What OSH training must employers provide to workers in Australia?

There is no fixed national syllabus or minimum number of hours. Under the model Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws the person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) must provide the information, training, instruction and supervision needed to protect people from the risks of the work, in a form they can understand. Specific regulations then add mandatory courses, cards and licences for particular work.

Short answer

• General duty: section 19(3)(f) of the WHS Act and regulation 39: training must suit the work, its risks and the controls, and be readily understandable (language, literacy).
• Construction: general construction induction training before any construction work (regulation 317), often called the "white card".
• High risk work: a high risk work licence for classes such as scaffolding, dogging and rigging, cranes, forklifts and boilers (regulation 81, Schedule 3).
• Health and safety representatives (HSRs): on request, a regulator-approved initial course of 5 days and 1 day of refresher training each year, chosen by the HSR, with paid time off within 3 months of the request and fees paid by the PCBU (section 72, regulation 21).
• Hazard-specific: for example PPE use, confined spaces, hazardous chemicals, asbestos and crystalline silica.
• Victoria has an equivalent general duty to provide information, instruction, training and supervision (OHS Act 2004, section 21(2)(e)).

The general duty in practice

The law does not prescribe topics or hours for routine OSH training, unlike Türkiye's training regulation. Instead the PCBU must judge what is "suitable and adequate" having regard to the nature of the work, the risks at the time, and the controls in place (regulation 39). That normally means:

• a site induction covering hazards, emergency procedures, incident and hazard reporting, consultation arrangements and who the HSRs are;
• task training on safe work procedures, plant and PPE before the worker does the task, and supervision until competent;
• refresher or retraining when procedures, plant or risks change, or when monitoring or incidents show the training is not working.

Consultation with workers is required when deciding the procedures for providing information and training (WHS Act, section 49).

Training and licences named in the regulations

High risk work licences are issued by the regulator after training and assessment against the qualifications in Schedule 4. Asbestos removal work also requires licensing of the business and trained workers.

Comparison with the EU and Türkiye

The EU Framework Directive 89/391/EEC requires adequate training at recruitment, transfer, new equipment or technology, repeated periodically where necessary. In Türkiye, Article 17 of Law No. 6331 requires training before work starts, on a change of job, workplace or equipment and at regular intervals, and the training regulation made under it fixes minimum hours and renewal periods by hazard class. Australia defines the outcome and names specific licences instead.

Common mistakes

• Assuming an overseas qualification replaces an Australian high risk work licence.
• Delivering induction only in English to workers who cannot follow it; the law requires training to be readily understandable.
• Refusing an HSR's chosen approved course because of cost; the PCBU must pay.

Related on excodex

• Occupational safety and health in Australia: law, authorities and employer duties
• Is a safety committee or a worker safety representative required in Australia?
• Must an employer in Australia appoint a safety professional or an occupational physician?

Standards and further reading

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth), sections 19 and 72: https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2011A00137/latest/text
• Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011 (Cth), regulations 21, 39, 42, 44, 76, 81, 316 to 317, 379, 529CD: https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2011L02664/latest/text
• Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic), section 21: https://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/in-force/acts/occupational-health-and-safety-act-2004
• Law No. 6331 on Occupational Health and Safety (Türkiye), Article 17

This article is general occupational safety and health information prepared by the excodex editorial team. It does not replace the applicable legislation, standards, manufacturers' instructions or the assessment of a competent OSH professional or occupational physician.