HSC Business Services (VET) flashcards

33 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

PCBU

Person conducting a business or undertaking. Under WHS law this entity owes the primary duty to ensure worker and workplace health and safety so far as reasonably practicable.

Reasonably practicable

The standard for WHS duties: weigh the likelihood and severity of harm against the cost, effort and knowledge available to control the risk.

Hierarchy of control

Ranked risk controls from most to least effective: eliminate, substitute, isolate, engineer, administer, and personal protective equipment as the last resort.

Risk assessment matrix

A grid rating risk by multiplying the likelihood of harm by the severity of consequence, producing a priority used to schedule controls.

Hazard versus risk

A hazard is a source of potential harm, such as a frayed cord; the risk is the chance and severity of harm arising from that hazard.

Incident register

A formal record of workplace incidents and near misses, capturing date, people involved, what happened, immediate action and corrective actions taken.

Duty of care

A legal and ethical obligation to take reasonable steps to avoid foreseeable harm to clients, colleagues, visitors and yourself while working.

Emergency evacuation procedure

Documented steps on alarm activation: stop work, follow wardens, use designated exits, assemble at the nominated point and await roll call.

Manual handling

Any activity requiring force to lift, lower, push, pull, carry or move an object; risk rises with load weight, posture and repetition.

Confidentiality

The duty to protect personal and commercial information from unauthorised access, use or disclosure, allowing release only with consent or legal authority.

Privacy principles

Rules governing collection, use, storage, access and correction of personal information, including limiting collection to what is necessary for the stated purpose.

Active listening

A communication technique using paraphrasing, clarifying questions and non-verbal acknowledgement to confirm the speaker's meaning before responding.

Communication channel

The medium carrying a message, such as email, phone or face-to-face talk; choice affects speed, record-keeping and risk of misinterpretation.

Feedback loop

The receiver's response that confirms whether a message was understood, allowing the sender to correct or clarify the communication.

Equal employment opportunity

The principle that recruitment, promotion and training decisions rest on job-related merit, free from discrimination on protected personal attributes.

Workplace bullying

Repeated unreasonable behaviour directed at a worker that creates a risk to health and safety; a single incident is generally not bullying.

SMART goal

A goal stated as specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound, allowing progress and completion to be objectively checked.

Time management matrix

A prioritisation tool sorting tasks by urgency and importance, so effort goes to important work before it becomes urgent.

Action plan

A document listing tasks, responsible people, resources and due dates, used to convert a goal or meeting decision into tracked work.

Customer service standards

Documented expectations for response times, greeting scripts, accuracy and follow-up that staff must meet when serving internal or external clients.

Service recovery

The process of responding to a complaint by acknowledging it, apologising, resolving or escalating, and following up to restore client confidence.

Escalation

Referring an issue to a person with greater authority when it exceeds your delegation, expertise or the time allowed by service standards.

Records classification

Grouping documents by a consistent scheme such as client, date or function, so they can be retrieved, secured and disposed of according to policy.

Version control

A method of naming and tracking document revisions, recording date, author and changes, so staff use the current approved version.

Source document

The original record evidencing a transaction, such as a receipt, purchase order or invoice, used to verify entries in financial records.

Petty cash reconciliation

Counting remaining cash plus receipts and comparing the total to the float; any shortage or surplus must be explained and recorded.

Invoice

A document issued by a supplier stating goods or services provided, amount owing, payment terms and due date, triggering an accounts payable entry.

Agenda

The ordered list of items and timings for a meeting, circulated beforehand so participants can prepare and discussion stays on topic.

Minutes

The official record of a meeting, capturing decisions, motions and action items with owners and due dates rather than verbatim discussion.

Digital collaboration tool

Software such as shared calendars, messaging or cloud documents that lets staff coordinate tasks and edit files in real time across locations.

Sustainability practice

Workplace routines that reduce environmental impact, such as duplex printing, energy-saving settings, waste sorting and tracking consumption data.

Continuous improvement

The cycle of measuring performance against standards, identifying causes of gaps, testing changes and standardising what works.

Performance appraisal

A structured review comparing a worker's results and behaviours against agreed performance indicators, followed by feedback and development goals.