White Card Sydney
If you are looking for construction work in Sydney, you will need a White Card. White Cards are mandatory license required to enter construction sites in Sydney and the rest of Australia.
Jump straight to the Sydney White Card training providers to book your course
How do I get a NSW White Card?
To get a White Card in NSW, you must undertake general construction induction training (White Card course) with a registered training organisation (RTO). The course maps to the accredited unit of competency CPCCWHS1001 - Prepare to work safely in the construction industry. The course takes between 6 to 8 hours to complete in NSW.
By undertaking a White Card training course, you will be taught about the legal requirements for workplace health and safety on construction sites in Australia. As part of the course you will be learning:
- How to identify a safety hazard
- How to report a safety issue on a worksite
- The measures that can be taken to reduce accident or injury risks
- How to respond to workplace health and safety incidents
White Card courses are nationally recognised and allow you to work in the construction industry across Australia.
NSW White Cards are issued by SafeWork NSW.
It should be noted that White Cards can be replaced by SafeWork if lost, stolen, or damaged.
How do I get a White Card in Sydney?
The first step to get a White Card in Sydney is to find a reputable training organisation to complete the course. There are many factors to take into consideration when choosing a provider such as prices, training centre location, date and time, parking situation and customer reviews.
We have compiled a list of Sydney training providers to get you started quickly, ordered by prices (low to high):
How much is a White Card NSW?
The course cost varies slightly between RTOs in Sydney, but most RTOs charge around $120 as can be seen in the list above. Be aware that parking can quickly get expensive in Sydney CBD with the course taking 6-8 hours.
White Card eligibility criteria
You must be at least 14 years of age and bring 100 points of identification to enrol in the course. Some documents that you can bring include:
- Australian birth certificate
- Passport
- Australian drivers licence
- Medicare card
- ATM card
- Utility bill, bank statement etc.
Here is the full list of identification documents that you can bring to reach 100 points.
Please note that RTOs won't issue your card without verifying your identity by seeing your 100 points of identification. School students are often listed on their parent's Medicare card and may need to bring it in order to reach 100 points.
Additionally, you will also need a Unique Student Identifier (USI) in order to be issued your card. USIs can be created for free online on the Australian Government website.
Can you get a White Card online in NSW?
White Cards can only be obtained by completing face to face training in New South Wales and the majority of other Australian states. As of 2024, only Western Australia and Tasmanian residents are allowed to complete the course online.
While NSW residents used to be able to complete the Queensland White Card course online to circumvent local NSW restrictions, WorkSafe Queensland changed the delivery criteria of the course to face to face in 2019. They made the following comment after announcing the change:
Concerns about the effectiveness and quality of online training were raised by various stakeholders during the Best Practice Review of Workplace Health and Safety New South Wales in 2017. In addition, similar concerns have been long held by work health and safety regulators in other jurisdictions including New South Wales and Victoria.
You can read the full announcement on the WorkSafe QLD website.
It should be noted that the training package for the unit of competency "CPCCWHS1001 - Prepare to work safely in the construction industry" does not specify a delivery method, the change is due to WorkSafe Queensland licensing. As such, you will need to complete your training in a classroom-based setting in order to be issued with a Whitecard in Sydney.
What is a White Card NSW?
A White Card is a nationally recognised license required to work in the construction industry in Australia. On successful completion of your general construction induction training, the RTO you completed the training with will issue a Statement of Attainment for the unit of competency "CPCCWHS1001 - Prepare to work safely in the construction industry". SafeWork NSW will then post your card to your nominated delivery address.
Make sure to keep the Statement of Attainment in a safe location as it can be used to order a replacement White Card should you lose your original card.
The White Card course plays an important role in occupational health and safety in Australia. The course ensures that workers know how to work safely around construction hazards, keeping themselves and others safe. The White Card license also serves as insurance in case of work-related injuries, with SafeWork NSW covering medical expenses and wages. Both employees and employers risk big fines when caught without the license on NSW construction sites.
SafeWork NSW refers to the White Card as the "general construction induction card". As the name suggests, it is meant to prepare course participants for general construction safety and should be complemented with site-specific safety induction training provided by the employer.
The course contains 3 components:
- Written component
- Verbal component
- Demonstration component
The written component is a series of multi-choice questions supported by written and video learning material. During the verbal component, you will be asked to verbally identify construction hazards and the risks associated with them. During the demonstration component, you will be taught how to wear personal protective equipment (PPE).
Students will need to have at least a basic understanding of the English language to meet the course requirements and successfully complete the training. The course is rated level 1 by the Australian Qualifications Framework (out of 10 levels).
The White Card course is an education expense and can be claimed on your tax return, so make sure to keep the receipt as payment evidence when booking your course.
Who needs a White Card?
In short, anyone needing to enter construction sites.
According to SafeWork NSW, people needing to complete a White Card course include:
- Site managers, supervisors, surveyors, labourers and tradespeople
- People who access operational construction zones (unaccompanied or not directly supervised by an inducted person)
- Workers whose employment causes them to routinely enter operational construction zones
White Card PPE
The "CPCCWHS1001 - Prepare to work safely in the construction industry" training package requires course participants to demonstrate how to properly fit and wear the following 4 pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the final assessment of the course:
- Hard hat
- High visibility retro-reflective vest or shirt
- Hearing protection such as earplugs or earmuffs
- Eye protection such as goggles or glasses
A qualified trainer and assessor will make sure that the PPE is worn properly.
The demonstration component was added in December 2016 with the transition from the now superseded unit of competency "CPCCOHS1001A - Work safely in the construction industry".
You do not need to own or bring PPE to the training session as the RTO will provide everything required to complete the course.
Additional PPE can be required depending on the construction site and will be introduced during site-specific training. This may include:
- Boots
- Face masks
- Gloves
- Respirators
- Safety harnesses
- Safety shoes
- Sunscreen
PPE should be used as a last resort and other risk control measures should be prioritised. The hierarchy of risk control measures goes as follow:
- Eliminate the risk
- Substitute the hazards with a safer alternative
- Isolate the hazard from people
- Reduce the risk through engineering controls
- Reduce exposure to the hazard using administrative controls
- Use personal protective equipment