knowledge base draft evaluation report 20151027 · 1!! knowledge!base!evaluation!phase! contents!...
TRANSCRIPT
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ENVIRONMENTAL!HEALTH!AUSTRALIA!SA!KNOWLEDGE!BASE!
Evaluation!Report!
October!2015!
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Knowledge!Base!Evaluation!Phase!Contents!
1. Introduction!..........................................................................................................................................!3
2. Project!Description!...............................................................................................................................!3
3. Evaluation!Method!...............................................................................................................................!4
4. Process!Evaluation!................................................................................................................................!5
Website!Structure!....................................................................................................................................!5
Update!Process!.........................................................................................................................................!5
5. Impact!Evaluation!.................................................................................................................................!6
Use!by!the!Environmental!Health!Profession!...........................................................................................!6
Specific!Interests!of!the!Profession!for!Knowledge!Base!Content!............................................................!8
Profession!Interests!..............................................................................................................................!8
User!Interests!........................................................................................................................................!9
Needs!Expressed!and!Issues!Raised!....................................................................................................!10
6. Areas!of!Improvement!........................................................................................................................!12
Web!Pages!Structure!and!Components!..................................................................................................!12
Update!Process!.......................................................................................................................................!13
Strategic!Improvements!.........................................................................................................................!15
7. Conclusion!..........................................................................................................................................!16
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Figures!
Figure!1!Knowledge!Base!update!process!graph!.........................................................................................!4
Figure!2!Knowledge!Base!access!..................................................................................................................!6
Figure!3!General!Trend!of!Knowledge!Base!Access!.....................................................................................!7
Figure!4!Monthly!Access!for!2015!................................................................................................................!8
Figure!5!Knowledge!Base!Access!by!Section!................................................................................................!9
Figure!6!Tools!and!Documents!Used!............................................................................................................!9
Figure!7!Survey!Respondents!Position!.......................................................................................................!10
Figure!8!Knowledge!Base!UpYDate!Process!Updated!.................................................................................!15
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Tables!
Table!1!Areas!of!Improvement:!Web!Pages!Structure!and!Component!....................................................!12
Table!2!Areas!of!Improvement:!Update!Process!........................................................................................!13
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1. Introduction!The!Knowledge!Base!website!has!been!developed!by!Environmental!Health!Australia!(SA)!Incorporated!(EHA).!It!aims!to!gather!and!share!resources!and!tools!across!the!profession!and!has!been!developed!through!an!iterative!process.!EHA!has!undertaken!evaluation!research!to!assess!the!effectiveness!of!this!tool!and!its!impact!on!the!profession.!This!evaluation!was!a!useful!phase!for!increasing!EHA!members’!awareness!about!the!Knowledge!Base.!The!results!of!this!evaluation!are!presented!in!this!report.!
2. Project!Description!The!Knowledge!Base!website!was!first!established!in!2008!with!funding!support!from!the!Local!Government!Research!and!Development!Scheme!(LGR&DS).!EHA!has!produced!a!Knowledge!Base!site!consisting!of!policies,!procedures,!and!templates!and!links!to!relevant!resources!and!legislation.!The!key!objective!of!the!Knowledge!Base!is!to!facilitate!professional!standards!across!the!profession!and!Local!Government,!through!sharing!procedures,!resources!and!tools.!These!procedures!and!tools!can!be!adapted!and!badged!for!use!by!Councils.!The!site!can!be!regarded!as!a!knowledge!platform!managed!by!Environmental!Health!Professionals.!
This!project!has!continued!to!benefit!Environmental!Health!Professionals!across!metropolitan!and!regional!Councils!by:!
• Sharing!knowledge!and!advice.!
• Improving!efficiencies!through!shared!resources.!
• Providing!resources,!which!assist!in!the!training!and!induction!of!new!Environmental!Health!Professionals.!
The!Knowledge!Base!has!been!developed!through!an!iterative!process.!Recent!updates!(through!Phases!3!and!4!of!the!project),!have!focused!on:!
• Updating!the!tools!and!templates!section!of!the!website!as!well!as!developing!a!procedure!for!the!ongoing!maintenance!of!the!website.!
• Incorporating!workplace!safety!templates!for!the!profession!(Job!Safety!Analysis!templates).!
• Undertaking!a!legal!review!of!priority!documents.!
The!structure!of!the!site!was!recently!reviewed!and!the!information!on!the!Knowledge!Base!is!now!structured!according!to!EHA!Special!Interest!Groups!(SIGs):!Management,!Food,!Supported!Residential!Facilities,!Public!Health,!and!Waste!Water.!The!main!purpose!of!this!structure!is!to!offer!resources!to!EHA!Members!which!are!tailored!to!their!everyday!tasks!and!to!facilitate!the!update!process!of!the!site!through!the!involvement!of!the!SIGs.!The!update!process!is!detailed!is!summarised!in!Figure!1.!
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Figure'1'Knowledge'Base'update'process'graph'
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Continual!Improvement!is!a!key!principal!behind!the!project.!The!Evaluation!Phase!aimed!to!gather!and!analyse!feedback!from!users!in!order!to!assess!the!benefit!of!the!Knowledge!Base!for!the!profession!and!to!suggest!improvements.!
