Australia Model Code of Practice Managing the Risks of Biological Hazards at Work 6.2: Select controls in consultation with workers and HSRs, preferring the most effective, reliable and protective measures high in the hierarchy, suited to the workplace and workers, reasonably practicable in the circumstances and not creating new hazards, doing more and combining controls as the risk grows

What does 6.2 require?

The PCBU must consult workers and any HSRs when deciding which controls to implement. In choosing the most appropriate combination it considers what will be most effective, reliable and protective, meaning controls towards the top of the hierarchy such as substitution, isolation and engineering; which controls suit the workplace and its workers; what is reasonably practicable in the circumstances; and whether the controls create additional hazards. The greater the risk, the more must be done to eliminate or minimise it, which may mean combining controls, as the case studies show: a nail salon's rescheduling policy with gloves, hand cleaning, disinfection, single-use disposal and sterilisation; a vet's vaccination, authoritative-source check, PPE donning and doffing space and decontamination; a greenskeeper's enclosed cabin mower with eye protection and respirator for push mowing; a fruit picker's mosquito programme, covering clothing, repellent, screened accommodation and avoidance of dawn and dusk; a demolition contractor's extermination, fit-tested respiratory protection, goggles and gloves, exclusion of other workers and decontamination before leaving; an aged care worker's gloves, gown, face shield, safe procedures, disposal, hand washing, documentation and post-exposure protocols; and a service centre's signage, masks and sanitiser at entry and service points, distanced desks, screens, wipe-downs and self-service options.