Health and Safety HELP

Hello,

I was just looking for some help really understanding the Australian health and safety system, how work is going over there at the moment and what my next steps could be to improve it.

In a nut shell i've got 3-4 years experience working in a Tier 1 COMAH site, Windfarm project and Warehousing.

my 3 main quals are:

• NCRQ Diploma in Applied Health and Safety
  
• ISO14001:2015 Lead Auditor
  
• ILM in Leadership and Managerment (including nuclear safety culture)
  

Also hold GWO Certificates and Offshore Certs.

I asked for info regarding my NCRQ Diploma and how it is accepted in Oz and my reply was:

Just thought you'd like to know the NCRQ Diploma meets the knowledge requirements for Australian certification at the 'Practitioner' level (COHSPrac) provided a unit of study with assessment is completed on Australian OHS/WHS legislation. See https://sia.org.au/certification for information on the Australian OHS certification system.

The applicant for certification as a COHSPrac will then have to meet the experience requirements and complete the capability assessment.

Australian OHS certification at the Professional level (COHSProf) requires a university level bachelor qualification or higher. As the Australian Qualification Framework does not recognise QCF Level 6 qualifications as equivalent to a bachelor the NCRQ Diploma does not meet the requirements for Australian certification at the OHS Professional level.

However, as it is a program of study with a significant level of OHS the holder of a NCRQ Diploma who also has at least 5 years OHS experience may be eligible to undertake the Safety Institute of Australia Alternative Knowledge Assessment and thus eligible to undertake the COHSProf capability assessment.

For those considering OHS study in the Australian university system, the NCRQ Diploma would be considered to meet the entry requirements for a Graduate Diploma/Master program where the university operates special entry arrangements. Such entry usually requires enrolment in an appropriate graduate certificate program with progression to the graduate diploma/masters being dependent on results achieved in the graduate certificate. Information on such programs can be found at http://www.ohseducationaccreditation.org.au

I'm not sure why you're asking the question? You're only coming on a WHV so why is it relevant?

What that's saying is that you've got the qualification to be regarded as a Practitioner but you'd have to do some work experience and take an exam if you want to be certified to work as a Practitioner in Australia. For a lot of occupations, that's not worth it on a WHV because by the time you're certified it's time to go home!

Your qualification is not good enough to be classed as a Professional, you need a degree for that.

I understand that, and i'm looking towards the future, without knowing now then i cant put myself in the position to be future classed as a professional

The problem with my qualification although it is called a Diploma it is Degree level (6)

I understand that, and i'm looking towards the future, without knowing now then i cant put myself in the position to be future classed as a professional

The problem with my qualification although it is called a Diploma it is Degree level (6)

Fair enough, but you're getting way ahead of yourself!

I think you need to sit down and decide what your goals are, because one minute you're talking about buying a campervan and travelling the country, and the next you seem to be thinking of the WHV as a pathway to migration.

If you are thinking of the WHV as a way to get PR, then I'd forget the campervan. Get your rural work done, then get back to a city where you can find a flat and get proper jobs. They'll be casual or contract and they'll be at a lower level than you're used to - but you can start to make contacts and also explore how to get your qualifications recognised etc. If after six months you discover it's all going to be too difficult, then you've still got time to buy that campervan and get on the road.

I know that means you miss out on the holiday - but you'll still have weekends, and if you do end up staying for good, you'll have the rest of your lives to explore the country.

Yeah that's my intention, I want to certainly get my rural work completed then work with future employers, the camper van is an idea to get started until i can get some work behind me, and also find the correct location for myself.

Cheers for your advice

Yeah that's my intention, I want to certainly get my rural work completed then work with future employers, the camper van is an idea to get started until i can get some work behind me, and also find the correct location for myself.

 

OK then the campervan is a waste of time. With rural work, you'll usually get accommodation included so the campervan would just eat up money unnecessarily.

If you're thinking, "I want to travel around to find a suitable place to settle", then the campervan still doesn't make sense. Realistically, if you want to find potential sponsors then you need to stick to the main cities. The distance between those cities is vast, and it'll cost you more in petrol than it would to fly between them!

I suggest you work out where's the best state for rural work at the time you're planning to arrive, then book a flight to the capital city of that state. Book into a backpackers' where you'll find lots of information from the hostel and other backpackers as to where the work is. In all likelihood once you've found a rural position, you'll be able to cadge a lift there. That will be much cheaper than buying a campervan, paying for rego and insurance etc etc.

After your rural work, return to the capital city and start looking for work. Again, the campervan would be a handicap here as many councils won't allow campervans to park on the street - besides, you need consistent access to a hot shower, an iron for your clothes, etc etc if you're going to look (and smell!) presentable for work. If you find that city doesn't work for you, fly to another one. Rinse and repeat.