The recent collapse of a crane at Wolli Creek, highlights the many
reasons your business needs to make sure your entire workforce are fully compliant with WH&S Training (a White Card course) regulations. Ensuring your workforce is fully up-to-date with their WH&S training will minimise the after effects of an accident on;
- your workforce
- your company
- the community
Protect Your Workforce
In reaction to a steep increase of construction worksite accidents and fatalities (45 fatalities in 2007), Safe Work introduced WH&S training (a White Card course).
The White Card course aims to protect all personnel working on a construction site from work-related injuries and fatalities. SafeWork NSW requires construction companies to only employ staff who have accredited โWork Safely In The Construction Industry Trainingโ. The training is designed to make management and staff aware of the specific hazards and risks of working within the construction industries.
Successful WH&S training means that each member of your businessโs personnel who regularly enter a construction site must;
- have passed all requirements and units of a White Card course provided by a Registered Training Organisation โ Training Aid is a registered RTO
- be carrying their White Card
- have up-to-date WH&S training accreditation
SafeWork NSW states people who need to have successfully attended a white card course include:
- site managers, supervisors, surveyors, labourers and tradespeople
- people who access operational construction zones (unaccompanied or not directly supervised by an inducted person)
- workers whose employment causes them to routinely enter operational construction zones.
Protect Your Company
All major accidents, such as the crane collapse at Wolli Creek, are investigated by SafeWork NSW to find out exactly how the accident has occurred and if the accident is a result of negligible practises. If your construction company is involved in an accident and subsequently is found to have staff onsite without WH&S accreditation it can be found libel to;
- be fined for up to $825,000
- in some extreme cases individuals can find themselves jailed
Not only would your companyโs balance sheet be affected, just imagine what the bad publicity could do to your trading reputation.
Community Protection
It was simply luck the crane collapse didnโt cause a high number of injuries or even fatalities. The crane was not manned at the time of the accident, the damage which occurred to the apartment tower it fell on did not cause major injuries, and the train line which was also affected didnโt result in any reportable incidents.
However, the Wolli Creek apartment tower the crane collapsed on was the home of around 200 people, and as we all know, Sydneyโs train lines can be extremely busy. Realistically an accident of this type could easily be quite catastrophic.
Of course, White Card courses only offer entry level site induction. But ensuring all your personal WH&S training could reduce the catastrophic after effects on your company, workforce and community after an accident has occurred.
If your workforce doesnโt have up-to-date WH&S (White Card Training) you could be placing them, your business and the wider community at risk. Contact our professional consultants at Training Aid for more information about our White Card Course and for Discounts for Group Training we offer.
*This blog is general in nature and is ONLY meant to give readers an overview of the subject matter. Do NOT rely on this information for your specific needs. If you are planning to attend one of Training Aidโs courses, we highly recommend that you contact either a company you are seeking employment with, or professional recruiters concerning your SPECIFIC requirements.