3. Evaluation!Method!
In!order!to!assess!the!appropriateness!and!effectiveness!of!the!Knowledge!Base!website,!the!evaluation!approach!was!been!divided!two!main!stages:!
• The!process!evaluation!which!aims!to!determine!whether!the!Knowledge!Base!project!has!been!implemented!as!it!has!been!designed!initially!(cf!Procedure!for!Knowledge!Base!Specifications!and!Maintenance).!
• The!impact!evaluation!which!aimed!to!determine!the!use!and!impact!of!the!Knowledge!Base!on!the!profession.!
The!outcome!evaluation,!which!aims!to!assess!the!long!term!impact!on!environmental!health!conditions!of!the!communities,!is!not!addressed!in!this!report.!
In!order!to!undertake!the!process!and!impact!evaluation,!data!has!been!collected!through!different!methods:!
Direct'Consultation!
The!four!EHA!(SA)!Special!Interest!Groups!(Management,!Food,!Supported!Residential!Facilities,!Public!Health,!and!Waste!Water)!were!consulted!in!order!to!gather!general!feedback!on!the!Knowledge!Base!in!relation!to!their!topic!interests.!The!material!shown!in!Appendix!1!was!used!for!this!purpose.!The!EHA!Support!Member!Officer!(SMO)!was!consulted!especially!in!relation!to!the!implementation!of!the!Knowledge!Base!update!process!(cf.!Figure!1).!
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Online'Survey'
The!survey!was!tailored!in!order!to!collect!feedback!about!the!level!of!awareness!and!accessibility!of!the!Knowledge!Base!as!well!as!appropriateness!of!the!tools!and!documents!provided!(cf.!Appendix!3)!The!online!survey!was!sent!to!each!EHA(SA)!member,!and!remained!online!for!6!weeks.!An!incentive!prize!was!organised!to!encourage!survey!participation.!
Statistical'Data'and'Website'Review'
In!order!to!collect!data!in!relation!to!the!frequency!of!web!page!access!and!user!interests,!data!from!Google!Analytic!were!gathered!and!analysed!(cf.!Appendix!2).!
4. Process!Evaluation!
Website!Structure!
Consultation!was!undertaken!with!each!SIG!and!an!online!survey!was!undertaken!to!obtain!feedback!on!the!website.!All!respondents!to!the!survey!indicated!that!they!considered!the!overall!structure!of!the!website!to!be!appropriate.!Feedback!obtained!at!the!SIG!meetings!supported!this!view.!However,!some!issues!were!mentioned:!
• The!feedback!icon!which!has!been!added!on!each!page!was!not!seen!by!some!users.!The!issue!might!be!linked!to!the!user!screen!size!and!the!fact!that!the!website!is!not!responsive.!
• Some!web!links!are!not!working,!and!especially!the!SA!Health!links.!It!was!specified!that!as!SA!Health!website!is!still!in!an!update!process,!it!may!explain!this!issue.!Some!LGA!websites!were!not!accessible!due!to!a!security!code!being!need!required.!Some!Quick!links!(SA!Health!and!LGA)!do!not!direct!to!the!right!page!and!need!to!be!checked.!
Further!review!of!the!webpages!and!analysis!of!the!statistical!data!of!the!website!indicated!that:!
• Although!without!any!content,!the!‘Latest!News’!page!has!been!visited!around!50!times!from!January!to!September!2015!(cf.!Figure!5).!
• The!layout!of!the!wastewater!page!needs!to!be!modified!in!order!to!improve!its!readability.!
Update!Process!
The!update!process!specified!in!the!Procedure!for!Knowledge!Base!Specifications!and!Maintenance!document!and!summarised!in!Figure!1,!relies!essentially!on!direct!feedback!provided!during!EHA!SIG!meetings.!The!feedback!icon!on!the!web!pages!can!also!be!used!to!suggest!improvements.!This!information!can!be!discussed!during!EHA!SIG!meetings.!The!EHA!Member!Support!Officer!(MSO)!may!assist!with!the!administrative!update!process!under!the!guidance!of!the!Project!Team!(cf.!Figure!1).!
This!update!process!has!been!evaluated!through!the!SIG!and!the!MSO!consultation.!With!the!exception!of!the!Management!and!the!SRF!SIGs,!the!SIGs!have!included!the!Knowledge!Base!as!item!
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in!their!Agendas!and!it!has!occasionally!generated!some!discussion.!Following!these!exchanges,!six!documents!have!been!reviewed!or!added!to!the!Knowledge!Base!since!the!beginning!of!this!year.!In!order!to!improve!the!update!process,!some!SIG!Convenors!suggested!to!review!their!Knowledge!Base!webpage!in!a!systematic!way!during!each!meeting.!
The!update!process!through!the!feedback!icon!does!not!seem!to!be!functional!as!the!MSO!has!not!received!any!feedback!from!the!feedback!icon.!This!fact!may!be!partly!explained!by!the!issue!described!in!the!previous!section.!
