1. Construction Induction Cards – What Colour Are They?
What is the Victorian Red Card?
Have you been meaning to get your online construction safety induction card but are confused
by the many colours of cards available?
There was once a number of construction cards, each one applying to a different state, which
could becoming overwhelming for workers to understand, especially those workers who move
from one state to another and have to undergo the training again. Well the good news for these
workers is that the Red, Green and Blue Cards are no longer necessary because the
government has introduced a new national system which requires workers to obtain a White
Card which is valid nationally in all states and on all construction sites.
The White Card Course replaces the previous Victorian Red Card, Queensland Blue Card and
NSW &WA Green Card as the mandatory certification for workers to obtain before beginning
work on a construction site in Oz.
The Course (CPCCOHS1001A) ‘Work safely in the construction industry’ is now nationally
recognised and will, upon completion allow workers to work on any construction site across Oz.
The course can be completed anywhere, all you need is a computer and an internet connection.
The competency-based assessment can be conducted in one sitting or in chunks of time
whenever it is convenient for you.
The course is divided into 4 sections and includes: how to identify WH&S requirements, training
on how to identify construction hazards and control measures, how to identify WH&S
communications and reporting processes and incident response procedures. Basically the
topics covered will equip workers with the knowledge needed to work safely on a building site.
The major hazards that workers on a construction site are presented with and which are
covered by the training are:
Safely working in confined spaces and emergency response procedures
Personal safety and manual tasks
Noise hazards and how to overcome them, noise sources and control measures
Preventing damage from sun exposure and hazardous substances
Confined Spaces
All the same hazards present in an ordinary construction site can be even more dangerous in a
confined space which is why safety information is necessary for working in confined spaces.
Usually the confined spaces have restrictedaccess for entry and exit and permission to enter the
space is needed. These spaces are dangerous because they may contain potentially harmful
levels of contaminants which may cause asphyxiation. The danger of working in these spaces is
that these contaminants may be flammable or may not have a safe level of oxygen. Another
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2. danger when working in a confined space is engulfment from a liquid or free flowing solid.
PPE and Manual Handling– Personal Safety
The benefits of PPE are not just physical because other than protecting workers from injury,
they also help avoid costly delays and maintain productivity onsite so it will benefit employers as
well.
Examples of PPE include hard hats, boots, hand protection in the form of gloves, eye protective
goggles, hearing protection, respiratory protection and protective clothing. The PPE worn will be
determined by the hazards presented by the workers tasks.
Manual tasks are another important component of construction work, such as lifting bricks,
driving heavy machinery, pushing a wheelbarrow, holding a plasterboard sheet while it is
attached to the ceiling, using hand tools or plastering. The course will enable workers to be
aware of the hazards of manual handling and how to do so safely.
(Photo: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net)
Noise Hazards
Construction work also involves renovation and demolition which may involve a lot of noise
generation. There are a large number of tools, heavy machinery and equipment that generate a
lot of noise. In addition to the noise they generate, they are also used in conjunction with each
other, increasing noise levels even further. For example workers in the vicinity of a jack
hammer breaking through rock as well as a drill being operated nearby are susceptible to
hearing damage if they do not use the appropriate PPE.
Avoiding Sun exposure and other hazardous substance damage
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3. Australia has the highest reported cases of skin cancer and this is why construction workers are
at risk because of the amount of time spent outdoors in the sun’s harmful rays. PPE and other
control measures such as taking breaks during peak sun hours are just some of the methods
that should be employed to combat this hazard.
There are other hazardous substances on a construction site that are dangerous to human
health. Such hazards include asbestos, silica dust and chemicals like enamels and solvents.
The white card course will include information on how to work safely in the present of such
hazards.
http://www.whitecardcourse.com
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