Why do I need to go to a workplace training provider?
Every workplace has a duty of care to ensure your safety when you’re on the job. No matter what Australian state you are in, each industry has regulations in place known as the Work Health Safety Act (WHS). For some industries you will be required to undergo special inductions on site or obtain special certification to be able to carry out your job. As an employer it is your responsibility to ensure all staff members undertake the necessary training and instruction.
As a prerequisite before applying for some jobs, prospective employees may be required to provide proof of certification before they will be hired. Being taught on the job is not an effective method of training on its own. To ensure employees have the same standard of training across the board, there are authorised workplace safety training providers in each state.
For example to carry out your job properly, you may be required to use scissor lifts, vertical lifts, booms, truck mounts, or trailer lifts. To comply with workplace safety training regulations you will be required to hold a ‘yellow card’. A telehandler gold card may be required to operate forks, jibs, buckets or platforms. Often employees will be asked to undergo refresher courses known as Verifications of Competency (VOC).
These training courses are hosted by independent training providers, so whether you are an employer who needs your workers to be familiar with any changes in legislation to safety regulations, or you’re required to hold a yellow card, gold card or a VOC, you’ll need to find a local workplace safety training provider.
It is highly risky, dangerous and may be illegal to operate access equipment without the necessary training and ignoring the workplace safety regulations for your state can result in severe penalties such as large fines or imprisonment.
What to look for in a workplace training provider
With thousands of registered training providers in Australia, it can be a big task trying to narrow it down to one workplace safety trainer. When looking for a workplace safety training provider to complete your access equipment training, there are several things you need to look for.
- Reputation
Take the time to ask around other employers in your industry about the workplace training providers they use on a regular basis. Alternatively, be sure to check out Google reviews and online client testimonials. -
Ask questions
Before you engage a workplace training provider to conduct training for your team, touch base or email to make sure any questions you have are answered to your satisfaction.Find out maximum group capacities, training schedules and pricing. You may not be in a position where weekday safety training is viable, some training providers offer weekend slots or early mornings to cater to shift workers.
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Flexibility
A good workplace training provider will provide a degree of flexibility for group safety training. If your business can’t spare time off for employees to attend training during the workday, it doesn’t hurt to ask about whether the safety training can take place outside of office hours such as late nights or weekends. -
Fees
Training costs may vary, so it pays to enquire how much you will be expected to pay for training for Yellow Cards, VOCs or Telehander Gold Cards. Make sure you ask for the total cost including GST, materials, equipment costs or whether there are any costs associated with cancellation. -
Support services
Not everybody learns in the same way. Be sure to find out if there are extra services available if English is a second language or your employee struggles with dyslexia or other learning disabilities -
Location
Your workplace safety training may be based in the state where you live, but is the certification provided valid for other states in Australia. For example in NSW, a high risk licence is not required to operate a Tele Handler with forks regardless of lifting capacity. So ensure that you a) aren’t paying for training you don’t require and b) Your certification is valid Australia wide.
Access Training Solutions is a workplace safety training provider offering Yellow Card, VOC and Tele Handler Gold Card training. All trainers have more than a decade of experience with hands-on experience in the access equipment industry and have a comprehensive understanding of the requirements of working in the access hire field. The team can customise a training program that best suits your needs no matter what the group size. They are also flexible enough to be able to send trainers to your worksite at times suited to the employer to minimise staff downtime.