Up to 85 per cent of companies have unknowingly let mandatory health and safety training qualifications and licenses expire or are missing evidence.
This information comes from workplace training expert and Industry OneCARD founder Kareena Waters, who has warned that staff and businesses across all industries are at risk of fines or penalties.
According to Waters, the most common areas for non-compliance are high risk work licenses, electrical licenses, working at heights and confined space entry training and first aid and CPR.
Other frequent issues are employers not keeping track of the records of in-house training, failing to collect correct evidence from inductions and onboarding training and having proof that workers are competent to use and operate machinery.
With the COVID-19 pandemic leading to an increase in workplace training, companies must get up to scratch in keeping and managing their employees’ records.
“We are seeing a high number of expired licenses and missing records when we are onboarding new members,” Waters said. “However, some companies are not well equipped to manage those records.
“A common occurrence is the employee has a copy but has failed to provide this to their employer, which leaves the company very exposed to non-compliance.
“The management of employee competency records and skill matrix is a crucial part of a company’s integrated management system and is often overlooked or addressed with a band-aid approach.”
With the 2020 Federal Budget encouraging businesses to upskill employees with further training, compliance has never been more important.
Waters also noted the change in work, health and safety laws which now make it impossible for companies and directors to insure against non-compliance fines and penalties.
This means that the simple error of an employee not having correct evidence of training or an expired license could have a catastrophic consequence on an entire company.
Industry ONECARD stores all employee certificates, qualifications, licenses and tickets in one place, ensuring employees and companies are not at risk of being found as non-compliant.
As founder, Waters urges companies to engage with Industry ONECARD to prepare for accreditation audits as training becomes a priority around Australia.
“The Australian Government has just released some exciting funding to help businesses increase capability, including training, review and update of management systems,” she concluded.