Courses · Work Health & Safety
Keeping Safe at Work — WHS for Disability Support Workers
Your rights and duties under WHS law, how to identify and control hazards in a participant's home, working alone, fatigue, driving, and reporting injuries and near misses.
About this certificate
This is a non-accredited professional development module and the Certificate of Completion is not a Statement of Attainment. It gives a general overview of work health and safety principles under the model WHS laws adopted in most Australian jurisdictions; Victoria operates under its own Occupational Health and Safety Act with similar duties. It does not replace your employer's WHS induction, policies and site-specific risk assessments.
About this module
Disability support work happens in other people's homes, in cars and in the community — workplaces your employer does not fully control. This module covers the WHS duties of your employer and of you, the hierarchy of control, hazards specific to home-based and community support, working alone and in isolation, occupational violence and aggression, fatigue and shift work, driving for work, psychosocial hazards, and how and why to report hazards, incidents and near misses.
Who it is for
All support workers, especially those working in participants' homes, in the community, on sleepover or overnight shifts, or alone.
What you will be able to do
- Describe the WHS duties of your employer and of you as a worker
- Identify hazards in home-based and community support settings
- Apply the hierarchy of control to reduce risk
- Stay safe when working alone, driving, and managing fatigue
- Report hazards, injuries and near misses correctly
Aligned to
- Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (model law) and state/territory equivalents
- Safe Work Australia — Managing psychosocial hazards at work Code of Practice
- NDIS Practice Standards — Provision of Supports Environment
- NDIS Code of Conduct
Lesson plan
What the module covers
| # | Lesson | What it covers | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Your rights, your duties, and spotting hazards | Who is responsible for what, and how risk is controlled. | 10m |
| 02 | Working in homes, alone, on the road, and when tired | The risks of the workplace you do not control. | 10m |
| 03 | Reporting hazards, incidents and injuries | Why reporting protects everyone, including the participant. | 10m |
| ✓ | Final assessment | 10 scenario-based questions · pass mark 80% · unlimited attempts | ~15m |
Also in Work Health & Safety
Manual Handling
Protect your back and your participant's dignity — hazard assessment, transfer technique, hoists and slings, falls, and the lifts that must never be used.
Waste Management
Handle and dispose of general, clinical, sharps, pharmaceutical and hazardous waste safely — and what to do after a needlestick or body-fluid exposure.
Fire Safety
Prevent fires in homes and group settings, respond with RACE, choose the right extinguisher, and evacuate people who cannot evacuate themselves.