As!described!in!Figure!1,!the!MSO!can!consult!when!required!the!Project!Team!before!downloading!or!modifying!documents.!Although!this!kind!of!consultation!did!not!occur,!advice!from!the!EHA(SA)!coYpresidents!have!been!sought!for!some!of!the!documents.!According!to!the!MSO,!this!validation!process!appeared!to!be!efficient!and!appropriate.!If!required,!this!consultation!can!be!completed!by!seeking!advice!from!the!EHA(SA)!Board!during!their!usual!meetings.!
5. Impact!Evaluation!
Use!by!the!Environmental!Health!Profession!
The!SIG!consultations!show!that!members!were!satisfied!with!the!current!Knowledge!Base!version.!Although!the!survey!response!rate!remains!low!(15%!of!the!EHA!members),!it!appears!that!a!high!percentage!of!the!members!have!accessed!the!Knowledge!Base,!and!most!of!them!have!started!to!use!it!during!the!last!two!months!(cf.!Figure!2).!
Figure'2'Knowledge'Base'access'
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The!general!trend!of!Knowledge!Base!access!has!increased!over!the!last!two!years.!From!January!2014!to!September!2015,!the!increase!in!access!has!been!substantial!(Figure!3).!
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Figure'3'General'Trend'of'Knowledge'Base'Access'
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The!2015!monthly!access!detailed!in!Figure!4,!shows!the!page!views!and!hits.!As!hits!represent!requests!to!a!web!server!for!a!file!or!a!web!page,!the!number!reflects!the!files!downloaded!or!web!links!opened!by!users!on!the!Knowledge!Base!web!pages.!It!appears!that!access!correlates!with!communication!events!about!the!Knowledge!Base!among!the!profession!(i.e.!consultation!of!the!Management!Forum!and!other!SIGs,!online!survey).!
Despite!of!this!significant!growth!of!Knowledge!Base!access,!the!rate!of!professionals!who!have!not!accessed!the!website!remains!important!(30%,!cf.!Figure!2).!The!main!reasons!provided!by!users!were!either!that!they!did!not!know!about!the!website!or!they!found!its!access!difficult.!Following!the!MSO!consultation,!it!was!suggested!that!a!link!and!a!short!explanation!about!the!Knowledge!Base!should!be!included!in!the!welcome!letter!and!eYmail!to!new!EHA(SA)!members.!Considering!the!EHA(SA)!website!structure,!it!appears!difficult!to!increase!the!Knowledge!Base!website!accessibility!through!the!EHA(SA)!home!page.!However!a!link!could!be!included!under!‘Resources’!tab.!
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Figure'4'F'Monthly'Access'for'2015'
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Specific!Interests!of!the!Profession!for!Knowledge!Base!Content!
Profession!Interests!
Although!the!survey!indicates!that!100%!of!professionals!found!the!new!Knowledge!Base!structure!appropriate!for!their!everyday!work!(cf.!Appendix!3),!some!webpages!were!more!used!than!others.!Statistical!analysis!from!the!website!shows!that!the!food!section!is!the!most!used!with!a!record!of!hits!of!around!530!between!January!and!September!2015!(Figure!5)!followed!by!the!Wastewater!and!Public!Health!pages!and!then!the!Policies!and!Procedures!section.!This!trend!is!confirmed!by!the!online!survey!results!(cf.!Appendix!3).!It!is!worth!noting!that!the!Management!and!SRF!SIGs!did!not!have!the!Knowledge!Base!as!an!item!in!their!Agendas!and!these!pages!are!less!viewed.!With!around!50!visits,!the!Latest!News!page!seems!to!attract!users.!However!this!page!has!not!been!yet!completed.!The!survey!shows!that!among!the!tools!and!documents!the!more!used,!the!templates!are!the!more!popular.!The!guides!come!second!followed!by!the!protocols!and!procedures!(cf!Figure'6).!
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Figure'5'Knowledge'Base'Access'by'Section'
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Figure'6'Tools'and'Documents'Used'
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User!Interests!
25%!of!the!survey!respondents!work!in!rural!Councils.!Environmental!Health!Professional!with!varying!experience!completed!the!survey!(cf.!Figure!7).!
The!survey!results!show!no!major!differences!in!website!access!between!professionals!working!in!rural!and!urban!Councils.!Interests!in!the!themes!and!documents!offered!by!the!Knowledge!Base,!as!
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well!as!the!needs!expressed,!were!quite!similar!for!both!rural!and!urban!Council!professionals.!Nevertheless,!some!differences!were!noted!dependent!on!experience!and!position:!
• For!the!respondents!who!were!working!in!the!profession!for!more!than!6!years,!the!reason!given!for!not!accessing!the!Knowledge!Base!was!the!difficulty!to!access!it,!while!the!respondents!who!have!worked!less!than!2!years,!did!not!know!about!it.!
• Generally,!Managers!as!well!as!respondents!with!seniority!in!the!profession!have!started!to!use!the!Knowledge!Base!recently.!They!find!it!useful!and!use!the!whole!range!of!the!sections!and!documents!offered.!
Figure'7'Survey'Respondents'Position'
Needs!Expressed!and!Issues!Raised!
