Construction is a high-risk industry, and in NSW all people who work on a construction site must undergo government-approved safety training. This is known as ‘White Card’ or ‘Construction Induction Training Card’.

In today’s blog, we’ll be looking at the training course behind the construction industry white card — what you’ll learn, how long it takes, where to study, and how to get your card. If you work in the NSW construction industry, (or your work regularly takes you onto construction sites eg, security guards, IT cablers) reading this blog is 3-5 minutes well spent. Let’s get started.

Training course

The mandatory NSW White Card training course generally takes around 6-7 hours and consists of the nationally recognised unit: CPCCWHS1001 - Prepare to work safely in the construction industry. The training is delivered face-to-face with a qualified trainer, either in a classroom or via broadcast (eg, Zoom).

Learning materials

The focus of the course is work health and safety (WHS) and the risks and hazards you’ll encounter on any construction site. Specifically, the course covers:

Your WHS responsibilities and duty of care while at work.

Safe work practices in the NSW construction industry.

Using basic safety equipment and PPE (Personal Protective Equipment).

What to do when you encounter a hazard.

Actions for controlling hazards.

The basics of risk management (Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment, Hazard Control, Risk Monitoring).

Understanding WHS documents (Safety Data Sheets (SDSs), signs and symbols, lock-out tags etc).

How to report a hazard, WHS injury, or incident.

Using basic fire fighting equipment.

How to respond to a range of onsite emergencies (chemical spill, fire, structural collapse, vehicle accident etc).

Training providers

Construction industry white card training in NSW is carried out by Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) who are vetted and approved by Safework NSW. The RTO must have specialist knowledge of construction, and their assessors and trainers must be actively employed in the industry.

The person who delivers your training course will be a qualified trainer PLUS have a working knowledge of construction. They will have personally encountered the risks and hazards they talk about in the course and will be able to show you real ways to reduce the risk to yourself (and others) while on the job.

Certification cards

White Cards in NSW are issued by SafeWork NSW. After you finish the course, your training provider will give you an application form to complete and then submit this to SafeWork along with your training records. Once processed, your card will be mailed directly to you.

While you are waiting for your White Card to arrive in the mail, you can use your Statement of Training (SOT) certificate (as proof of training to an employer) for up to 60 days.  Cards are usually mailed out within 30 days of training.

NSW White Card FAQs

Got a question about the NSW construction industry induction training card? Here are the questions we get asked the most.

Does my NSW white card expire?

No. As long as you continue working in the NSW construction industry your card is valid.