instance of RSI, arthritis and carpal tunnel
Sundries / Store safely for example
q  Oasis kept low to prevent particles getting in eyes or throat
q  Heavy objects such as pots kept low so there is minimal heavy lifting
Ventilation / Well ventilated areas esp. in work room where working
Possibly have windows in back, air conditioning
Lockable screen door at rear of shop
Spray booth? Outdoor area for using sprays such as design master, leaf gloss, glitter sprays etc.
Theft / Bell on front door
Mirrors to give good view of shop
Video surveillance
Duress button
2 way mirror if have a back room
Consideration as to positioning of till and other valuable items in shop
Shop fittings / Stable fittings
Appropriate heights for people to reach
Not protruding into walkways where people can trip over them
No sharp corners
Height of storage and access to it / Shelving placed at reachable heights without straining
Appropriate ladder provided and space allowed for it to be extended
Stable storage provided
Doors on storage cupboards
Wet areas i.e. sink area and cool room / Non slip flooring
Low sinks to minimise lifting heavy buckets of water
Hose attached to sink to prevent lifting of buckets
Appropriate height shelving in cool room
Space allocated for back room / Adequate space provided for staff to work and access all materials safely and easily
Electrical / Position power points away from sinks and other wet areas.
Ensure computer and other electrical cables are kept tidy and off the floor to prevent trips and damage.
Do not overload power boards
Turn electrical equipment off after use

Risk Management:

An essential part of any OHS program is risk management. This is a logical step-by-step approach, which, if followed, can reduce the likelihood of injury and disease in the workplace.

The five steps of risk management are:

STEP 1 Identify Hazards - What hazards are present in the workplace?

STEP 2 Assess the Risks - What risks may result because of these hazards

STEP 3 Control Risks - How can the risk be eliminated or minimised?

STEP 4 Implement the control measures

STEP 5 Monitor and review the effectiveness of control measures

Potential Risks florists and their customers may be exposed to are many and varied with varying degrees of harm. It is our job in risk assessment to identify these hazards, and their severity and then to address ways to minimise or eliminate them.

Hazards come in 3 forms and these are:

Chemical – as in bleach, cleaning products and aerosols

Biological – as in transmission of infectious organisms such as bacteria and viruses

Physical – as in injury due to poor posture, repetitive movements or even slipping over on spilled water or plant materials.

You should consider what risks you are exposed to each time you perform a task and how you will ensure the risks are minimised or eliminated.

Many florists work off site setting up weddings and functions and they should perform a risk assessment before setting foot on any worksite as it is a work cover and legislative requirement.

A simple way to perform a risk assessment is to create a table such as the one below consider the task you will be performing - the equipment you will be using, the physical requirements, the environmental conditions and any dangerous goods or substances you will be required to handle.

Activity / Potential Hazards / Risk Rating / Control Measures / Responsibility / Revised Risk Rating /
E.g.
Cleaning benches, work areas and shelving / Skin irritation and inhalation of bleach/cleaning products / 4 / Instruct employees on correct use of cleaning products
Ensure cleaning products have correct warning labels
Wear gloves / Employers
Employees / 4
Using scissors and knives
Working long hours
Climbing ladders
Lifting buckets of water

In order to determine the risk rating and the revised risk rating we use the table below which asks us to assess the likelihood of harm and the consequences of it happening.

To use the table join the consequences and likelihood classifications together on the risk table to identify the risk rank. For example a ‘catastrophic’ consequence together with an ‘almost certain’ likelihood gives a risk rating of 1 which is ‘extreme risk’

Risk table

Catastrophic / Major / Moderate / Minor / Insignificant
Almost
certain / 1
EXTREME RISK / 1
EXTREME RISK / 1
EXTREME RISK / 2
HIGH RISK / 2
HIGH RISK
Likely / 1
EXTREME RISK / 1
EXTREME RISK / 2
HIGH RISK / 3
MEDIUM RISK / 3
MEDIUM RISK
Possibly / 1
EXTREME RISK / 2
HIGH RISK / 3
MEDIUM RISK / 3
MEDIUM RISK / 4
LOW RISK
Unlikely / 2
HIGH RISK / 3
MEDIUM RISK / 4
LOW RISK / 4
LOW RISK / 4
LOW RISK
Rare / 2
HIGH RISK / 2
HIGH RISK / 3
MEDIUM RISK / 4
LOW RISK / 4
LOW RISK

Legend:

Extreme risk: Immediate action required – senior management involved in decision making is imperative

High risk: Treat as Urgent – senior management attention required

Moderate risk: develop action plan – outline management responsibility

Low risk: manage by routine procedures – monitor and review tasks