Anyone here work in oh&s whs ?

wodahs · 12-10-2013, 11:39 PM

with a few life problems at the moment I am considering a career change and am thinking off studying oh&s/whs
so I basically wanting to know from any in the industry what they think of it a summery the job and what the studies/training is like
any other info also welcome

thanks to all and any repliers

oh and if this is in the wrong place to post this mods please move to suit

Motorbreath310 · 13-10-2013, 08:30 PM

Got a mate (underground coal miner) who just did His cert.IV in OH&S. Took about a month and cost roughly $1600 through the outfit He went through. He's doing His diploma for it, soon.

He did it because He saw it as a viable alternative to what He's doing now. Always a heap of jobs listed for OH&S/WHS roles. ****-easy work, too. If you've worked in a safety-intensive industry before; most of it will be second nature to you.

schultzie · 13-10-2013, 09:15 PM

I am a rep officially, but my role would be better described as a diploma level, I work in construction and I love my job, money is not as good as the mines but I love my job, if I could get a job with a great roster on a mine I'd go in a heart beat. I have heavy construction experience too so from what I believe so e one like myself would get snapped up quite fast.

Currently rpling my cert 4 should be finished this week

usernametaken · 13-10-2013, 09:20 PM

Get WHS and TAE and you'll be laughing.

Dusty1 · 13-10-2013, 10:10 PM

I got my white card for Vic, and I was surprised at the level of competence needed to pass. I've worked as a laborer (years ago) and with retail butchers in an advisory role, and some of the questions from the fellow classmates left me wondering if they should be able to butter toast in the morning.

Also, the fact that I've got it, I never have to sit it again.

The more people who want to get into this field for the right reason could only be a good thing.

**Full Noise** · 13-10-2013, 11:14 PM

If you’re going to do a course in OH&S, probably best to avoid anything to do with the road transport industry. A lot of big companies use people who have NFI to enforce rules that are supposed to promote “safe working” practices.

You’ll probably have a better time and make more friends working for a local council as a by laws officer, especially if you come across people with an attitude like mine.

Kind of reminds me of this.

Franco Cozzo · 13-10-2013, 11:21 PM

I'm trying to get into OHS as well, I've got until the end of this month and I'll have my Cert IV.

Mine was a 1 year course though, I'll be going onto diploma next year, talking to people in the industry, they all want minimum diploma level anyway.

Even with the diploma its hard to get in because everyone wants someone with experience, there are barely any "entry level" OHS roles, its all management type stuff.

Trevor 57 · 14-10-2013, 11:47 AM

I have worked as a OHS Coordinator, I currently teach Cert IV in WHS/OHS, my background is in the transport industry, but I worked as a OHS Coordinator for a food multi-national food manufacturer

To be uncomfortably honest, there is lots of people who are trying to do the same as you, just about every week I have an enquiry from people wanting to enrol in the Cert IV WHS/OHS for the same reasons you are, but there are only so many jobs out there.

Being an OHS coordinator means that you will get it from both ends, it means that management will want you to be their puppet, I never did that, I was there for both sides, which is what you should do, some days you are the workers friend, some days you are the bosses friend, far too many OHS coordinators are pushed into being just the bosses friend, but you are there to protect EVERYONE.

We offer a 100% online OHS/WHS course that is about $1200 for an eligible student and about $1400 for someone who is not eligible

Franco Cozzo · 14-10-2013, 06:18 PM

Ultimately I want to get into being a Worksafe Inspector, but unfortunately I think I'm too young without enough "life experience".

schultzie · 14-10-2013, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Ultimately I want to get into being a Worksafe Inspector, but unfortunately I think I'm too young without enough "life experience".

Damo to be honest getting a position at work safe isn't the hardest thing to do. But experience in a sector really pays off there. I don't know what you do now but there is also a chance it could be a pay cut too.

I'd be interested in work safe too but I'm not about to go backwards for a 9-5 job

**Charliewool** · 14-10-2013, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Full Noise

If you’re going to do a course in OH&S, probably best to avoid anything to do with the road transport industry. A lot of big companies use people who have NFI to enforce rules that are supposed to promote “safe working” practices.

