Prepare to Work Safely in the Construction Industry (White Card)

Training Details

This unit of competency specifies the mandatory work health and safety training required before undertaking construction work. It requires the person to demonstrate personal awareness and knowledge of health and safety legislative requirements in order to work safely and prevent injury or harm to themselves and others. It covers identifying and reporting common construction hazards, understanding basic risk control measures, and identifying procedures for responding to potential incidents and emergencies. It also covers correctly selecting and fitting common personal protective equipment (PPE) used for construction work.

This unit meets the general construction induction training requirements for work health and safety across Australian jurisdictions, including Western Australia’s Occupational Safety and Health Regulations 1996. Site-specific induction training is still required before starting work on a particular site.

Assessment is competency-based and combines theory with practical demonstration, including oral and written reporting.

The unit covers the core areas of construction safety:

• identifying health and safety legislative requirements
• identifying construction hazards and risk control measures
• identifying health and safety communication and reporting processes
• identifying incident and emergency response procedures

Find more information on CPCWHS1001 – Prepare to work safely in the construction industry on training.gov.au.

Learning Outcomes

• Identify health and safety legislative requirements: understanding duty holder roles and responsibilities, duty of care, and safe work practices
• Identify construction hazards and risk control measures: applying basic risk management principles, identifying hazards, and selecting and using PPE
• Identify health and safety communication and reporting processes: reading safety documents and signs, and understanding reporting procedures and the roles of safety personnel
• Identify incident and emergency response procedures: responding to incidents and emergencies, accessing first aid, and using fire safety equipment

On successful completion you receive a nationally recognised Statement of Attainment for CPCWHS1001 Prepare to Work Safely in the Construction Industry (White Card).

Performance Evidence

A person demonstrating competency in this unit must satisfy the requirements of the elements, performance criteria, foundation skills and range of conditions of this unit, in addition to the specific performance and knowledge evidence described below. The person must:

• identify and report two construction hazards and explain how the risk could be reduced or removed
• select appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) to control the risk
• explain basic procedures for responding to incidents and emergencies, including the types and purpose of fire blankets, fire extinguishers (water, carbon dioxide, powder and foam), and hose reels and mains
• identify and explain the meaning of required safety signs and symbols
• explain the purpose of job safety analyses (JSAs), safe work method statements (SWMS) and safety data sheets (SDS)
• explain the roles of designated health and safety personnel, including first aid officers, WHS representatives, WHS committee members and supervisors
• correctly fit to themselves eye protection, hearing protection, a hard hat and a high visibility vest, shirt or jacket

Knowledge Evidence

A person must demonstrate knowledge of:

• basic duty of care and the roles, rights and responsibilities of business owners and workers in working safely
• the basic meaning of the terms ‘hazard’ and ‘risk’, and the five steps of risk management: identify hazard, assess risk, consult and report, control hazard, review
• basic procedures for accessing first aid
• construction hazards, including asbestos, confined spaces, electrical, excavations and trenches, dust, falling objects, hazardous substances, hot and cold environments, manual handling, noise, plant and equipment, traffic and mobile plant, unplanned collapse, UV radiation, and working at heights
• construction work that requires a high-risk work licence
• types, purpose and use of PPE used in construction, including safety footwear, harnesses, respiratory protection, and UV protective clothing and sunscreen
• construction emergencies, including chemical spill, fire, injury, structural collapse, toxic or flammable vapour emission, and vehicle or mobile plant accident
• construction incidents, including those resulting in injury or property damage, and near misses that must be reported
• safe work practices, including using site amenities, following safety procedures, reporting hazards and incidents, keeping the work area clean, and correctly using PPE
• meanings and symbols associated with construction safety signs, symbols and tags, including emergency, fire, hazard, regulatory and lockout signage