The new Construction Induction Card, better known as White Card has replaced the other induction cards of the states and territories of Australia, such as the green card, blue and the red card. The white card is required among personnel and workers of the construction industry including those who frequently visit construction sites without any assistance from someone with a white card. The Australian government replaced the old induction cards so as to provide a national construction industry standard for the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) of Australia. Unlike the old induction cards, the white card is to be recognized and accepted in all states and territories of Australia.
White cards are issued to all individuals who successfully completed and passed the OHS induction course (white card training) delivered by Registered Training Organizations anywhere in Australia. This small card, that looks like an ATM card proves that the owner is aware of his or her responsibilities and the safety precautionary measures that must be strictly followed whenever present in the construction sites.
Registered Training Organizations (RTOs) conduct the training for the OHS induction course, “Work Safely in the Construction Industry”. Training providers are all required to pass essential accreditation processes so as to become an approved RTO that is able to deliver white card training and issue a white card. The RTOs recognized by the proper authorities and the states that they are able to deliver training for are all listed in the National Training Information Service (NTIS). You may also access this information online.
There are several construction activities that would require the worker to take the OHS induction course, “Work Safely in the Construction Industry” and to obtain a white card and the includes (but not limited to), civil construction, renovations, repairs, refurbishments, asbestos removal, plumbing, bricklaying, concreting, floor, roof, wall tiling and carpentry.
To complete white card training and to bring your white card with you at all times is a must. Non-compliance can lead to serious offence. Staff and employees working in construction sites without a white card are generally pressed with fines that can cost as much as $11,000. Even employers are to be charged and can lose 100 penalty points.
White card training in Australia includes the following:
- Indentifying duty of care requirements
- Complying with safe work practices
- Identifying risk management principles
- Assessment of common construction hazards
- Measures to control hazards and risks identified
OHS documentation processes, OHS communication processes, identification of the roles of designated OHS personnel, identifying relevant authorities, safety signs and symbols, identifying procedures, personal protection procedures and fire safety procedures are also included in the white card training.
White cards can be acquired online or through face-to-face training. White cards online are getting popular these days for it is easier, faster and more convenient that having to attend an institution or school to receive the training.
You can complete the ‘Work Safely in the Construction Industry’ OHS induction course through an RTO either online or in person. The course takes six hours to complete face-to-face and between two and four hours generally to complete online. Both delivery options contain the same course content, modules and assessment items.
Both require you to present the following items upon successful completion of the ‘Work Safely in the Construction Industry’, in order to be presented with a white card:
• A copy of your Statement of Attainment certificate, which is available to you upon completion of the course,
• A Statutory Declaration form, signed by you, a witness and a Justice of the Peace (JP), legal practitioner or Commissioner for Declaration (C.Dec)
• A copy of your photo ID, which also needs to be signed by the JP or C.Dec
The ‘Work Safely in the Construction Industry’ OHS induction course, which results in a White Card, relates directly to the general induction training program specified by the National Code of Practice for Induction Training for Construction Work, which all Australian states and territories have implemented
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