You’ll probably have a better time and make more friends working for a local council as a by laws officer, especially if you come across people with an attitude like mine.

Kind of reminds me of this.

image

Full noise.... You are oh OH sooo right!
Gunna get flamed here for sure... BUT
Soon there'll be more OHS reps and work-safe inspectors than there are friggin workers... Why do you think manufacturing and industry in general is the basket case it is?
It is totally and utterly over "policed"..
I am ALL for a safe work place, but come on.. What happened to simple bloody common sense and people taking some responsibility for their own welfare? It ain't kindergarten!!
I've been in engineering for 40 odd yrs.. Over those years we've done some pretty amazing stuff, but, God I wish I had of invented the bloody fluro vest?..The "uniform" of the masses that do bugga-all!
Woulda been rollin in it now!

b0son · 14-10-2013, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charliewool

I've been in engineering for 40 odd yrs.. Over those years we've done some pretty amazing stuff, but, God I wish I had of invented the bloody fluro vest?..The "uniform" of the masses that do bugga-all!
Woulda been rollin in it now!

One of our local fluoro vest shops was ... they raced a Porsche GT3 in Carrera Cup or some such

Its a bit of a ridiculous state of affairs that there's more money to be made in regulating an industry than actually working in it.

**Charliewool** · 14-10-2013, 11:03 PM

Very true BOson... Hence why Australia hasn't a hope in hell competing with the rest of the world making ANYTHING..
My safety budget was over a 100k last year.. Including a "lovely" 48k work-cover premium..
It is utter madness, and I can well understand the likes of Ford throwing the towel in.
What puzzles me is who all these cert IV OH&S experts are going to preach to when there's no-one left working?

Trevor 57 · 15-10-2013, 05:23 AM

Charlie, firstly you need to understand the difference between 'Worksafe / OHS' and 'Workcover'. if your Workcover 'premium was $48k, then something is going wrong, how many of your employees are being hurt?

If you have a 'safety budget' then you are doing it wrong

You statement is about 'common sense' is true, so you have to protect the idiots from themselves, that has been going on since time immortal, seat belts, air bags, ABS, ESC etc are just that, so is guarding, light curtains, safety switches, LOTO

I also think safety vests are a waste of time, as are safety glasses, hearing protection, etc, coz all they do is remove the responsibility of the employer to do what they are required to do by law and that is 'provide a worker with a workplace that is free of risks to their safety and health', are you doing that?

People blame the OHS law for the over-regulating, I can tell you for a fact it is how individual companies interpret the law that makes OHS a bad word, the law is really quite clear, the law talks all about 'risk management', you should do risk assessments, once risks are found you need to find the 'best' way to manage the risk using the Hierarchy of Control, yellow vests, ear plugs, safety glasses are at the bottom of the Hierarchy, but they are cheap and easy to implement, that is why companies love them so much, they won't spend the money to really fix the problems.

No-one wants to be the one responsible for someone dying on the job, but with a 19th Century attitude to workers safety then that is what will happen

Trevor 57 · 15-10-2013, 05:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charliewool

What puzzles me is who all these cert IV OH&S experts are going to preach to when there's no-one left working?

I can cop a sarcastic swipe like that because I know that what I do is right, can you if I talk about how you treat workers with your 'attitude'?

JG65TE · 15-10-2013, 08:25 AM

I have class 1 electroplater, c3 civil, c3 road transport, c3 warehouse, c4 whs , c4 and dip auto plus a few crappy certs. Went and got my tae about 5 years ago. I train white card, spotters, confined spaces, working at heights, lf and lo forks and c2 automotive. I too looked at becoming a worksafe advisor but with 400 people applying for a half dozen jobs, even with a buddy watching my application I didn't make it to 3rd round. I have no idea how shultzie found it easy. On the bright side, as a hrw trainer, I make more money than a whs officer and I'm more valuable to my employer. My advice is do whatever courses u can find. My next is the lln course that all trainers will need next year to continue training. My background is electroplater, mechanic, warehouse controller. and enough playing at dogging to get spotters.

