As an OHS and Training Coordinator in industry Justine Walde says strong workplace safety is about ensuring employees feel confident when they arrive at work and that they arrive home without injury.
“From the Board and management team to the shop floor, safety is for everyone,” she says.
Justine completed the six-month, part-time BSB41419 Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety course at Holmesglen, a Free TAFE course for eligible students.
For employers, the course is suitable for workers who contribute to work health and safety (WHS), legislative frameworks and compliance.
While for workers, like Justine, the course can give students strong working knowledge of current work health and safety management systems and risk management.
“The industry is growing; the legislation is requiring more from businesses.
“Businesses must be across health and safety risks. They cannot ignore them. They must be actively eliminating or reducing risks.”
As WHS laws and compliance in Australia expand, the need for qualified safety managers, supervisors and coordinators remains key to keeping workers safe.
Graduates of Holmesglen’s course also play a role in helping organisations manage their reputational risks by advocating for strong, people-centered safety and wellbeing practices.
According to Safe Work Australia’s 2021 statistics, there were over 120,000 serious work-related and injury and disease claims between 2019-20.
How a work health and safety course can help business and workers
A work health and safety course can upskill, reskill or train workers from any industry.
Whether it is a manual, practical or clerical job, safety is important to all employees, organisations and sectors.
The BSB41419 Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety course covers:
- Workplace incident response
- Applying correct legislative frameworks
- Compliance
- OHS consultation
“Investing in health and safety training saves a business money.
“A lot of my work is refining, reviewing and streamlining tools and processes.
“It’s about empowering people to raise issues and take some responsibility for their own health and safety and raise the profile of health and safety across the business.
“I need to be across legislation and compliance codes and know what’s required. Everything we covered in the work health and safety course, I have put into practice in my daily work,” Justine explains.
