22 September 2021
Work Health and Safety Officers (WHSOs) play an important role in many construction businesses. Employing a safety professional within your business not only assists in fulfilling your health and safety obligations, but they can also provide your business with a trained and skilled resource who can improve safety culture and assist in eliminating accidents and injuries.
Successfully completing the Master Builders Queensland Certificate IV in Workplace Health and Safety, can be used to apply to Worksafe Queensland for a certificate of authority to perform the role of a WHSO in Queensland. A person can only be appointed as a WHSO if they hold this certificate of authority.
This nationally accredited course can also provide benefit to any person wanting to seek a career change into safety, develop their workplace health and safety knowledge, or those that have to juggle multiple hats that include work health and safety tasks.
Once a person has been appointed as a WHSO, there are functions that they are required to fulfill under work health and safety legislation.
Hannah Ockendon, HSE Advisor, Paynters, started out in an admin role there in 2019 and had always wanted to work in a field where helping others was a big part of the job.
“It didn’t take long for me to be drawn to the work carried out by Paynters' Health Safety, Environment and Quality (HSEQ) team,” Hannah said.
“Within six months I was enrolled in a Certificate IV in Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) and I can honestly say that I enjoyed every moment of it. I became immersed in the course content immediately and found myself becoming quite passionate about workplace safety. It just felt like a perfect fit for me.”
After graduating, Hannah was inducted into the Paynters HSEQ team.
“I know it’s a cliché but, really, no two days are the same! Just last week I was up in a tower crane overlooking Brisbane city.
“Expectations can suddenly change so flexibility and the ability to prioritise is important. Safety can be hard work at times, but I can honestly say that it’s never boring.
“My role is pretty comprehensive, requiring me to be across all safety aspects of the business such as site visits, HSEQ systems, reporting, training and so much more.
“As a result, I am fortunate enough to get the best of both worlds, spending time in the office and on site. There is virtually no limit to my learning and development, and this role makes each task feel like a real contribution not only to the company, but to the individuals I work with each day.”
WANT TO OBTAIN YOUR WHSO ACCREDITATION? MASTER BUILDERS’ CERTIFICATE IV IN WORK HEALTH & SAFTEY PROGRAM CAN GET YOU QUALIFIED. VISIT MBQLD.COM.AU/TRAINING OR CALL 1300 13 60 02.
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