Induction

Any person who is to carry out construction work must complete general construction induction training commonly referred to as the 'white card' training prior to undertaking work. This training provides people new to the construction industry with a basic knowledge of work health and safety requirements.

Further information can be found on the General Construction Induction Card (White Card) page.

A person conducting a business or undertaking including builders and principal contractors on what should be included in workplace specific induction training and task specific training for construction work.

A person conducting a business or undertaking must provide the information, training and instruction necessary to protect all people from risks to their health and safety arising from the work being carried out. Workers and other people at the workplace, including visitors, should be given workplace specific induction training before work starts or before they enter an operational construction zone. This will inform people about the hazards and risks they may face at the workplace, how the risks are controlled and what to do in an emergency.

Visitors to the workplace

Visitors should be accompanied and supervised by fully inducted site personnel at all times while at the workplace.

Where visitors to a construction workplace are likely to enter an operational construction zone unescorted they should be provided with a workplace induction on relevant hazards and risks at the workplace.

Checklist 011 - Visitor induction (DOC 118KB) or (PDF 96KB)

Workplace specific inductions will vary depending on the type of construction work and the construction phase a project is going through at the time a person comes to the workplace.

For example at a less complex workplace like a single house site, a workplace specific induction could include a short pre-start induction video and/or on the job training. For a large and complex civil or commercial workplace a more detailed induction would be required, for example to explain the emergency response and evacuation processes.

Information to be provided for a workplace induction

The recommended information to be provided to workers and other people as required at a workplace induction includes:

hazards and risks specific to the workplace such as overhead power lines near the workplace
control measures for those risks such as no go zones for working near overhead electric lines
site specific rules that must be complied with such as personal protective equipment like hard hats that workers must wear and use
safety documents, policies and plans specific to the workplace such as traffic management plans
who to report accidents, incidents and hazards to and how to report them
accident, emergency and evacuation procedures and associated equipment at the workplace
the layout of the workplace including entries and exists, loading and unloading areas, location of facilities, first aid and security requirements

You should also update people when there are changes to the workplace that may affect health and safety.

Checklist 010 - Workplace Specific Induction

Task specific training

Task specific training aims to provide information and instruction to people carrying out a particular construction activity of the risks and control measures relating to that task.

For example, task specific training on how to use fall arrest equipment should be provided to a worker required to work at height.

Task specific training should cover:

the task to be undertaken
hazards, risks and control measures involved in carrying out the task
who will be involved in the task including subcontractors
where relevant the safe work method statements, job safety analyses or safe work procedures
who is responsible for what including possible interactions with other activities
relevant legal responsibilities, codes of practice or technical standards that must be followed

Carrying out Workplace inductions

The way an induction can be delivered will depend on various factors, for example the number of people being inducted, the size of the workplace and the complexity of the work health and safety matters to be discussed.

Some ways induction training could be delivered are through:

on the job training
toolbox talks
an induction video or booklet
email or a phone conversation
web-based 'online' interactive programs such as skype
a one-off session in a classroom type setting

Where there are unusual risks associated with the workplace, for example restricted workplace access or steep terrain issues, a person who is familiar with the workplace and its risks should be involved in delivering the training.

The induction training should be adapted to address potential cultural or language barriers.

Induction records

Where possible a record should be kept of the names of people who have been trained, the training content, who conducted the training and the date training was provided. Acknowledgement of the training should be obtained from participants, for example the worker's signature on a training register.