Under Section 21(2)(e) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act the employer must provide adequate information, instruction, training and supervision to employees so that they can work in a way that is safe and without risks to health. Note that this duty is NOT limited by 'so far as is reasonably practicable' - it is an absolute duty.
The employer must therefore ensure that all new workers - whether newly employed, or new to the work site - are provided with training, sometimes referred to as 'Induction Training'. There are a number of topics which need to go into a general OHS induction session:
- OHS Legislation: Overview of the OHS Act, including duties of all parties; consultative arrangements (the OHS reps and the committees); key regulations and codes of practice (those which are most relevant for your workplace)
- workplace policies and procedures (including the bullying/harassment policy; procedures to report hazards, incidents, injuries, and near misses; equal opportunity; hazardous substances; etc)
- what are the Designated Work Groups and who the OHS reps are
- major potential hazards in the workplace, potential effects, how to identify them, and how they are controlled in the workplace
- first aid arrangements, including who the first aiders are
- emergency evacuation procedures
- brief workers' comp and rehab rights
Obviously on top of this, each worker will require training specific to their job to ensure that they can do the job in a healthy and safe manner and know all the relevant procedures and so on.
Employers should also ensure that all workers know what to do when an emergency occurs, and be able to evacuate in an emergency. This requires regular training and drills.
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Click here to download our Safety Induction Checklist resource. Use this induction checklist to see if your employer has covered everything in your induction. |
WorkSafe has removed its guidance on Employee Health and Safety Training from its website, and has very little useful information. However, check the following: Training checklist for young workers (Archved)
And from Work Safe WA: a 23 minute film New to the Job which can be used as part of an induction program for new workers.
See also advice on this site on Young Workers.
Last amended July 2022