BSBSUS501 Develop workplace policy and procedure for sustainability

ASSESSMENT TASK 4
Written Test (Questions to Answer)

About this assessment

This assessment is about candidate’s ability to answer questions to test their

knowledge related to the unit BSBSUS501 Develop workplace policy and procedures
for sustainability and its elements and performance criteria.

Objective of the Assessment

The purpose of this assessment is to test your knowledge and obtain knowledge
evidence of the unit BSBSUS501 Develop workplace policy and procedures for
sustainability and its elements and performance criteria

Assessment description

This assessment requires the candidate to complete a written test of 11 questions

with answers related to workplace policy and procedures for sustainability in the
workplace.

Assessment Instructions

1. Read through the questions very carefully.

2. When instructed to do so, answer the attached test paper.
3. You are not allowed to refer to any sources of information during this test.
4. Address the questions and their terminologies in your answer solutions.
5. This test is to be completed without access to any other electronic gadgets,
documents or learning materials.
6. You are allowed a maximum of 180 minutes to complete the test.
7. The test answers should be completed using clear English.
8. The assessment task is due on the time and date specified by your assessor.
9. Any variations to this arrangement must be approved in writing by your assessor.
10.See specifications below for details.
Specifications submitted (details of items for submission)

Answers to all the 11 questions need to be written using a pen or word-processed

document as instructed by the assessor.

Assessor is looking for:

Your demonstrated knowledge required to complete the tasks outlined below:

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

1. outline the environmental or sustainability legislation, regulations and codes

of practice applicable to the organisation identify internal and external
sources of information and explain how they can be used to plan and
develop the organisation’s sustainability policy.
2. explain policy development processes and practices
3. outline organisational systems and procedures that relate to sustainability
4. outline typical barriers to implementing policies and procedures in an
organisation and possible strategies to address them.

QUESTIONS
Write answer solutions to the following 11 questions using the space provided

Question 1

Describe the aim of a sustainability policy and outline the environmental or

sustainability legislation, regulations and codes of practice applicable to the
organisation identify internal and external sources of information
Sustainability is the efficient use of resources. It is to use resources in a way that
the use current available resource to meet the needs of the present in such a way
that the resources are available in the future for use as well.
Sustainability in context of interaction business and environmental context can be
defined as how the business carries out its day to day activities with minimum
effect on the environment. It also relates to the treatment of the waste matter so
that it does not contaminate the environment and upset the ecosystem. The
business can be Sustainable by resourcing their raw material from agents who
produce them in a way that does not have detrimental effect on the ecosystem
and the environment.

Question 2

What constitutes the ‘scope’ of a sustainability policy? explain how they can be
used to plan and develop the organisation’s sustainability policy

In order to define the scope of an organisation sustainability policy it is important to ask the
following questions:

To which part of the organisation the new policy will apply to?
Who will this policy apply to? (just one area, a state or county? Will it be national or
global?)
 Will this policy include aspects other than sustainability? (for example: environmental,
social aspects, triple bottom line or any other specific approach)
What are the laws, regulations and codes of practice that this policy will need to be
complied with?
 What are the initiatives that this policy will address?
How do you expect to implement such a policy?
Question 3

List six potential sources of information that could inform the planning and
development of a sustainability policy. explain policy development processes
and practices
The six sustainability practices that might be considered when developing policies
could be the Ecological footprint, green building, green energy, green purchasing,
greenhouse gas emissions, waste management.

Question 4
List the potential stake holders that you might consult when developing a
sustainability policy

 Possible stakeholders in the centre are:

Management: They are the ones in charge of deciding budget and defining the
organisation’s expectation with the new policy.
Staff: they will be the ones putting the initiatives in practice, so they can explain how their
routine works and give some ideas of things that can be done to be more sustainable.
Parents/community: the parents and local community will be happy to see a reduction on
the environmental impact of the organisation and might be able to provide ideas or just
support the implementation of the policies.
Suppliers also have interest in being sustainable and can give inside input in what changes
can be made while still meeting all of the required standards.
Question 5

Describe a strategy for recording and tracking continuous improvement in

sustainability approaches.
The strategies I would include in the Sustainability Policy for the centre to raise awareness, prodive
training and promote the policy are:
Information sessions and presentations with all the full time and casual staff to delegate
responsibilities and gather feedback.
Make sure to explain step by step what are the strategies to reduce the use of resources, ban or
reduce toxic material and hazardous chemical use, and employ life cycle management. Such strategy
will be presented via email, information board, articles with the use of videos, photographs and chars
to ensure understanding by all members and people involved.
Articles and newsletters will also be sent via email to staff, customers, local community, suppliers and
any other stakeholder or business associated with updates on the progress of the policy and tips in
how to implement strategies in day to day life to encourage the implementation of sustainable
actions in other locations

Question 6

Describe the communication skills that you will use to consult with
stakeholders, communicate policy and promote sustainability programs.

he three mechanisms for communicating the procedure can be:

1- Training: As a way of introducing new procedures, the training sections will be prepared
according with the audience, taking into consideration the necessary information, use of charts, pictures
and videos and space for questions and answers to ensure the understanding of the procedure by
everyone.
 2- Meetings: Could be done in a formal or informal way, with a selected group that will be
informed by the procedures and how to implement them. The use of Slides, videos and charts is
also appropriated.