Trevor 57 · 15-10-2013, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JG65TE

My next is the lln course that all trainers will need next year to continue training

That is interesting, which State and is that an employer requirement or a Government requirement as I haven't heard of it before, I work for a TAFE and we are generally right on to that stuff

HI PSI · 15-10-2013, 10:25 AM

I have been working as a safety Advisor for a major mining maintenance contractor in the Bowen Basin (Central Queensland Coal mining) for the past two years. I acutally did not apply for the position that I currently hold, as I was poached from my previous employment as a Trainer/Assessor.

In all honesty the best credentials that you can have to fulfil the role, is on the job experience. I am from a construction/maintenance background, with competencies in numerous disciplines. I draw on this experience to monitor and advise the company, supervisors and employees on risk management. As the picture posted above by Full Noise indicates, it is one thing to know the rules, but it is another thing to be able to suggest and implement control measures and corrective actions when advising the workforce.

You will require a medium knowledge of the Microsoft Word and Excel. Depending on your field of employment, you will be required to compile Safety and Health Management Plans, write Work Method Statements, Job Safety Analysis Documents, Perform and compile incident investigations, write reports, and input data for statistical purposes. I know that this sounds intimidating, but once you understand the systems and processes, it is relatively easy. As stated above, a Cert IV (TAE) in Training and Assessment is a must, as you will also be required to conduct site specific inductions,Verification of Competency (V.O.C) assessments and site authorisations for positions like mine.

Probably the most important element, is communication skills. This is one area where the majority of Safety Advisors fail miserably. You must be impartial and fair to all employees. You MUST NOT act like a cop. You are not there to denigrate employees, supervisors or managers. They are not children, So don't treat them like one. You are there to mentor these people, and promote safe behaviour, so that they and all around them, are safe and can return to their families the same way that they arrived to the site. The majority know if they are doing something wrong or stretching the boundaries... So a little patience does not go astray...

That is about all of the time that I have at the moment I hope that this has helped you in some way. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer.

schultzie · 15-10-2013, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trevor 57

I can cop a sarcastic swipe like that because I know that what I do is right, can you if I talk about how you treat workers with your 'attitude'?

Trevor I'm in the same boat as you, it all comes down to how you interpret the law and use it to your own advantage. Some companies go way over the top.

I'm at the other end of the scale where I deal with small contractors that have no idea about health and safety and over time I help them get an understanding of how they are liable and how they can do some simple things to improve their safety.

On this job I'm on now we have had 4 reportable incidents to work safe. In all circumstances work safe has been very happy with how I manage incidents and investigations. To the point where a similar accident happened at a different builder and my phone rang asking where we managed to find the better suited product.

Workers need oh&s because bosses are under so much pressure to come in on budget. People need protection from bad habits,

Common sense does not exist, because what I deem as common sense and you deem as common sense generally will not be the same

b0son · 15-10-2013, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trevor 57

I also think safety vests are a waste of time, as are safety glasses, hearing protection, etc, coz all they do is remove the responsibility of the employer to do what they are required to do by law and that is 'provide a worker with a workplace that is free of risks to their safety and health', are you doing that?

The only way to make an activity completely risk free is to remove people from the equation. Personally, I'm all for automation. Are you? If not, then you need to remember that employment is a side-product of enterprise, not the motivation....

schultzie · 15-10-2013, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by b0son

The only way to make an activity completely risk free is to remove people from the equation. Personally, I'm all for automation. Are you? If not, then you need to remember that employment is a side-product of enterprise, not the motivation....

You still need to maintain those machines... Automation has its place I agree

SB076 · 15-10-2013, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trevor 57

Charlie, firstly you need to understand the difference between 'Worksafe / OHS' and 'Workcover'. if your Workcover 'premium was $48k, then something is going wrong, how many of your employees are being hurt?

