Workplace Health and Safety Short Course
Overview
Does my school/workplace need a trained WHSO?
Who should be nominated to be our school WHSO?
What is Re-certification?
Course Costs
How to register
Why complete an EQ course rather than a public course?
What do participants say about the course?
Health and Safety Management during 2011 - WHSO issue
Health and Safety Management during 2011 - WHSO issue 
61k - a factsheet regarding department's approach to health and safety management during the current legislative transition.
Thank you for enquiring about the workplace health and safety courses provided by the Department of Education and Training (DET) Organisational Health Unit (OHU).
You may be aware that there will be changes to the workplace health and safety legislation, effective from January 2012. In order to incorporate these changes into our courses, our department is postponing all further WHSO, WHSO recertification and Workplace Health and Safety Representative Courses during 2011.
New courses that incorporate the legislative changes will be available from early 2012 to WHSOs and Workplace Health and Safety Representatives. For further information on these courses and the calendar for 2012 courses, which will be provided as soon as possible, refer to Courses and Training. You can also contact your local Health and Safety Consultant for further updates.
For those of you who are aware that the new legislation does not include WHSOs, please be advised that our department has made a policy decision to retain WHSOs after the legislation commences in January 2012. Retaining WHSOs provides continuity for our workplaces and recognises the important role the WHSO fulfils in supporting managers improve their health, safety and well being practice.
The Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 requires all workplaces with 30 or more workers to appoint a Workplace Health and Safety Officer (WHSO).
The role of a WHSO is to assist the Principal and management team by providing advice on the overall state of health and safety at the workplace. The WHSO can be a valuable member of the management team; for this reason it is important to choose the right person for the job. WHSOs are required to attend an accredited training program.
It is important that Principals and WHSOs work together. Information to help both can be found in Information for Principals and the WHSO 106k.
The Health and Safety Team coordinate courses across the state for staff who have specific health and safety roles within the school environment. These accredited courses are customised to Education Queensland and are designed to assist the participant perform their role effectively once back at school.
The Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 requires workplaces (eg. schools) with 30 or more workers to have a trained Workplace Health and Safety Officer (WHSO). Regular visiting teachers and volunteers count towards the 30 person threshold.
Some schools should consider training additional WHSOs for the following reasons:
Where a school or workplace trains multiple WHSOs, the training fee is reduced by 15% for the second WHSO being trained. An incentive discount of 15% also applies to Principals registering for training.
The discount does not apply to WHSOs being trained as a replacement for one resigning from the role or transferring to another school.
Staff seeking a future leadership role will benefit from the knowledge attained, the emphasis on leadership in relation to workplace health and safety and the influencing skills developed performing the role. It is important to nominate the right person for the job.
A competent, well-informed WHSO can provide invaluable support to their Principal and make a significant contribution to the successful management of the school. Being a WHSO has little to do with looking at cracks in the concrete, it is about setting up health and safety systems and improving the attitude of staff towards health and safety.
Unless there are exceptional circumstances, the primary WHSO in a school should be a teacher or hold a management position.
The ideal person for the job will:
Contact Alia Field for more information.
Our courses are offered at a low cost compared to public courses. A school focus is maintained throughout and the mandatory Annual Assessment is completed as an assignment during the course.
A 15% discount applies to:
WHSO Course Calendar and Registration Form
The revised WHSO Course Calendar and Registration Form will be advised at a later date.
Registration for all courses throughout the state is via the Darling Downs South West Queensland Region Learning Place web site.
To register:
If you have difficulty registering, please contact Alia Field.
'There is enough information to absorb around a school site without taking on the concerns of other types of workplaces. There is no way I would have got the same out of a 'service-industry' programme. Everyone enjoyed the topical good-humoured style of the EQ presenter.' Gwenda, Deputy Principal
'This school based WHSO course was extremely valuable to me in my role as Registrar & WHSO. Unlike previous courses it was specifically directed at my needs as a school employee and workshops were specific in that the participants and presenter shared a common background and experiences. I now have a thorough working knowledge of departmental requirements as well as the wider perspective of WH&S general requirements.' Christine, Registrar
'I completed a WHSO course that was general. When I asked the presenter [at a general course] how different aspects related to schools, I couldn't get an answer. Thankfully this course was very much what I had hoped for, something designed to address school needs. It was also great to have school colleagues on the course that provided an excellent opportunity for networking.' Andrew, Teacher
This page was last reviewed on 19 Apr 2011
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