New and young worker induction builder

Draft a WHS induction for a new or young worker: who to ask, their duties and yours, stopping unsafe work, site hazards, emergencies, first aid, role topics and a signed acknowledgement.

Figures checked 5 November 2026. Free to use, no sign-in.

Worker and workplace

Victoria and Western Australia have their own Acts; the tool switches to them.

Adds closer supervision, tasks they mustn’t do yet and the 18+ rule for high risk work licences.

Adds the construction induction (white card) requirement.

Site information

Topics for this role

Tick the topics to cover

New worker WHS induction

Check before you use it

  • Walk the site with the new worker: point out exits, the assembly point, first aid, and hazards in their actual work area.
  • Make sure the induction is readily understandable for this person, including language and literacy (s 39(3) of the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW)).
  • Replace every [bracketed] item and delete defaults that don’t fit your workplace.
  • Check the current law and guidance from SafeWork NSW before relying on the document.
Business (PCBU)[Business name]
Site[Site]
Worker[Name]
Role[Role]
Start date[Start date]
Inducted by[Name and position]
JurisdictionNew South Wales

Laid out against s 19(3)(f) of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW) (information, training, instruction and supervision) and s 39 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW): information and training must suit the work, its risks and the controls, and be readily understandable. This is a draft prepared from the details entered. It does not by itself show that your obligations are met: check it against your workplace, consult the people who will use it, and update it when things change.

1. Who to ask

  • [Supervisor, first aiders, health and safety representative and WHS contact, with phone numbers]

2. Your duties as a worker

  • Take reasonable care for your own health and safety.
  • Take reasonable care that what you do, or don’t do, doesn’t harm anyone else.
  • Follow reasonable health and safety instructions, and co-operate with our safety policies and procedures.
  • Report hazards, near misses and incidents straight away.

Source: s 28 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW).

3. Our duties to you

[Business name] must, so far as is reasonably practicable, keep you safe at work: safe work, plant and systems, the information, training, instruction and supervision you need, adequate facilities, and consultation on health and safety matters that affect you.

4. Stopping unsafe work

You may stop, or refuse to do, work if you reasonably believe it would expose you to a serious risk from an immediate or imminent hazard (s 84 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW)). Tell your supervisor as soon as you can.

5. Hazards at this site and how they are controlled

  • [Main hazards and the controls in place]

6. Reporting hazards and incidents

Report every hazard, near miss, injury and incident to your supervisor as soon as you can, however minor. You won’t be penalised for reporting in good faith.

7. Emergencies

[Alarm, exits, assembly point and wardens]

8. First aid

[First aiders, kit locations and how to get help]

9. Personal protective equipment

  • PPE needed for each task and where to get it
  • How to check, wear and store it
  • Report damaged or poorly fitting PPE

10. Manual tasks

  • Tasks that involve heavy, awkward or repetitive handling
  • Lifting aids available and how to use them
  • Ask for help rather than lift alone
  • Report pain or strain early

11. Acknowledgement

I have been taken through this induction, I understand it, and I have had the chance to ask questions.

Sign-off

WorkerName ____________ Signature ____________ Date ________
Inducted byName ____________ Signature ____________ Date ________

Draft prepared with a free tool. Tailor it before use. General information, not legal advice.

Highlighted text in [brackets] still needs your input. Nothing you type is saved or sent. General information, not legal advice.

How this works

Every induction covers the core points: contacts, the worker’s duties (s 28 of the WHS Act, s 25 in Victoria), what the business owes them, the right to stop unsafe work, site hazards, reporting, emergencies and first aid. Tick topics for the role and edit the points.

Switch on the young worker or construction options to add supervision limits and the white card rules for your state or territory.

Not included: task training and competency sign-off, licence checks, and your state’s child employment permits.

Legal basis

Checked against these sources on 5 November 2026. Spotted a figure that looks wrong? Tell us.

Questions

Is a WHS induction a legal requirement?

The law requires you to give workers the information, training, instruction and supervision they need to work safely (s 19(3)(f) of the WHS Act; s 21(2)(e) of Victoria’s OHS Act 2004). The model regulations add that it must suit the work, its risks and the controls, and be readily understandable (r 39). An induction on the first day is the usual way to start meeting that duty.

What extra do young workers need?

Closer supervision, clear limits on what they can do, and time to ask questions. Nobody under 18 can hold a high risk work licence, so they can’t operate plant such as forklifts or cranes that needs one. States also have their own child employment rules for workers under 15 or 16.

Does a new construction worker need a white card?

Yes. A worker must not do construction work unless they have completed general construction induction training, and if they did it more than 2 years ago, they must have done construction work in the past 2 years (rr 316–317 of the model WHS Regulations). In Victoria they must hold a current construction induction card, which lapses after 2 years without construction work (rr 339–341 and 349).

Can a worker refuse unsafe work?

Under the model WHS Act and WA’s Act (s 84), a worker may stop or refuse work if they reasonably believe it would expose them to a serious risk from an immediate or imminent hazard. Victoria has no identical individual right: the employer or a health and safety representative can direct that unsafe work stop (s 74).

Related tools

All tools
CheckerNotifiable incident checkerCheck whether a workplace death, injury, illness or dangerous incident must be reported to the WHS regulator, how fast, who to call and what records to keep.Open checker CheckerPsychosocial risk self-assessmentRate the 14 common psychosocial hazards to build a ranked risk register, with the psychosocial regulations that apply in your state or territory.Open checker CalculatorWorkplace amenities calculatorWork out the toilets, urinals, washbasins and drinking water points a workplace should have from its headcount, under the code of practice for your state.Open calculator

Questions the calculator can’t answer?

Workfloor answers pay, award, leave and termination questions for your team, with the Fair Work Act section or award clause behind each answer.

See plans