When it comes to WorkSafe WA exams, you can get ready in a way that suits you.
The Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety’s WorkSafe WA team has developed a suite of educational materials to help Western Australia’s statutory supervisors complete the mandatory accreditation process and comply with the state’s legislation.
Statutory position holders – essential workers in WA’s mining industry – must meet role-specific criteria to satisfy the Work Health and Safety Act 2020 and Work Health and Safety (Mines) Regulations 2022 before the conclusion of the four-year transitional period, which ends on March 30.
By the beginning of October 2025, six months before the accreditation deadline, more than 17,000 people had passed the work health and safety (WHS) legislation examination, the WHS knowledge test that is the common element in the process.
The majority of WA’s statutory position holders have punched their tickets well ahead of time. To assist the remaining candidates in their preparations, the department has created four animations, with the short YouTube-hosted videos – 3–5 minutes in duration – debunking common misconceptions about the WHS legislation exam and providing sound advice on navigating the relevant laws, creating healthy study habits and overcoming test anxiety.
One of the most prevalent misconceptions about the WHS legislation exam is that candidates are failing the test because they must memorise thousands of pages of new information, navigate trick questions and score 90 per cent or higher on their first attempt.
The myth-busting animation explains that candidates can refer to their marked-up copies of WA’s WHS legislation throughout the open-book exam of 55 multiple-choice, true–false and fill-in-the-blank questions as they strive to achieve the benchmark score of 80 per cent, with opportunities to retake the test if they do not pass.
To help candidates get to grips with WA’s active WHS legislation, which came into force in March 2022, two five-page guides are available on the WorkSafe WA website.
Among other educational materials relating to the WHS legislation exam are testimonial videos in which successful candidates talk about how they tackled the test, step-by-step instructions for using the Mines Statutory Positions Portal – the system that powers all aspects of the accreditation process – and sample questions that users answer in that online environment.
WorkSafe WA Mines safety director Tony Robertson told Mining that the regulator was making every effort to support WA’s statutory position holders in the lead-up to the March 30 transition date.
“People learn in all kinds of different ways,” he said. “Some people are visual learners, some people are auditory learners, some people are tactile learners, and some people are reading or writing learners.
“We’re catering for all learning styles because we want people in supervisory positions on WA mine sites to have the information, knowledge and training they need to meet the WHS requirements that underpin a safer WA mining industry, which is the purpose of the process.
“I strongly encourage anyone thinking about applying for a statutory position to go to the WorkSafe website at www.worksafe.wa.gov.au and check out the videos and other guidance materials.”
This article appeared in the Summer edition of Mining Magazine.
