Safety Training for Work for the Dole Participants
On April 19th 2016, an 18 year old man died while participating in a Work for the Dole program in Toowoomba.
The tragic accident happened when the program participant fell from a flatbed trailer towed by a tractor.
The matter is currently being investigated by Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, but this incident demonstrates that the duty of care is complex, with the Government, Jobactive providers, Work for the Dole providers and the Host Employer all having some responsibility for the safety of the program participants.
Work for the Dole scheme safety audit
As part of the Australian Government’s program assurance and to develop practice improvement, the Department of Employment engaged Ernst & Young to conduct on-site work health and safety audits of 200 Work for the Dole activities in 2016. While the findings of this audit are not uncommon when compared to similar work health and safety audits across public and private organisations, it was revealed that only 10% of sites were fully compliant. As a result, all Jobactive providers have now been reminded of their incident reporting and management obligations.
Prevention is key!
Serious injury and fatalities can be avoided if preventative measures are put in place and a safe work culture is maintained, for both employees, volunteers and program participants.
One of the most important elements of safety is to take the appropriate steps to educate, train and engage your workers about safe work practises and behaviour at work.
Providers and host employers should ensure that new participants complete an on-boarding program which includes a thorough explanation of basic workplace safety as well as how to use any tools and machinery involved.
As with employee inductions, giving participants a copy of your policies and procedures and asking them to sign is not enough.
All Australian organisations have a legal and moral obligation to ensure that workers (including volunteers) can return safely to their families after a day at work. A robust induction programme will assist in achieving just that, as well as minimising the risk of liability and other unpleasant outcomes from legal claims; significant costs, reputational damage, management time and so on.
While designed for new employees, TANDI Online Employee Induction software is ideal for WFD participants because it provides a comprehensive understanding of safety and workplace requirements, preparing them for the workplace and creating a focus on safe work practices.
Working Safely
The TANDI Workplace Health & Safety training has been developed to create an awareness of health and safety guidelines, which will help participants perform their work duties in a safe manner, both at their WFD activities and in future workplaces.
Our standard TANDI package includes WHS training that is suitable for all industries, as well as job/industry specific safe work practice modules.
Currently, the package includes the following Safe Work Practice modules;
- Cleaners and Housekeeping
- Hospitality Service Personnel
- Kitchen and Catering
- Retail
- Health and Community Services
- Warehousing
*New modules are being added regularly.
We recommend that job seekers complete the Safe Work Practice modules that relate to their WFD placements and the jobs they hope to obtain in the future. All Safe Work Practice modules are included in the standard TANDI Induction package, so participants can do as many of them as they wish at no additional cost.
Work Preparation
The TANDI HR Policies and Procedures training promotes the behaviours and work expectations required in Australian workplaces. This training will develop awareness of work requirements for your job seekers and can also be used as a performance management or coaching tool for employers or WFD Coordinators.
Risk Management & Compliance
WFD providers can reduce the risk of litigation as TANDI training reflects Australian workplace laws and regulations. These requirements are being monitored and the software is updated to reflect any changes to legislation.
Training management is easy with TANDI;
- Account Administrators can easily monitor which training modules have or have not been completed by each participant.
- Participants can access their training modules from any computer with internet access.
- At the completion of each training module, the participant will complete a TANDI Declaration. This document can be used to;
- Provide evidence that the participant completed and understood the training
- Give the participant the opportunity to identify any areas of the training that the did not understand
- Manage inappropriate behaviours
*The Declaration form is also a sales tool for potential employers.
Because the training is online and ready to go, participant commencement in a WFD activity can be instantaneous. All they need is an email address and a computer with internet access (we do not recommend that training be completed on small mobile devices with limited resources).
Customised Training
TANDI products are all made “in-house” so we can create products to meet your needs. We especially encourage inclusion of a tailored module for your WFD participants. This module can include information specific to your organisation or the projects they are working on.
For more information, check out the TANDI website or contact us on 07 4050 3810