OHS Induction and Training

Policy

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that:

• occupational health and safety induction, information and training is provided to department employees
• occupational health and safety induction is provided to contractors, volunteers and visitors as appropriate for the activities they will be performing at the school.

Summary

• The Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act 2004 (Vic) requires the department to provide employees with sufficient information, training, instruction and supervision to perform their work safely.
• The principal and/or their delegate must ensure that all employees have a learning plan in place that meets the OHS training requirements for their role.
• The principal and/or their delegate must ensure that all employees, contractors, volunteers and visitors to a school must be provided with an induction that is appropriate for the activities they are undertaking while at the school.
• Under the OHS Act 2004, employees while at work must take reasonable care for their own health and safety and the safety of others who may be affected by their actions or omissions.
• Central and regional offices provide a range of supports and services to assist principals and employees to be safe and well, including access to OHS Advisory Service and local OHS regional officers, who can provide free advice on OHS induction and training.
• The OHS Induction and Training Procedure (in the Procedure tab) must be followed, and sets out the practical step-by-step instructions for implementing this policy.
• This policy forms part of the department’s OHS Management System, see OHS Management System (OHSMS) Overview for further information.

Details

OHS Induction

The principal and/or their delegate must ensure that:

• all employees are provided with an OHS induction into the workplace at the commencement of employment. This should be recorded on the OHS Induction Checklist (DOCX), or equivalent template.
• all contractors, volunteers and visitors to the school be provided with an induction that is appropriate for the activities they are undertaking while at the school. Volunteer and contractor OHS inductions should be recorded on the appropriate checklists, for example, Contractor OHS Induction Checklist and/or Volunteer OHS Induction Checklist (DOCX).

OHS Training

The principal and/or their delegate, in consultation with the Health Safety Representative (HSR) and employees must:

• identify and schedule OHS training for each individual employee, in accordance with the requirements set out in the OHS Induction and Training Procedure. This training must meet the OHS requirements for their role
• ensure the provision of adequate information, instruction and training in a structured and timely manner to ensure employees, contractors and volunteers understand their health and safety obligations and that they are competent to perform tasks associated with their roles safely
• ensure that all employee training records are kept up to date and reviewed when training needs are identified
• ensure that training is made available to Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) if requested by a HSR

The OHS Induction and Training Procedure provides further detail for each of the above requirements.

OHS Induction for Volunteers — for volunteer OHS inductions, see:

• Volunteer OHS Management Procedure
• Volunteer OHS Induction Checklist

OHS Induction for Contractors — for contractor OHS inductions, see:

• Contractor OHS Management Procedure
• Contractor OHS Induction Checklist

Definitions

Contractor
Contractors include any service providers (through a company or individuals) who are not direct employees of the department or school council. This includes those who are providing services/works in relation to maintenance and repair; and other contracted service providers engaged by schools for cooking demonstrations, sports coaching and other activities including workshops and incursions

Volunteer
A person approved by the principal, who without payment or reward, voluntarily engages in work for the school. Volunteers may be community members who assist in working bees, reading to students, serving at the canteen or assisting in school events such as swimming or athletics carnivals and fetes

Related policies

• Contractor OHS Management
• OHS Management System (OHSMS) Overview
• Volunteer OHS Management
• Working with Children Checks and other Suitability Checks for School Volunteers and Visitors

Relevant legislation

• Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic)
• Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 (Vic)
• Worker Screening Act 2020 (Vic)

OHS Induction and Training Procedure

The OHS Induction and Training Procedure must be followed, and provides the practical step-by-step instructions to implement this policy.

The Procedure contains the following chapters:

1. OHS Induction for Employees
2. OHS Induction for Volunteers
3. OHS Induction for Contractors
4. Identify competencies and schedule OHS training
5. Review of OHS training for employees
6. Legislation, codes of practice, standards and guidance

1. OHS Induction for Employees

The principal and/or their delegate must ensure that all employees are inducted into the workplace at the commencement of employment.

This is recorded on the OHS Induction Checklist (DOCX) or equivalent template.

The induction includes all appropriate OHS information and an assessment of required training for all employees.

2 OHS Induction for Volunteers

For volunteer OHS inductions, see:

• Volunteer OHS Management Policy
• Volunteer OHS Induction Checklist

3 OHS Induction for Contractors

For contractor OHS inductions, see:

• Contractor OHS Management Policy
• Contractor OHS Induction Checklist

4 Identify competencies and schedule training into the OHS Training Planner/Register

The principal and/or their delegate in consultation with the Health and Safety Representative (HSR) and employees, identify and schedule OHS training into theOHS Training Planner / Register or equivalent template for each individual employee to assist in closing competency gaps. The assessment takes into account the work activities of their position / role, and any OHS risks associated with the conduct of these activities including the level of supervision required.

The principal and/or their delegate must ensure the OHS Training Planner / Register or equivalent template is kept up to date and reviewed when training needs are identified. A copy of the completed planner is retained on an annual basis as evidence of completed or scheduled training.

5 Review of OHS training for employees

The principal and/or their delegate must ensure that the level of competency for all employees including HSR(s) is current and recorded in the OHS Training Planner/Register or equivalent template.

Circumstances where a review of employee competency levels may be required include:

• failure to safely use and operate equipment
• occurrence of an incident resulting from the person (i.e. employee, contractor or volunteer) performing the task
• holding a certification which has expired (e.g. an expired licence)
• the task / process or equipment has been changed and requires all persons to re-demonstrate their competency

The principal and/or their delegate must ensure that the review of the OHS Training Planner/Register or equivalent template is to be scheduled into the OHS Activities Calendar or equivalent template.

6 Legislation, Codes of Practice, Standards and Guidance

• Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic)
• Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 (Vic)

Resources

OHS eLearn guide for schools

The OHS eLearn guide for schools (DOCX) provides information and guidance to school staff and principals on accessing, completing, and monitoring the department’s mandated OHS eLearns and role-based OHS eLearns.

Templates, checklists and planners relevant to this policy and procedure

• Contractor OHS induction checklist (DOCX) – to record contractor OHS inductions
• Volunteer OHS induction checklist (DOCX) – to record volunteer OHS inductions
• OHS induction checklist (DOCX) – a template that a principal and/or their delegate can use to ensure that all employees are inducted into the workplace at the commencement of employment.
• OHS activities calendar (XLSX) – to help with planning induction and training
• OHS training planner/register (XLSX) – helps to identify and schedule OHS training for each individual employee to assist in closing competency gaps

Further information on health and safety training

Health and safety training and short course guide (DOCX) – provides a list of training and providers available to Department of Education workplaces. Please note that the list provided is neither exhaustive nor is it a department approved providers list.