A workplace health and safety qualification is an important criteria and prerequisite mainly in the construction and trades, agriculture and engineering industries. Each Australian state has its own workplace health and safety legislations and certifications, though the variations may be minimum and convertible when moving between states.
Licensing, training and assessment in your state and territory
WorkSafe Victoria, WorkCover, and NTWorkSafe are some of the state agencies in-charge of the Health and Safety Act in their states. The agencies also oversee licensing, training and assessment for workplace health and safety in their respective states.
Before individuals and businesses undertake construction and high-risk activities such as demolition, using heavy equipment or hazardous chemicals, they may be required by the regulatory agencies to obtain a permit.
These agencies will then assess that the individuals or businesses hold valid licenses, certificates of competency and are undertaken by trained personnel. The agencies also ensure that code of practices for a comprehensive material safety data sheet (MSDS) is adhered to.
These workplace health and safety agencies are also the peak bodies which approve safety training courses by Registered Training Organisations (RTOs). Approved and licensed RTOs offer nationally recognised courses as the construction induction training courses, electrical safety courses and forklift training courses.
The RTOs will assess your performance, skills and knowledge in a stimulated environment before issuing you with the valid license.
Interstate mobility for workplace health & safety courses
Most workplace health and safety agencies recognise valid construction induction cards, also known as white cards, blue cards or red cards across the various states and territories. However, it is always important to verify with your employer and workplace safety and health agency on the validity of your workplace health and safety qualification or certification.