The!SIG!consultation!and!the!survey!raised!a!few!needs!and!issues!in!relation!to!the!tools!and!documents!on!the!Knowledge!Base.!The!members!suggested!to!add!some!more!resources!such!as:!
• A!link!to!the!Junction!Australia!hoarding!and!squalor!website.!
• Salisbury!Council!Home!Based!Business!Guidelines.!
• Additional!documents!on!Community!Wastewater!Management!Systems!risk!management!and!standard!conditions!for!wastewater!approval.!
• Additional!Workplace!Safety!Templates.!
• Water!Cooling!Inspection!Sheet.!
• Cases!studies!on!issues!Councils!have!to!dealt!with.!
• SA!Health!Bulletins!specific!for!EHOs!
• Induction!Guidelines!for!recent!graduates!!Although!legal!review!of!priority!documents!have!already!been!undertaken,!concerns!were!raised!about!the!legal!validity!of!some!documents,!such!as!the!Emergency!Notice.!Concerning!the!Workplace!Safety!Templates,!it!was!also!suggested!to!add!a!disclaimer!stating!that!the!documents!have!been!reviewed!by!consultants.!Some!modifications!on!documents!were!also!requested!(i.e.!add!in!Action!on!Default!Procedure!4.2.2!Expense!allocations!that!some!wastewater!works!are!exempt!from!GST).!It!was!also!often!mentioned!that!some!web!links!were!not!working.!Although!this!issue!may!be!explained!by!the!recent!upgrade!of!the!SA!Health!web!site.!Some!LGA!web!links!are!direct!to!secured!pages!and!are!inaccessible!(i.e.!SRF!license!application!or!transfer!form).!Furthermore,!LGA!and!SA!Health!Quick!Links!on!the!Knowledge!Base!Home!page!do!not!always!direct!to!the!right!pages.!
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The!SIG!Consultation!revealed!that!the!members!were!not!aware!of!some!recent!updates!(i.e.!occupational!health!and!safety!resources),!some!members!suggested!that!the!following!actions!should!be!undertaken!in!order!to!increase!awareness!and!readability!of!the!Knowledge!Base:!
• Add!on!each!web!page!some!short!introductions/summaries!which!explain!the!content!of!each!document!or!group!of!documents.!
• Inform!the!members!about!any!updates!on!the!different!webpages!or!keep!them!aware!of!what!they!can!find!in!the!Knowledge!Base.!For!this!purpose,!the!SIGs!suggested!that!regular!emails!should!be!sent!to!the!members.!It!was!specified!that!links!to!documents!updated!should!be!included!in!message.!In!addition,!the!‘Latest!News’!section!has!to!be!updated!regularly!and!should!mention!the!latest!modification!(note!that!the!‘Latest!News’!square!on!the!Knowledge!Base!home!page!might!be!colored!in!red!and!be!directly!connected!to!the!Latest!News!page).!
Finally,!it!is!worth!noting!that!the!survey!and!the!SIG!consultation!revealed!a!constant!need!of!keeping!the!Knowledge!Base!up!to!date!with!more!monitoring.!
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6. Areas!of!Improvement!!!
The!process!and!impact!evaluations!highlight!two!main!areas!of!improvement:!1)!the!webpages!structure!and!components,!2)!the!update!process.!!
Web!Pages!Structure!and!Components!
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The!SIG!consultation!and!the!survey!have!identified!some!structural!aspects!of!the!Knowledge!Base!website!that!can!be!improved!as!well!as!documents!and!tools!that!can!be!included!or!modified.!Details!of!these!improvements!are!summarised!in!the!table!below.!
Table'1'Areas'of'Improvement:'Web'Pages'Structure'and'Component'
Aspect'to'improve' Description' Comments' Resource'
Increase'the'Knowledge'Base'website'accessibility'
Increase!accessibility!of!the!Knowledge!Base!from!the!EHA(SA)!home.!
Considering!the!EHA(SA)!website!structure,!it!seems!difficult!to!include!a!link!on!the!home!page.!However,!a!Knowledge!Base!link!can!be!included!under!‘Resource’!tab.!
MSO/Project!Officer!and!IT!support!from!LGA!
Website'general'structure'
Investigate!upgrading!to!a!responsive!web!site!
This!would!enable!users!to!access!data!from!different!kind!of!screens!
IT!support!from!LGA,!MSO/Project!Officer!
Feedback'icon' Check!the!operation!function!of!the!feedback!icon!and!fix!any!issue!
Change!the!location!of!the!feedback!icons!and!check!the!email!address!linked!to!this!icon.!
IT!support!from!LGA!and!MSO/Project!Officer!
Quick'links'on'the'Knowledge'Base'home'page'
Link!SA!Health!and!LGA!quick!links!to!their!respective!home!pages!
Not!all!links!direct!to!correct!pages!
MSO/Project!Officer!
Web'links'under'the'different'Knowledge'Base'pages'
Check!every!link!in!the!different!thematic!pages!and!fix!them.!
Consider!regular!review!of!the!pages!in!order!to!check!the!web!links.!
Encourage!users!to!send!a!notification!to!the!MSO!when!web!links!are!not!working!properly!