3 - Posters: Placed on notice boards, hallways, staff room with highlight information on
deadlines and reminders about changes in procedures. Clear and simple language and pictures or
illustration can facilitate understanding.

Question 7
Discuss life-cycle management – what is it?

In the context of Sustainability Policy, the term ‘life cycle analysis’ stand for the tools used
to identify and measure the environmental impact of a products life cycle on the environment
taking into consideration all the steps such as production, distribution, consumption and disposal.
This allows organisations to calculate the environmental and social impacts that their products and
services cause on the planet.
An organisation concerned with the environment will try and choose the most viable option of
products focusing on the development of the business and reducing their fingerprints.
Question 8

Discuss the benefits to business of introducing a life-cycle management

strategy.

These are the three further processes that need to be undertaken to develop the sustainability policy after
defining the scope and gathering information.

a- Identify Stakeholders: the development and implementation of a sustainability policy will

affect not only the members of staff but also the owners, shareholders, customers, suppliers and the local
community. Identifying the relevant stakeholders and consulting each group when developing the policy
will ensure that the procedures implemented are understood by all of them and have only positive
impacts.

b- Include appropriate strategies: Timelines, Budget, personal and necessary training are some of the
strategies that needs to be considered when implementing a sustainability policy. That will ensure that all the
staff involved directly or not understand and commit with the policy, have received sufficient information and
training to perform their job. Same applies to contractors, suppliers and other people involved in the
implementation and key for the achievement of the targets stipulated.
c- Make recommendations for policy options: As good as the intention of the policy might
be, it is fundamental that the policy options are easy to implement, doable and feasible for the
organisation and personal. It is important to consider what options will bring the most benefits (not
necessarily financially, but also for the people and planet. That will ensure the likely effectiveness
of the strategies.
Question 9

List and briefly summarise relevant legislation and codes of practice

These are five environmental and sustainable legislations/regulations that are applicable to an
organisation:

 International standards ISO 9001 and 14001: Are the most well known international standards on
environmental management systems that enables organisations to develop policies that take into
account legislative requirements and information about environmental impacts, both standards are
implemented by more than a million organizations in some 175 countries;
 The Environmental Management and Pollution Control Act 1994 (EMPCA) is the primary environment
protection and pollution control legislation in Tasmania with focus on preventing environmental harm
from pollution and waste. The EMPCA is performance-based, with the fundamental basis being the
prevention, reduction and remediation of environmental harm.
 The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the EPBC Act) is the Australian
Government’s central piece of environmental legislation. It provides a legal framework to protect and
manage nationally and internationally important flora, fauna, ecological communities and heritage
places.
 International Environmental Law (IEL) is an attempt to control pollution and the exhaustion of natural
resources within a framework of sustainable development. It is a branch of public international law
that covers topics such as population, biodiversity, climate change, ozone depletion, toxic and
hazardous substances, air, land, sea and transboundary water pollution, conservation of marine
resources, desertification, and nuclear damage.
 Ozone Protection and Synthetic Gas Management Act 1989 (Cth). Protect the environment
by reducing emissions of ozone destructive substances and synthetic greenhouse gases. In is
used to control the manufacture, import, export, use and disposal of that and products
containing these gases.
Question 10

Describe the principles that you would apply to ensure that your
documentation meets the needs of your client.

The following is a brief procedure for environmental initiatives:

 Use email, noticeboards or intranet to send staff rosters, updates and memos;
 Send Payslips via email instead of printing then;
 Turn off all computers and devices at the end of the shift;
 Bring your own plastic cup;
 Bring your own water bottle;
 Have a compost bin for employees to throw their food;
 Remove individual bin baskets to reduce the use of plastic bags;
 Switch paper towels for fabric towels in the toilets;
Avoid driving to work, use bikes or carpool with colleagues.

Question 11

outline typical barriers to implementing policies and procedures in an

organisation and possible strategies to address them.
 When implementing a policy you expect everything to go as planned, but sometimes issues
might occur, and the key for success is to learn how to identify and take the correct action. Below are
three examples of issues and how to address it:

Unrealistic goals: if your policy is too ambitious and you realize that the target or deadlines are not
gonna be met, you might need to develop an amend to the policy with more realistic goals according
with the staff or organisation’s capabilities and circumstances. The opposite issue might also occur
and you find that the targets were met way before the deadline, therefore, the recommended action is
to develop a more ambitious policy.

Insufficient training: after monitoring the progress and realizing the organisation is not reaching a
goal or following a procedure, you might realize that the cause is the lack of effective training or more
specific instructions. The action in this case is to collect feedback and identifying the most effective
training method. You might also decide to make small adjustments to the policy with more details
such as “All the computers and devices must be turned off at the end of the shift to save electricity”;
Lack of personal: depending on the goals, you might realize that the success of a policy depends on
having enough members of staff to perform a task. If that is the case, a cost benefit analysis might
help to determine whether the cost of having extra staff will help to reach the goals and that this will
bring benefits to the organisation.