Graduate Diploma of Occupational Health and Safety

This course aims to develop professionals in the field of occupational and health and safety (OHS), in particular, to develop the skills of identification and management of workplace hazards that may adversely impact on the health and safety of workers.

On completion of the program it is expected that students should be able to:

implement and assess an occupational health and safety management system that reflects the OHS needs and issues of an organisation, taking into account the size and complexity of the organisation;

critically review the risk management processes that have been developed for a workplace and/or industry, including the characterisation of incident-investigation processes identifying issues in specific industries/workplaces;

critically review the legal framework for occupational safety and health in Australia;

synthesise the factors that have influenced the development of occupational safety and health law in Australia;

synthesise the factors that influence the application of occupational safety and health legislation in the workplace;

categorise hazards according to type, assess when a hazard becomes a risk and characterise the principles of safe design in relation to potential impacts on people, plant and/or the environment;

demonstrate academic skills which include writing, referencing and researching at a postgraduate level including professional competencies in the use of commonly used business software packages used in occupational health and safety.

Year 1 - Semester 1

Year 1 - Semester 2

Admission requirement (Band 6)

• Bachelor degree; or
• Equivalent prior learning including at least five years relevant professional experience.

English Language requirement (Band 4)

English competency requirements may be satisfied through completion of one of the following:

• IELTS Academic Overall band minimum score of 6.5 (no individual band less than 6.0);
• Bachelor degree from a country specified in the Admissions Policy;
• Successfully completed 0.375 EFTSL of study at postgraduate level or higher at an Australian higher education provider (or equivalent);
• Where accepted, equivalent prior learning, including at least five years relevant professional experience; or
• Other tests, courses or programs as defined in the Admissions Policy.

Course Specific Admission Requirements

All applicants are required to have an undergraduate degree in any discipline. Alternatively applicants can apply if they have completed the Graduate Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety, with equivalents considered.

1. Communicate advanced specialised OHS/WHS knowledge, concepts and skills to a variety of audiences.
2. Apply high level independent judgement when investigating and evaluating complex OHS/WHS situations to generate solutions.
3. Demonstrate leadership and management skills by planning, implementing and evaluating substantial OHS/WHS projects.