Issues!have!been!especially!mentioned!for!SA!Health!web!links.!Other!links!such!as!LGA!secured!links!also!need!to!be!fixed.!
MSO/Project!Officer!
Latest'News'section' Latest!news!section!to! Reshape!the!‘Latest!News’! MSO/Project!
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be!reviewed.! square!located!on!the!home!page!(colored!it!in!red).!Correctly!connect!it!to!the!Latest!news!page.!
Officer!and!IT!support!from!LGA!
Improve'readability'of'the'different'sections'of'the'webpages'
Write!a!short!summary!for!each!document/group!of!documents!in!order!to!inform!users!of!their!content!
This!request!has!been!raised!during!SIG!consultation!
MSO/Project!Officer!
Improvement'of'specific'web'pages'
Improve!the!layout!of!the!Waste!water!page!
Modification!needed!to!enable!a!better!readability!
MSO/Project!Officer!and!IT!support!from!LGA!
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Update!Process!
The!value!and!use!of!the!Knowledge!Base!is!contingent!on!the!site!being!promoted!and!kept!up!to!date.!The!consultation!phase!reveals!various!areas!of!improvement!which!include!promotion!of!the!website!among!the!profession!especially!for!new!EHA(SA)!members.!Feedback!from!the!SIG!and!MSO!consultation!has!also!enabled!the!development!of!a!new!update!process!for!the!Knowledge!Base!(cf.!'
Figure!8).!This!new!process!is!based!on!a!systematic!review!of!the!Knowledge!Base!during!the!SIG!meetings,!regular!eYmails!to!inform!members!about!Knowledge!Base!updates,!and!efficient!validation!process!with!EHA(SA)!Board.!Details!of!the!improvement!needed!are!described!in!the!Table!below.!
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Table'2'Areas'of'Improvement:'Update'Process'
Aspect'to'improve' Description' Resource'
SIG'meetings' Add!the!Knowledge!Base!update!as!item!in!each!SIG!agenda.!
Review!the!Knowledge!Base!webpage!inherent!to!the!SIG!during!the!meeting!
SIG!convenors,!MSO/Project!Officer!
Validation'process'before'updating'the'website'
Implement!the!new!consultation!process!between!the!MSO!and!the!EHA(SA)!Board!(cf.!!
Figure!8)!in!order!to!validate!documents!and!tools!before!updating!the!website!
MSO/Project!Officer,!EHA(SA)!Board!
Inform'members'about' Keep!members!regularly! MSO/Project!Officer!
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Knowledge'Base'content'and'up'dates'
informed!about!the!Knowledge!Base!content!and!send!eYmail!to!members!each!time!a!page!is!up!dated!(insert!the!link!to!the!update!in!the!eYmail)!
Update'the'Latest'News'page'
Regularly!update!the!Latest!News!page!with!the!last!Knowledge!Base!modifications!
MSO/Project!Officer!
Inform'the'EHA(SA)'new'members'
Add!in!the!welcome!letter!and!email!an!short!introduction!of!the!Knowledge!Base!and!include!its!web!link!
MSO/Project!Officer!
Tool,'resource'and'web'links'updates'
Review!the!modification!requested!and!issues!raised!during!the!consultations!and!by!the!survey!(cf.!‘Needs!expressed!and!issues!raised’!in!part!6).!Update!the!website!based!on!these!request.!
Review!modifications!requested!after!each!SIG!meetings!
MSO/Project!Officer!
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Figure'8'Knowledge'Base'UpFDate'Process'Updated'
*The$MSO$can$generally$consult$the$EHA(SA)$Board$president(s)$directly,$and$can$consult$if$needed$the$whole$Board$during$their$usual$meetings$!
Strategic!Improvements!
The!evaluation!also!highlighted!some!strategic!level!improvement!opportunities:!!
• Marketing!and!promotion!on!the!Knowledge!Base!to!Environmental!Health!Professionals.!
• Involvement!of!representatives!from!EHA!(SA),!LGA,!SA!Health!and!Local!Government!in!a!strategic!annual!project!review.!
• Annual!strategic!level!review!and!discussion!with!EHA!Board.!
• Annual!legal!reviews!of!policies!and!procedures.!
• Sharing!of!the!Knowledge!Base!project!with!interstate!(EHA!National)!and!international!professionals.!!!!!!
Member!support!officer!
EHA!SIG!(during!SIG!meetings)!
EHA!Board!
Knowledge!Base!
EHA!Members!
Direct!
Feedback!
Email!last!updates!
Inform!new!members!
Feedback!icon!
Consultation!rate!tool!
Consultation*!Validation!
Advice!
Feedback!reports!
Consultation!
16!
!
7. Conclusion!Despite!a!few!technical!aspects!to!be!improved!on!the!web!site,!the!Knowledge!Base!is!seen!as!a!useful!and!appropriate!for!the!profession.!This!evaluation!highlights!that!Environmental!Health!Professionals!seek!documents!and!tools!to!be!shared!on!the!web!site!and!wish!to!be!informed!about!any!updates.!!
