Obtain a White Card before becoming an Owner Builder

In October 2010, the Department of Fair Trading introduced legislation that required people renovating their homes to complete a Course in Owner-builder Compliance or demonstrate they had the approved equivalent qualifications and experience needed to be an owner builder.

This legislation was introduced to ensure owner builders were sufficiently educated about what was involved in being an owner builder, including their legal obligations and Occupational Health & Safety responsibilities. The implementation of mandatory training resulted, sadly, from of a number of deaths on owner-builder sites in NSW and evidence from WorkCover NSW that owner builders were failing to comply with safety and fair trading laws.

In NSW, if you apply for an owner builder permit for work valued over $12,000, you need to complete a Course in Owner Builder Compliance. Prospective owner builders must first complete a separate WorkCover approved occupational health and safety course, (CPCCOHS1001A - Work Safely in the Construction Industry), and obtain a ''White Card''. 

Only registered training organisations are approved to deliver the white card training, with Workcover NSW mandating the course length at six hours and the delivery to be face-to-face in a classroom environment. WorkCover NSW will not accept an online or correspondence course as offered by some providers in other states nor will they issue a white card to a resident of NSW who has completed a course by any other delivery mode.

Building and construction is a high risk activity, and on an owner builder work site, the responsibility for safety falls to the principal contractor - the role an owner builder occupies. 

As the principal contractor, you have a legal obligation to provide:

• A working environment that is safe and without risk to health
• Adequate resources, information training and supervision
• Effective arrangements for consultation, and
• An effective system for identifying hazards, assessing and controlling risks to health and safety.

For aspiring owner builders, Key Skills Training is an RTO approved to deliver white card training. Courses are conducted weekly on a Thursday and Sunday from two convenient locations in Sydney city and Ashfield. Key Skills can provide training to help you understand potential work site risks, best practice procedures, and what to do in the case of a mishap or accident. Importantly, your white card training will help you be aware of, and therefore manage, the potentially significant risks and responsibilities of those who will be working on your owner builder site, for which you will be fully responsible and liable.

If you are thinking of becoming an owner builder, complete a white card course before starting your project to be sure you understand all of the current owner builder safety requirements. And remember, as the principal contractor, you as the owner builder are the person responsible for everything that happens on your work site.

Gayelene Townsend

General Manager
Key Skills Training Pty Ltd
Phone 1300 151 100
www.keyskillstraining.com