Occupational health & safety courses

OHS professionals develop systems and policies to protect employees from physical and mental health hazards. All workplaces have OHS considerations in place, but some industries have more intensive requirements, for example mining, construction, healthcare and maritime workplaces.

OHS courses offer education on OHS principles, processes, Australian legislation and workplace requirements. They also cover best practices for OHS practitioners, in a generalist context and in specific industries.

By studying an OHS course online, you will learn:

• How to understand and interpret the Work Health Safety Act.
• The components of a Work Health Safety plan or framework.
• How to identify and manage hazards and risks in the workplace.
• The ethics and principles that underpin OHS.
• Industry-specific practices and methods for managing OHS in the workplace.

You should study OHS if you’re interested in pursuing a career in human resources, workplace development or occupational health and safety, or if you’re currently in a role where OHS forms part of your responsibilities.

Gaining a formal qualification in OHS can help accelerate your career and improve how you perform in your current role.

When you study online, you can work to your own timetable. You’re still expected to meet weekly deadlines, but you have the freedom to decide when you watch lectures, complete learning activities, or respond to class discussions. You can reserve studying for the weekends, your lunch break and after business hours.

This makes it easier to keep working full or part-time in your current role. It also makes it easier to balance other commitments in your life, such as parenting and carer responsibilities. Students with a disability find that online study removes barriers that they face when they study on campus.

There are a lot of reasons to study your course online through us.

• You can enrol without entry requirements 
  We have a unique open-door policy that makes it possible for everyone to enrol in university study, no matter their academic history. If you don’t meet the entry requirements for a degree, we’ll help you get in through single undergraduate subjects and transition into a qualification from there.
• You have total control over how you study
  Upskill without committing to a whole degree upfront. Or enrol in a full degree, but take it a subject at a time. We’ll introduce you to flexible study options you didn’t even know about, so you can fit uni around what matters to you.
• You’ll graduate with the same qualification as an on-campus student
  Once you enrol through us, you’ll study online with the university that provides your degree. This means that when you complete your qualification, you’ll graduate with the same degree as on-campus students.
• We’ll help you navigate the university world
  Our friendly student advisors will be your guide every step of the enrolment journey. They'll help you compare universities, choose a course, provide documentation and understand your finance options.

It depends on what your career goals are, the industry you wish to work in, and your existing qualifications and experience.

If you need help deciding on the best course for you, you can book a consultation with an Open Universities Australia student advisor, who can help you with expert advice on planning your studies.

Before starting an enrolment, it’s important to read the entry requirements for your chosen course to ensure that you’re eligible to apply. If you don’t quite meet the requirements, we may be able to help you find a pathway into your course through open-entry subjects, which anyone can study.

Chat with us to find out more.

Here at Open Universities Australia, we make enrolling online as straightforward as possible. To get started, find the course for you by browsing the options on this page. You can also compare different qualifications using our handy comparison tool, or request help from one of our student advisors.

When you’ve made your choice, click ‘Apply now’ on the relevant course page and follow the prompts to begin your enrolment. We’ll ask you to supply some supporting documentation, including proof of your identity, your tax file number, and a unique student identifier (USI) during this process.

Your university will get in touch with you via email to confirm whether or not your application has been successful.

Please note that enquiries and applications for some courses are handled directly by the university. If this is the case, it will be indicated on the course listing page.  

For more information about enrolment, read our online self-service enrolling instructions. If you get stuck at any time, contact us and we’ll talk you through it.