The!knowledge!sharing!approach!commenced!in!2014!and!has!begun!to!show!results!as!the!web!site!access!statistics!highlight!a!significant!increase!in!usage.!The!general!awareness!of!the!Knowledge!Base!project!has!increased!amongst!the!profession,!including!more!regular!discussions!on!the!project!during!SIG!meetings.!!
This!evaluation!indicates!that!the!Knowledge!Base!is!highly!relevant!for!the!profession.!The!different!sections!displayed!in!the!Knowledge!Base!are!accessed!and!the!range!of!tools!and!documents!offered!are!used!widely!by!Environmental!Health!Professionals.!
! !
17!
!
Appendix'A'F'Material'Used'During'SIGs'Meetings'
'Knowledge'Base'Evaluation'Phase'September!2015!
!Local'Government'Research'and'Development'Scheme'Grant''Recipient'–'Environmental'Health'Australia''Project'Management'–'Healthy'Environs'!Project'Summary'!The!key!objective!of!the!Knowledge!Base!is!to!facilitate!professional!standards!across!the!profession!and!Local!Government,!through!sharing!procedures,!resources!and!tools.!These!procedures!and!tools!can!be!adapted!and!badged!for!use!by!Councils.!! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Web!link:!http://www.lga.sa.gov.au/page.aspx?u=4194! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!The! Knowledge! Base! is! a! web! site! which! has! been! developed! through! an! iterative! process.! Recent!updates!(through!Phases!3!and!4!of!the!project),!have!focused!on:!
• Updating!the!tools!and!templates!section!of!the!website!as!well!as!developing!a!procedure!for!the!ongoing!maintenance!of!the!website.!
• Incorporating!workplace!safety!templates!for!the!profession!(Job!Safety!Analysis!templates).!• Undertaking!a!legal!review!of!priority!documents.!
'A'New'Structure'The!information!on!the!Knowledge!Base!is!now!structured!according!to!EHA!(SA)!Special!Interest!Groups!(SIGs):!
• Management!• Food!• Supported!Residential!Facilities!• Public!Health!• Waste!Water!
'Evaluation'Phase'The$continual$improvement$approach$is$a$key$project$element$for$maintaining$a$successful$professional$tool.$The$evaluation$phase$aims$to$gather$feedback$on$the$resource$from$Environmental$Health$Professionals$and$stakeholders.$The$evaluation$phase$involves$the$following$stages:$'
18!
!
!First'results'of'the'evaluation'
Statistical$data$from$the$Website$
!
!
First$survey$results$
• Access!to!the!Knowledge!Base!website!o 6/11!have!previously!accessed!the!KB!o More!often!accessed!during!the!last!2!months!o Reasons!for!not!accessing!it:!Did!not!know!about!it!or!difficult!to!access!
• Usefulness!and!appropriateness!of!the!Knowledge!Base!content!
Statistical$Analysis$
Online$Survey$
SIG$Consultation$
Evaluation$Report$
19!
!
o Sections!used!the!most!in!descending!order:!Food,!Policies/procedures!and!Public!Health!
o Tools!more!useful:!Guidelines!and!Templates!o Generally!appropriate!for!your!everyday!work!o Irrelevant!content:!None!except!Action!on!Default!Procedure!4.2.2!Expense!location!
• How!it!can!be!improved:!!o More!information!about:!
! CWMS!risk!management!! Standard!condition!for!wastewater!approval!! Domestic!Squalor!! Workplace!Safety!Templates!for!the!Profession!
o Keeping!up!to!date!with!more!monitoring/update!with!an!assigned!person!to!update!it!!
Knowledge'Base'update'process'
!!!
! !
20!
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Appendix'B'F'Website'Statistical'Data'Pages!viewed!from!January!2015!to!September!2015!
!
!
!
!
!
!
Page!Title!Page!views! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !!
!! Jan! Feb! Mar! Apr! May! Jun! Jul!Aug!
Sept!
Total!
!Home! 15! 19! 15! 18! 5! 18! 18! 11! 53! 119!
Contact!Us! 10! 1! 2! 1! 1! !! !! !! !! 15!
About! 32! 7! 7! 12! 1! 7! 14! 15! 11! 95!
Policies!and!Procedures! 25! 34! 24! 10! 11! 14! 15! 22! 34! 155!
!Portfolio,!Resources!&!Legislation! 25! 8! 9! 12! 7! 22! 7! 15! 22! 105!
EH!Management!! 40! 15! 7! 6! 4! 16! 10! 27! 26! 125!
Food!! 54! 48! 11! 27! 23! 40! 32! 22! 50! 257!
SRF! 32! 10! 3! 4! 7! 9! 7! 7! 16! 79!
Public!Health!! 47! 20! 15! 10! 9! 18! 22! 21! 50! 162!
!Waste!Water! 61! 12! 17! 14! 3! 28! 19! 24! 24! 178!
Latest!News! 14! 6! 7! 3! 1! 3! 10! 7! 11! 51!
Copyright!! 2! !! !! !! !! !! 2! !! !! 4!
Disclaimer!! 3! !! !! !! !! 1! 2! !! !! 6!
Privacy!! 2! !! !! !! !! !! 3! !! 1! 5!
Credits! 29! !! !! !! !! !! 3! !! !! 32!
!! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !!
!
