“Health and Safety Training?”
“Training for what?”
“Training for whom?”
“Where do I get training?”

If you’re reading this type of site, the chances are you already have the first element required for safety. Regardless of the application you use, the knowledge without the primary element, all else you attempt will sound hollow and fall on deaf ears. Without PASSION all the training and knowledge under the sun will prove ineffective. Rarely can a person relay a convincing message or engaging information sessions without revealing the passion they hold for the subject.

So one would assume that for you as an individual to have entered this article you have a passion for safety on some level.

Congratulations, my friend!

One thing will be sure, aware of it or not, your passion for safety will provide another with the tolls or information to make a difference to the safety of another. Realistically that’s the bottom line for all safety persons. To attempt to make a difference and ensure the safety of at least ONE other. And if it is only ONE then it has been a worthwhile journey.

Health & Safety Training can range from expanding your general knowledge for personal gain, to a professional requirement, and all levels in between. Four areas of interest in this article are restricted to:

• General Interest
• The new Workplace Rep.
• Mandatory Training
• The Newbie to the Profession

From these areas the “Professional Safety Individual” officially “titled a range of things” (depending upon the industry training) can take a number of roads. This area can be varying in depth and complexity and will be examined at a later date.

General Interest in H&S Training

Why the interest? Who cares? You do – and that’s enough.

In this time of information revolution gaining access to information is a relatively simple task. Safety information can be obtained from almost any street corner or newsagent at least. But is it reliable and concise? One would hope so in this environment of litigation. Safety information can be obtained from the common press, magazines, product advertising, local libraries, internet, private business and government offices, just to name a few. Are these people being”trained” in safety?

When an individual is given the opportunity to expand the level of knowledge through providing information regardless of the subject matter, isn’t that “training” the mind?

A general interest in training should cover the basics of Risk Assessment and Hazard Identification.

The new Workplace Rep.

Congratulations on the selection of your new WH&S Representative.

As a new WH&S Representative you have a number of tasks you can perform for your group. However as a volunteer you are under no obligation to perform these if you choose not to.

I recommend reading information available on the following sites;

1. Workplace Health and Safety Qld
2. OHS Reps at Work

But be warned. There is a vast amount of information available from your local library or electronically. This can be disconcerting to the new comer. At first remain focused on what is important to your work situation and relevant to your circumstances. This will reduce the confusion until you have a better understanding of what is important to you. Then once comfortable with the material and subject matter, branch out and explore what’s happening in other areas of safety. This can often impact on your work place as well.

Mandatory Training

Mandatory training is often a requirement in a number of professions to maintain the competencies required for your profession. It is the responsibility of the individual to ensure the competencies are maintained. Depending upon your workplace, management may play a key role in ensuring this takes place. It is often a question asked of the WH&S Rep, so for all concerned knowledge of where to obtain the training in your area could be an advantage. This information can be obtained from your local “Recognised Training Providers” in your area. This could include your local TAFE, Registration Authority or Telephone Book.

The Newbie to the Profession

As a newbie to the world of SAFETY it can be a huge shock to the system. The amount of information required, sources available, reliability of information, relevance to your situation, and just plain language it is written in can be enough to make you quit before you start. Please don’t. There can be a lot of satisfaction from taking on this role as well. At least that’s what I have found. It can be thankless, prickly and not pleasing for everyone. A lot of what I do doesn’t get seen from the front line. But in the end, it’s nice to know I have done my bit to ensure my mates make it home in one piece to their families at night, and so do I.