I know that the majority of our temporary employee workforce are working in what we would deem 'safe' environments. And the risk for injury is relatively low. But this does not mean you should treat work health safety lightly – because your failure to take it seriously can be a reason to end your employment. A recent case before the Fair Work Commission upheld the decision of a recruitment consultancy to dismiss a casual employee who repeatedly failed to demonstrate an adequate understanding of safety requirements at her place of work.
Translation: if you are asked to undertake the WHS training and repeatedly fail to demonstrate that you understand the training, then a company is within its rights to dismiss you, if they believe that your behaviour constitutes a danger to yourself and others.
You might shake your head and think that this only applies to people working with dangerous goods or in environments where large blocks of concrete can fall on your head, but think again – it applies to you.
There are a million dumb ways to die in an office environment, and whilst most people use common sense and approach their work and the environment around them in a safe manner, some won't – so you need to do the training.
It is a requirement for employment with people2people that you undertake our work health safety (WHS) training and pass the online assessment to demonstrate that you are aware of and know how to identify and manage common health and safety issues in an office environment. In addition, this training also provides information on how to report incidents and manage your own health and safety. So be aware – if you are asked to, and consistently fail to, undertake the required WHS training/assessment as a temporary employee, you may run the risk of having your employment terminated. Safety should never be taken lightly.
