For informal training to be effective, the supervisor or experienced worker needs to undertake trainer-training to develop the skills to train others in the workplace.
Informal training
The role of the supervisor or experienced worker
Another important provider of training may be a supervisor or experienced worker who has skills and knowledge in health and safety. Such a person can provide information and training to others at work.
For this informal training to be effective, the supervisor or experienced worker needs to undertake trainer- training to develop the skills to train others in the workplace.
Your local TAFE college, private training providers and the trade unions may offer trainer-training courses which generally run for 3 to 5 days.
When do people need health and safety training?
The need for health and safety training at work is continuous. As circumstances at work change, there will always be the need to ask the questions:
n How does this change affect health and safety?
n What health and safety instruction and training do I need to provide now?
Typical times when you need to ask these questions are:
n whenever you take on someone new at work - health and safety is an important part of induction training
n whenever you buy new machinery or equipment or new substances such as cleaning materials, chemicals, paints and so on
n whenever people's jobs change n whenever you change the layout
of your work environment
n whenevertherearenewhealth and safety regulations, standards or laws that affect your industry
n if there has been an accident, injury or health and safety incident at work
How do you select the training that meets your needs?
First, you need to make decisions about the amount of money and time you want to invest in training.
It is useful to ask other employers what they think of the health and safety training providers they have used. You may also want to ask training providers about how flexible they can be and what sort of service they can provide to you.
Types of formal training courses
Licence or certificate courses
Certain jobs require an operator to hold an officially recognised certificate or licence to do tasks like operating a steam boiler, driving a crane or working as a dogman on a construction site.
Training for these certificates or licences in most States and Territories is provided by an accredited trainer and assessment is carried out by a qualified assessor.
Assessmentcantakeplaceeitheratworkoraplacewheretrainingisconducted(eg a skills centre). The health and safety organisation in your State or Territory can advise you on these training programs.
Accredited and approved courses
Courses like introductory training courses for health and safety representatives are classified as accredited under legislation. Some States and Territories use the term approved for these courses. Courses for managers and supervisors may also be classified as accredited in some States and Territories.
Accredited and approved courses have to meet certain criteria determined by the relevant Commonwealth, State or Territory health and safety authorities.
Short courses
Short courses are usually designed for a specific group of people such as operators of equipment, employees, managers and supervisors. The most common types of short courses are:
• general introductory courses on topics such as hazard management
• management and supervisory training courses on legal obligations and
managing health and safety in the workplace
• courses on specific issuessuch as hazardous substances, manual handling, confined spaces and workplace ergonomics
• courses for employees with non-English-speaking backgrounds giving a general introduction to basic health and safety principles
Vocational and professional courses
Traineeship and apprenticeship courses normally include health and safety modules as part of the course.
There are also 2 to 4 year health and safety courses for training health and safety professionals and managers. These courses usually involve part-time study at a college or university over 2 to 4 years and result in a qualification in health and safety.