There is no single “mandatory training list” in Australian Work Health and Safety law and that is where many businesses get caught out.
Under WHS legislation, Employers (PCBU’s) must ensure that workers are provided with information, training, instruction and supervision necessary to protect them from the risks arising from the work. The key word is necessary. Training becomes mandatory when it is required to control a risk.
In practice, this means WHS must be provided when:
A worker is new to a role or workplace
New hazards, equipment or substances are introduced
A task carries a risk that can not be eliminated without training
Legislation, a Code of Practice or a regulator specifically requires it
Common examples of training that is effectively mandatory in most workplaces include:
WHS induction training
Manual handling training
Hazard and incident reporting
Emergency procedures
PPE use and limitations
Task-specific training (e.g. chemicals, plant or working at heights)
The test is simple:
If a workers could be harmed without training, then training is mandatory.
WHS Training Requirements for Small Businesses
Small businesses often believe that WHS training only applies to “big companies”. That assumption is wrong and regulators will not accept it as an excuse.
In Australia, WHS duties apply regardless of the business size. A business with one worker has the same primary duty of care as one with a thousand or more employees, however what does change is the scale and complexity of training.
For small businesses, WHS should focus on:
having a Basic WHS induction
focusing on the specific hazards of the work being done
Using safe work procedures for common tasks
Teaching workers how to report hazards and incidents
Preparing workers for Emergency situations
Training does not need to be excessive or expensive or overly technical. It does need to be:
Relevant to the work
Easy to understand
Kept up to date
Recorded
Regulators consistently take action against small businesses not because they lacked systems but because they failed to train workers in obvious risks.
When you provide simple, targeted training that is done properly, it is enough to meet legal expectations.
There is no single “mandatory training list” in Australian Work Health and Safety law and that is where many businesses get caught out.
Under WHS legislation, Employers (PCBU’s) must ensure that workers are provided with information, training, instruction and supervision necessary to protect them from the risks arising from the work. The key word is necessary. Training becomes mandatory when it is required to control a risk.
In practice, this means WHS must be provided when:
