Introduction to Occupational Health & Safety (OHS) in Construction
Foundational overview of OHS principles tailored to construction sites.
Course Category
Construction Safety Foundations
Lecturer
Michael
Connell
Enrolled Learners
0 learners
Last Updated
26-09-2025
Level
All Levels
Available Language(s)
English
What you'll learn
- Understand key OHS concepts and terms used in construction.
- Identify common hazards and implement basic control measures.
- Explain your rights and responsibilities under OHS laws and regulations.
- Participate in safety planning and incident reporting processes.
Requirements
No prior safety training is required. A basic understanding of the work site and common construction activities is helpful.
Description
This course introduces the core concepts of occupational health and safety (OHS) within the construction industry. You will learn how to identify hazards, understand control measures, and apply basic OHS practices on site to protect workers and improve overall site safety performance.
Content covers legal foundations, risk assessment basics, and the role of leadership in fostering a culture of safety. By the end, you will be prepared to participate in safer work planning and daily safety routines.
This course provides a foundational overview of OHS principles tailored to construction sites. You will learn how to identify hazards, understand basic risk assessment concepts, and apply simple control measures. It also covers the legal foundations, the role of leadership in fostering a safety culture, and how to participate in safety planning and incident reporting on site.
All workers on construction sites, including frontline staff, supervisors, safety professionals, HR personnel, and managers. No specialized mental health background is required.
Yes. Experience in safety or supervision is helpful but not required.
Key concepts include identifying hazards, understanding risk assessment basics, applying basic control measures, knowing your rights and responsibilities under OHS laws, and the leadership role in creating a safety culture.
A hazard is a condition or object with the potential to cause harm, while risk is the likelihood and severity of harm occurring from that hazard. The course teaches how to identify hazards and assess risk to decide on controls.
Hazards can be identified through on site inspections, worker reports, job planning notes, and routine walkthroughs. Practicing hazard recognition helps you prepare for a safer workday.
Control measures follow the hierarchy: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, and PPE, applied from most protective to least. The course covers selecting and applying these controls to reduce risk on site.
Leadership sets safety expectations, provides resources, models safe behavior, and fosters a culture where workers feel empowered to speak up about hazards and near misses.
You participate by joining daily safety routines, contributing to toolbox talks, raising concerns, and helping plan safer work sequences and controls before tasks begin.
The course explains the legal foundations of OHS and workers rights and responsibilities. It notes that requirements vary by jurisdiction and region and emphasizes aligning safety programs with regulatory expectations.
The course covers how to report safety incidents, document what happened, and participate in basic investigations to identify causes and prevent recurrence. It emphasizes clear communication of findings.
The course discusses basic safety practices on site and may reference PPE as a control. The content focuses on concepts rather than requiring you to use equipment for the course itself.
Apply learnings by recognizing hazards early, performing simple risk assessments before tasks, choosing appropriate controls, participating in safety planning, and communicating with the crew about safety.
The course is delivered online in a self paced format, allowing you to complete modules on your own schedule from anywhere with internet access.
The course presents general OHS concepts that apply across construction sites, but local laws and regulations vary by country or region, so you should relate the material to your location.
You should be able to understand key OHS concepts, identify common hazards, perform basic risk assessments, apply simple control measures, explain rights and responsibilities, and participate in safety planning and incident reporting.
By highlighting leadership roles, open communication, and collaborative safety planning, the course shows how to model safe behavior and encourage workers to report hazards and near misses.
This introduction provides foundational knowledge that supports progression to more advanced OHS and risk management modules in the program and may contribute toward the overall certificate.
This quiz assesses your understanding of core concepts in occupational health and safety within construction, including hazard controls, PPE, emergency procedures, and compliance requirements. It covers key topics such as fall protection, excavation, respiratory protection, silica dust control, and risk assessment. Complete within the given time limit and select the best answer for each question.
View Details
This Course Include
1 hours
1 quizzes
7 lessons
Full lifetime access
