White Card Glossary: Key WHS & Safety Terms
The White Card exam is full of acronyms and legal terms. Here is every key term explained in plain English, so the questions (and your worksite) make sense.
- WHS
- Work Health and Safety, the national framework of laws (the WHS Act 2011 and WHS Regulations) that protect people at work.
- CPCWHS1001 (formerly CPCCWHS1001)
- The national unit code for “Prepare to work safely in the construction industry”, the training you complete to earn your White Card. CPCWHS1001 superseded the older CPCCWHS1001 code in 2022; both refer to the same nationally recognised White Card unit.
- PCBU
- Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking, usually the employer or business. The PCBU holds the primary duty of care for health and safety.
- Duty of care
- The legal obligation to take reasonable steps to ensure the health and safety of yourself and others affected by your work.
- HSR
- Health and Safety Representative, a worker elected to represent their work group on health and safety matters.
- Hierarchy of control
- The ranked order for controlling hazards: Elimination, Substitution, Isolation, Engineering controls, Administrative controls, then PPE, most effective first.
- Hazard
- Anything with the potential to cause harm, for example working at heights, electricity, noise, or hazardous chemicals.
- Risk
- The likelihood that a hazard will actually cause harm, and how serious that harm could be.
- Risk assessment
- The process of identifying hazards, evaluating the risk, and deciding on control measures.
- SWMS
- Safe Work Method Statement, a document that sets out high-risk construction work, its hazards, and how risks will be controlled.
- PPE
- Personal Protective Equipment, hard hats, hi-vis, safety boots, eye, hearing and respiratory protection. The last line of defence in the hierarchy of control.
- SDS
- Safety Data Sheet, a document giving information about a hazardous chemical, including its hazards, safe handling, storage, and emergency measures.
- GHS
- Globally Harmonised System, the international system for classifying and labelling hazardous chemicals.
- RCD
- Residual Current Device, a safety switch that quickly cuts power if it detects a fault, protecting against electric shock.
- AS 1319
- The Australian Standard for safety signs: prohibition (red), mandatory (blue), warning (yellow), emergency (green) and fire (red) signs.
- AS 2444
- The Australian Standard covering portable fire extinguishers and fire blankets, their selection, placement and colour coding.
- High-risk work licence
- A licence required for specific high-risk activities such as operating a forklift, rigging, dogging, or erecting scaffold over 4 metres.
- Confined space
- An enclosed or partially enclosed space not designed for continuous occupancy, which may have a harmful atmosphere, entry requires a permit.
- Lockout/Tagout
- Procedures that isolate and tag energy sources (electrical, mechanical) so equipment cannot be started while being serviced.
- SafeWork / WorkSafe
- The work health and safety regulator in each state or territory (e.g. SafeWork NSW, WorkSafe Victoria) that enforces WHS laws.
- RTO
- Registered Training Organisation, the accredited provider authorised to deliver CPCCWHS1001 and issue your White Card.
- White Card
- The General Construction Induction Card. Mandatory to work on a construction site anywhere in Australia, and recognised nationally.
Know the terms? Put them to the test
Try the free practice exam and see how many you get right.
Start Free Practice Test Study with Flashcards