If you have a 'safety budget' then you are doing it wrong

You statement is about 'common sense' is true, so you have to protect the idiots from themselves, that has been going on since time immortal, seat belts, air bags, ABS, ESC etc are just that, so is guarding, light curtains, safety switches, LOTO

I also think safety vests are a waste of time, as are safety glasses, hearing protection, etc, coz all they do is remove the responsibility of the employer to do what they are required to do by law and that is 'provide a worker with a workplace that is free of risks to their safety and health', are you doing that?

People blame the OHS law for the over-regulating, I can tell you for a fact it is how individual companies interpret the law that makes OHS a bad word, the law is really quite clear, the law talks all about 'risk management', you should do risk assessments, once risks are found you need to find the 'best' way to manage the risk using the Hierarchy of Control, yellow vests, ear plugs, safety glasses are at the bottom of the Hierarchy, but they are cheap and easy to implement, that is why companies love them so much, they won't spend the money to really fix the problems.

No-one wants to be the one responsible for someone dying on the job, but with a 19th Century attitude to workers safety then that is what will happen

Our premium here at work is currently I believe around $150K In terms of accidents most are what I would call soft tissue injuries (sore shoulder, sore back, sore neck sore leg) Problem is they are very hard to prove/disprove, we have been advised that some have occurred offsite (over the weekend) But when push comes to shove, work cover just pays out and increases our premiums.

Dont get me wrong I am all for safety, but the current setup isn't right. yellow vests, ear plugs and safety glasses are one thing, but guarding a pedestal drill or linishing belt, makes it very hard to use

SB076 · 15-10-2013, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by b0son

The only way to make an activity completely risk free is to remove people from the equation. Personally, I'm all for automation. Are you? If not, then you need to remember that employment is a side-product of enterprise, not the motivation....

Automation is great, BUT one of the biggest complaints we get is why did you automate, automation takes away the ability to do low volume runs in a cost effective manner. For instance robots are great, But they take time and money to setup, someone has to pay for that cost and that is where the problem is.

b0son · 15-10-2013, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SB076

Automation is great, BUT one of the biggest complaints we get is why did you automate, automation takes away the ability to do low volume runs in a cost effective manner.

So does relentless regulation of manual labour, if Trevor was serious about removing ALL risk.

Motorbreath310 · 15-10-2013, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charliewool

I am ALL for a safe work place, but come on.. What happened to simple bloody common sense and people taking some responsibility for their own welfare? It ain't kindergarten!!

As one of my former workplace assessors used to say:

"common sense is not that common

I fully understand where you're coming from, though.

Trevor 57 · 15-10-2013, 03:36 PM

Can someone point out in my posts where I said that everything should be "automated" - thanks

Motorbreath310 · 15-10-2013, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trevor 57

Can someone point out in my posts where I said that everything should be "automated" - thanks

Maybe a machine said it for you without you knowing

b0son · 15-10-2013, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trevor 57

Can someone point out in my posts where I said that everything should be "automated" - thanks

You said a workplace should be risk free. Ultimately, that requires removing people from the workplace as many activities are not possible to be carried out completely risk-free.

wodahs · 15-10-2013, 04:12 PM

this is interesting all the info to consider I asked the question as ive buggered my neck and most are suggesting an operation of sorts to some what rectify my problem but saying not to 100% I have worked the last 15 approx years in transport (any thing from yard to distance mc as well as a past in farming and being a HD diesel mechanic) so was thinking of a change of pace in what I do for a dollar and if I have the op ill have some time on my hands to do some studies and this area was suggested to me
you guys have given me a lot to think about already thanks

Trevor 57 · 15-10-2013, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by b0son

You said a workplace should be risk free. Ultimately, that requires removing people from the workplace as many activities are not possible to be carried out completely risk-free.

that is your interpretation, most certainly isn't mine, this is where OHS becomes a pain in the **** in some peoples eyes, people decide to interpret OHS to suit their own goals - I rest my case or agenda (refer to the 5th sentence in my 2nd post above)