Health and Safety Representative (HSR) Training

Health Safety Representative Training is essential for establishing a clear conduit between workers and employers, ensuring the safety needs of a work group are heard. This is the required training for anyone elected to the HSR role. While various consultation models exist, the HSR framework is the premier mechanism for fulfilling the legal obligation for worker representation.

The HSR course is highly regarded because it empowers representatives to effectively advocate for their work group’s interests. Ultimately, this training course provides the specific knowledge and authority required for HSRs to perform their legislative functions and activities with confidence.

The initial five-day training is a comprehensive program designed to cover the full WHS legislative framework duties and legislative responsibilities of the role. This training course ensures that HSRs have a strong knowledge of how to represent their work group effectively. Upon successful completion, participants will be equipped to handle conflict resolution, identifying hazards and resolving Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) issues.

As an approved training provider, Harness offers public courses at our modern facilities in Brisbane, Chinchilla, Gladstone, and Toowoomba. We ensure our content is always up to date with the latest legislation to provide the best possible safety training experience.

As an HSR, you play a pivotal role in managing WHS within your organisation. Your primary function is to represent your work group members, ensuring their voices are heard in all matters and decisions involving workplace health and safety.

You can be an HSR, but you are not expected to be the person responsible for health and safety in the workplace, nor are you expected to be an expert on WHS issues. However, you would advocate for the workers within your work group.

The full role is explained in the legislation Work Health and Safety Act 2011 – Queensland Legislation. A good understanding of HSR roles is explained here: Health and safety representatives and health and safety committees | WorkSafe.qld.gov.au

Established under Section 50 of the WHS Act, work groups are formed to ensure workers are effectively represented by one or more HSRs. These groups can span a single site or multiple workplaces and are typically organised by department, role, or physical location. This structure ensures that the HSR is closely connected to the specific safety needs and shared interests of their members.

The number of HSRs and deputy HSRs within an organisation is not fixed; rather, it is determined through consultation and agreement between workers and the Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU).

Therefore, as an HSR, you generally operate the role in relation to your own work group, but you can be supporting a different group if:

• There is a serious risk to health or safety (created by an immediate hazard) affecting workers from another work group.
• A worker in another work group asks for the HSR’s assistance, and the HSR for that other work group is found to be unavailable.

Once you are elected as an HSR, your employer has a legal obligation to support your development by providing paid time off to attend an initial training course. This program is designed to build your confidence in interpreting the WHS legislative framework and navigating the risk management process to effectively identify and control workplace hazards. By the end of the training, you will have a clear understanding of the duties held by key stakeholders and the practical skills necessary to establish effective representation for your work group’s safety interests.

In addition to the initial training as a Health Safety Representative, there is an annual refresher training that is a one-day Health and Safety Representative Refresher. This was an added requirement into the WHS legislation in 2024. Review more information in our news announcement on HSR Mandated Training

Yes, our HSR Course is the approved 5-day training course for HSRs as covered in Section 21 of the WHS Regulation 2011. HSRs are elected for three years (section 64 of the WHS Act 2011). If you are newly elected, you must complete this initial 5-day training within three months from the day after being elected into the role by your work group (section 21 (2)(a) WHS Regulation 2011).

A notifiable incident, under the WHS Act, is defined as the death of a person, a serious injury or illness of a person, or a dangerous incident.

Special requirements and actions apply to HSRs in this context. As an HSR, you must be advised of any notifiable incident so that you can represent the workers in your work group. This includes monitoring and investigating concerns from members regarding risks to their health or safety, and where necessary, exercising your power to direct that unsafe work cease.

The HSR may issue a PIN if there is a reasonable belief that the person has contravened a provision of the legislation. This requires there to be a reasonable belief combined with enough information or some appropriate evidence to support or validate the belief. However, an HSR has obligations that they have to fulfil first, including consultation and opportunities to remediate and are covered in more detail as part of the HSR Training.

If you are a Health and Safety Representative for your organisation, you are required to do a specially designed HSR Refresher course every 12 months. View HSR Refresher Course