Foundation Passport - Civil

This four-hour entry level course is designed to ensure everyone on site understands their health and safety responsibilities.

The Foundation Passport - Civil introduces learners to:

Vital topics such as how to keep themselves healthy and safe.
Identify hazards and risks and apply the appropriate controls.
Understand their legal responsibilities.
Promote good mental health.

Target audience

This course is suitable for people who are about to enter or are new to the New Zealand construction industry, or are unfamiliar with the basics of health and safety on a construction site including:

Young workers, apprentices or those undertaking a pre-trade course.
Students who are part of the Youth Guarantee Initiative (Trades and Services Academies).
Secondary school students who are part of Careers and Transitional Education programmes (such as Gateway, STAR and work experience).
Workers who have shifted careers to work in the construction industry.
Migrant workers who may or may not have international construction experience.

Learning outcomes

Identify the importance of being healthy and safe in a construction site/environment.
Identify rights and responsibilities and their employer’s rights and responsibilities under the legislation in relation to their roles on the job.
- Outline what a healthy and safe work environment looks like.
- Identify expected behaviours on a construction site/ environment.
Identify ways that workers can keep themselves physically and mentally healthy and safe.
- Identify the critical risks and common hazards present in a construction environment.
- Identify common controls that are used in a construction environment.

How you will be assessed

You will need to complete a Review of Understanding at the end of the course.

What the course covers

- Why is health and safety important?
- Workers’ part in health and safety
- Getting ready to work
  - Being physically and mentally fit before even getting to work
- Know the site
  - Site induction
  - Site culture
  - What a good site culture looks like
  - Technical terms and jargon used on site
- Know the law
  - Fundamental topics about HSWA: what it is, and the roles and responsibilities of workers and employers (PCBU)
- How can workers be harmed?
  - Hazards and risks on site
- What can workers do about it?
  - Controls that can be used on site
Site Safe regularly reviews course content in partnership with the construction industry to ensure alignment to best practice industry standards. The Foundation Passport - Civil adopts a competitive team quiz format, using discussions, videos, puzzles and games to ensure learning is engaging and motivational. The course examines the life-changing personal consequences of unsafe actions and injuries, weighed against the pressure on workers to take shortcuts. Visit our Why Choose Site Safe Training page for more information.

Language requirements

To complete this course successfully, learners must be able to read and understand conversational English. If you are not comfortable with English comprehension, we recommend attending a classroom course at a Site Safe training centre. Please contact us if you need assistance in choosing the right course for you.

What you'll get at the end of the course

A Site Safety Card/Passport (valid for two years). The Site Safety Card will include a green 'Foundation' indicator so anyone can see that foundational level training has been completed.
Four Licensed Building Practitioner points
Take away pamphlet with key information on topics covered in the course
Access to the Foundation Learning eBook which is available on the Site Safe website and the Site Safe app
2 credits towards the NZQA Health and Safety in Construction Programme (only one Passport-level course may be counted towards the certificate)

Next Learning Steps

Completing a Site Safe Passport means you'll gain site access for the next two years.

When it's time to renew your site access, you don't need to complete the same course again - expand your health and safety knowledge with a different course that's relevant to you. We now offer a suite of cost-effective four-hour Passport Plus courses in specific subjects, as well as a variety of one and two-day courses, all of which will renew your Site Safety Card.

Site Safe's Height learning staircase

Have a look at the pathway examples for more training options after successfully completing this course.

Check out our Training CPD Matrix to see Site Safe courses and credits at a glance.

With over 60,000 New Zealand construction workers attending a Site Safe Passport course each year, most major New Zealand contractors require a Site Safety Card for entry to their sites, and as a prerequisite in their tender process.

As Site Safety Cards become more recognised by the horticulture sector, this may become a site access requirement, or a tender prerequisite.

Book your seat on the next course today, or contact us for more information.

For a full list of our training courses visit our Training Courses page.