Total! 391! 180! 117! 117! 72! 176! 164! 171! 298!138
8!
21!
!
Hits!from!January!2015!to!September!2015!
!
Pages!views!from!January!2014!to!September!2015!
Page!Title! Hits! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! ! !! !!
!! Jan! Feb! Mar! Apr! May! Jun! Jul! Aug! ! Sept! Total!
!Home! 23! 20! 15! 18! 5! 18! 20! 11! ! 63! 130!
Contact!Us! 13! 1! 2! 1! 1! 1! !! !! ! !! 19!
About! 43! 8! 7! 14! 1! 7! 14! 15! ! 12! 109!
Policies!and!Procedures! 41! 57! 32! 15! 19! 29! 24! 33!
!60! 250!
!Portfolio,!Resources!&!Legislation! 28! 8! 9! 12! 7! 22! 9! 15!
!27! 110!
EH!Management!! 59! 23! 8! 11! 6! 17! 16! 40! ! 44! 180!
Food!! 92! 83! 39! 54! 49! 117! 59! 33! ! 99! 526!
SRF! 52! 13! 4! 5! 12! !! 7! 12! ! 24! 105!
Public!Health!! 95! 31! 18! 12! 10! 20! 38! 32! ! 77! 256!
!Waste!Water! 130! 22! 33! 23! 6! 72! 49! 54! ! 71! 389!
Latest!News! 19! 6! 7! 3! 1! 3! 10! 7! ! 13! 56!
Copyright!! 3! !! !! !! !! !! 2! !! ! !! 5!
Disclaimer!! 4! !! !! !! !! !! 2! !! ! !! 6!
Privacy!! 2! !! !! !! !! !! 3! !! ! 1! 5!
Credits! 29! !! !! !! !! 19! 3! !! ! !! 51!
!! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! ! !!
!Total! 633! 272! 174! 168! 117! 325! 256! 252! ! 491! 2197!
22!
!
!
! !
Jan$Mar'2014Apr$Jun'2014Jul$Sep'2014Oct$Dec'2014Jan$Mar'2015Apr$Jun'2015Jul$Sep'2015
Page'TitlePolicies'and'Procedures'$'Knowledge'Base':'South'Australia 8 202 89 69 83 36 71'Latest'News'$'Knowledge'Base':'South'Australia 4 19 29 7 28'About'$'Knowledge'Base':'South'Australia 3 24 24 39 47 20 70Portfolios'$'Knowledge'Base':'South'Australia 3 30 22 42EHA'$'Home'$'Knowledge'Base':'South'Australia 1 23 22 128 48 41 82Copyright'$'Knowledge'Base':'South'Australia 2Disclaimer'$'Knowledge'Base':'South'Australia 1Management'$'Knowledge'Base':'South'Australia 137Environmental'Health'Management'$'Knowledge'Base':'South'Australia 129 62 26 65Food'$'Knowledge'Base':'South'Australia 50 113 90 108Supported'Residential'Facilities'$'Knowledge'Base':'South'Australia 41 46 20Waste'Water'$'Knowledge'Base':'South'Australia 38 90 45 69Portfolio,'Resources'&'Legislation'$'Knowledge'Base':'South'Australia 31 41 44Public'Health'$'Knowledge'Base':'South'Australia 82 37 93Credits'$'Knowledge'Base':'South'Australia 29
Total 19 298 189 662 642 363 630
23!
!
Appendix'C'F'Online'Survey'and'Responses'
Online!Survey!Form!
!
!
24!
!
!
25!
!
!
!
26!
!
!
!
!
27#
#
Online#Survey#Responses#Responses#from#the#survey.#The#Survey#was#online#for#6#weeks#and#sent#3#times#to#the#179#EHA(SA)#members#
#
#
TimestampHave you previously accessed the Knowledge Base?
Did you access it during the last Which sections have you used the most? What tools/documents have you found more useful?
Is the Knowledge Base structure appropriate for your every day work?
Have you noticed any issues or irrelevantcontent in the Knowledge Base? How do you think the Knowledge Base could be improved?
What has stopped you from accessing and using the Knowledge Base? Organisation
How many years have you worked in the Environmental Health profession? Name Position
8/31/2015 13:44:47 Yes 2 months Policies and Procedures, Waste Water Templates Yes No not yet
I realise it is more than likely resourcing but more informationneeds to be added in relation to CWMS Risk Management Plans Drinking water legislation and the new Public Helath Act 6-10 Respondant 1
8/31/2015 13:45:54 Yes 2 months Food, Public Health Guidelines, Templates, Fact sheet Yes
More information could be included in the Domestic Squalor tab, i.e. the Severe Domestic Squalor Assessment Scale and the LGA General Duty assessment are good resources for this topic. 0-2 Respondant 2
Enviromental Health Officer
8/31/2015 13:46:42 Yes 12 months Management, Food Guidelines, Templates No, seems to have covered all areas well. I think it is really good, just keeping it up to date with any changes. Mount Barker District Council 6-10 Respondant 3Manager Health and Public Safety
8/31/2015 13:48:14 Yes 2 years Policies and Procedures, Public HealthLegislation, Guidelines, Case Studies, Protocoles/Procedure, Templates, Fact sheet Yes
Help keep continuity within Local Gov. when it comes to decision making.
