The royal commission into the Rudd government's home insulation program has heard a bureaucrat was rebuffed when he asked colleagues about safety training for workers.

The commission is examining the lack of training given to installers who were killed on the job.

Two coroners were critical of the training provided to four insulation installers who died in 2009 and 2010.

Simon Cox spent almost two months in 2009 partially overseeing the scheme's development.

In Tuesday's commission hearing in Brisbane, he was asked what he did to ensure adequate training was developed for workers.

Mr Cox told the hearing his recollections were vague and he could not recall discussions about training at meetings of the two departments, although he would be surprised if it was not discussed at those meetings.

But the commission was later shown an email he wrote to an Environment Department manager, asking to be updated on its progress developing plans for safety training.

The manager replied that a briefing would be provided at a later date, and it was beyond the department's capacity to respond to such requests from him.

Lawyer Tom Howe, for the Commonwealth, said it appeared the email was designed to put Mr Cox "in his place".

Mr Cox agreed.

He told the hearing that many in government and industry felt installing insulation was not difficult, because home owners could buy it from a hardware store and do the job themselves.