Occupational Health and Safety Resources

Things that need to be considered when deciding whether to take the Certificate IV or Diploma course:

• What experience and knowledge do I already have?
• What are the job roles that I wish to pursue?

Certificate IV in OHS is the minimum requirement that most large organisations require for you to work in a dedicated role as an OHS officer. OHS officers are generally "out and about" doing training sessions, (eg. tool box talks) observing workplace practices, and reviewing current work practices to ensure compliance with Legislation.

Generally the objectives of this type of job role are to:

• Help develop, implement, maintain and review Occupational Health & Safety practices and procedures.
• Effectively manage implementation and maintenance of SafeWork Procedures, Job Safety Analysis and Risk Assessments for the organisation.

The Diploma of OHS is the qualification for the OHS manager who has a very thorough working knowledge of OHS and relevant legislation within their industry. This role is a little more "hands off".

OHS managers are generally in more of a strategic role within an organisation and while still being in an OHS dedicated role, more time is spent in the office than out and about. OHS officers would commonly report to the OHS manager.

Generally the objectives of this type of job role are to:

• To develop, implement and maintain a strategic and comprehensive Occupational Health & Safety Management System which is inclusive of Injury Prevention, Incident Investigation and Plant Management.
• In addition to coordinating the day to day operations of the Occupational Health & Safety Department, the OH&S Manager is responsible for the auditing and reporting of OH&S systems and policy and performance compliance to OHS Legislation.

Check out some OHS jobs!

I live in QLD-WA-VIC-NSW-NT-SA-Anywhere. Is this course going to apply to my state?

Absolutely. Our OHS courses are nationally recognised. Your assessment activities will ask you to investigate your individual situation.

One of the recommendations from the National Report in Model OHS LAWS- Second Report is that -"The model Act should provide that persons conducting a business or undertaking must, where reasonably practicable, employ or engage a suitably qualified person to provide advice on health and safety matters. The qualifications of persons providing such advice should be addressed in the regulations."

At this stage the Cert IV and Diploma in OHS are the only Nationally Recognised Qualifications for the OHS practitioner.

I have completed some courses in OHS in the past/have experience working within OHS systems; can I seek Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)?

Yes you can seek RPL. Simply ask your enrolment coordinator for the Student RPL Package. The Student RPL Package is designed to take you step-by-step through the requirements for applying for RPL.

OHS Daily News

OHS daily news covers all the overnight news from around Australia and New Zealand and a list of all new OHS Executive Positions available.

You can subcribe online here.

You can download the subscription form here.

OHS Legislation

The new occupational health and safety (OHS) reform agenda aims to harmonise OHS legislation across Australia and reduce the incidence of workplace death, injury and disease.

Currently all states, territories and the Commonwealth are responsible for making and enforcing their own OHS laws. Although these draw on a similar approach for regulating workplaces, there are some differences in the application and detail of the laws.

For the first time, governments from each state and territory and the Commonwealth have formally committed to the harmonisation of OHS legislation.

Read about the Model OHS Legislation or for information visit SafeWork Australia.