Keeping up with the times with changes to Legislation and public opinion . City of Holdfast Bay . +10 Respondant 4
Manager Regulatory Services .
8/31/2015 13:58:24 Yes 2 months Policies and Procedures, Food Templates Yes No
By having an assigned responsible person familiar with the information to ensure the content is always kept up to date and relevant. City of Holdfast Bay 6-10 Respondant 5 EHO
8/31/2015 14:12:02 No I didn't know about it Eastern Health Authority 0-2 Respondant 6Environmental Health Officer
8/31/2015 15:49:35 No Difficult to access southern mallee +10 Respondant 7manager environment & Planning
8/31/2015 16:05:38 No Difficult to access +10 Respondant 89/1/2015 8:21:29 No Difficult to access +10 Respondant 9 EHO
9/1/2015 10:27:07 Yes 6 months Public Health Templates Yes I haven't used it overly much as I keep forgetting that its there. DC Grant 6-10 Respondant 10Environmental Health Manager
9/1/2015 12:18:15 Yes 2 monthsPolicies and Procedures, Management,Food, Waste Water Protocoles/Procedure, Templates, Approval Condition Yes
Action on Default Procedure 4.2.2 Expense allocations - it should be noted that some wastewater works are except from GST
additional standard conditions should be created for Wastewater Approvals for example - where a building is being demolished and a new property built the existing septic needs to bedecommissioned and removed/filled in - create a standard state wide condition DC Mount Remarkable +10 Respondant 11 EHO
9/3/2015 15:09:42 Nodidn't have what I was looking for. On the new site many of the links in food and wastewater say page not available. Not encouraging . Alexandrina Council 0-2 Respondant 12
Envinronmental Health Support Officer
9/3/2015 15:50:37 Yes 2 months Food Templates Yes +10 Respondant 13 Environmental Health Officer9/9/2015 9:44:54 Yes 2 months Public Health, Waste Water Templates Yes Not particularly, no. Perhaps more regular monitoring/updating in future. Barossa Council +10 Respondant 14
Senior EHO/Food Safety Auditor
9/9/2015 20:21:52 No I didn't know about it 0-2 Respondant 15 student looking for work9/24/2015 16:22:25 Yes 6 months Food, Public Health Guidelines, Templates, Fact sheet Yes Playford Council 3-5 Respondant 16 Environmental Health Officer9/24/2015 16:36:17 Yes 2 years Policies and Procedures Guidelines, Protocoles/Procedure Yes City of Holdfast Bay . +10 Respondant 17 Mnager Regusltory Services.9/28/2015 13:17:22 Yes 2 months Supported Residential Facilities Legislation, Guidelines Yes City of Charles Sturt 3-5 Respondant 18 Environmental Health Officer
9/30/2015 14:59:49 Yes 2 months Food, Waste Water Guidelines, Protocoles/Procedure, Templates Yes Some links don't work
Perhaps add a section catered to recent graduates about everyday job requirements. Information like the importance of keeping a notebook and the correct way to write in it to make it a legal document. These are important practical that things they don't teach you at university. Flinders University Student 0-2 Respondant 19 Student
10/12/2015 14:50:05 Yes 2 yearsPolicies and Procedures, Management,Food, Public Health Legislation, Case Studies, Protocoles/Procedure Yes No Rural City of Murray Bridge +10 Respondant 20
Manager Health/Building & Compliance
10/12/2015 14:52:27 No
from a large council with relevant resources mostly easily available there; no need. Noticed just now though that there is a local security glitch that is preventing download of documents from the website - so that's a discouragment City of Onkaparinga 3-5 Respondant 21 EH)
10/12/2015 14:59:32 Yes 6 months Food, Public Health, Waste Water Legislation, Guidelines, Templates Yes No
Email updates. Much like online shopping websites have. For example a weekly update with information about what's new on the website. Or perhaps reminders as to what we can find on there. City of Charles Sturt Council 0-2 Respondant 22 Environmental Health Officer
10/12/2015 15:09:17 Yes 12 months Food Templates Yes CC Sturt +10 Respondant 23 EHO
10/12/2015 15:56:45 Yes 2 months Food, Public Health Templates Yes
Templates are useful however I recently visited the site to obtained a template for food seizure notices but there is no template or guidelines available. This would be very useful. EHA +10 Respondant 24 Team Leader - EH
10/12/2015 15:59:04 Yes 6 months Policies and Procedures Protocoles/Procedure, Templates YesCan we include all of the SA Health bulletins that they publish specific for EHO's? City of Onkaparinga +10 Respondant 25 Team Leader community Health
10/12/2015 16:09:05 Yes 2 months Policies and Procedures, Food, Public Health Legislation, Guidelines, Templates Yes N/A
Case studies on various issues council has had to deal with would be interesting. It would help other councils out if they were ever to be in a similar position another council has been in, and can be used as guidelines City of Unley 0-2 Respondant 26 Environmental Health Officer
10/12/2015 16:19:33 No I didn't know about it 0-2 Respondant 27 student looking for work