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Work health and safety
About work health and safety
Work health and safety (WHS) means managing risks to the health and safety of everyone in your workplace. That includes your:
- workers
- customers
- visitors
- suppliers.
WHS is sometimes known as occupational health and safety (OH&S).
You are legally required to provide a safe work environment. It will also help you:
- keep staff
- improve staff productivity
- reduce the costs of injury and workers' compensation.
It can cost money and time to implement WHS practices and install safety equipment. But not taking action can result in prosecution, fines and loss of staff.
Your WHS obligations
You must put health and safety practices in place as soon as you start your business. Under Australian WHS laws your business must:
- ensure the health and safety of your workers
- not put the health and safety of other people at risk.
To do this you must:
- provide a safe work environment
- provide and maintain safe machinery and structures
- provide safe ways of working
- ensure safe use, handling and storage of machinery, structures and substances
- provide and maintain adequate facilities
- provide any information, training, instruction or supervision needed for safety
- monitor the health of workers and conditions at the workplace.
Workers compensation laws also require you to have a workers compensation insurance policy for your employees.
Your workers' WHS obligations
People working in your business also have WHS obligations. They must:
- take care of their own health and safety
- not do anything that could hurt others
- follow WHS instructions
- follow the workplace’s WHS policies and procedures.
WHS requirements in your state or territory
Each state or territory has its own WHS laws and a regulator to enforce them. The WHS framework for each state or territory includes:
- an Act that outlines your broad responsibilities
- regulations that set out specific requirements for particular hazards and risks, such as noise, machinery, and manual handling
- codes of practice that provide practical information on how you can meet the requirements in the Act and Regulations.
- a regulating agency (regulator) that administers WHS laws, inspects workplaces, provides advice and enforces the laws. Some states have a different regulator for workers compensation.
- Act: Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW)
- Regulation: Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017 (NSW)
- Codes: NSW codes of practice
- Regulator: SafeWork NSW
- Workers compensation regulator: State Insurance Regulatory Authority (NSW)
- Act: Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
- Regulation: Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
- Codes – Queensland codes of practice
- Regulator – Workplace Health and Safety Queensland
- Workers compensation regulator: WorkCover Queensland
- Act: Work Health and Safety ACT 2020 (WA)
- Regulation: Work Health and Safety (General) Regulations 2022 (WA)
- Codes: WA codes of practice
- Regulator: WorkSafe WA
- Workers compensation regulator: WorkCover WA
- Act: Work Health and Safety Act 2012 (SA)
- Regulation: Work Health and Safety Regulations 2012 (SA)
- Codes: SA codes of practice
- Regulator: SafeWork SA
- Workers compensation regulator: ReturnToWorkSA
- Act: Work Health and Safety Act 2012 (Tas)
- Regulation: Work Health and Safety Regulations 2022 (Tas)
- Codes: Tasmania codes of practice
- Regulator: WorkSafe Tasmania
- Workers compensation regulator: WorkCover Board Tasmania
- Act: Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (ACT)
- Regulation: Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (ACT)
- Codes: ACT codes of practice
- Regulator: WorkSafe ACT
The Commonwealth jurisdiction covers workers for the Australian Government, such as the public service and the Australian Defence Force. It also covers businesses licensed to self-insure under the Comcare scheme.
- Act: Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cwth)
- Regulation: Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011 (Cwth)
- Codes: Commonwealth codes of practice
- Regulator: Comcare
Safe Work Australia’s role
Safe Work Australia develops policies to improve WHS and workers compensation across Australia.
It does not regulate or enforce WHS laws. State and territory governments regulate and enforce WHS laws in their jurisdiction.
Check the Safe Work Australia website for WHS information and data.
WHS requirements for your industry
Your business’s WHS requirements depend on the risks in your workplace. Check our industry information pages to find the requirements for your industry.
You should also consider getting independent advice on WHS requirements for your business.
Emergency plans and first aid
Part of WHS is being ready to respond if an accident or emergency happens. To help minimise workplace risks and be better prepared for emergencies:
- have an emergency plan
- do a first aid assessment of your business
- have enough trained first aiders to cover unplanned staff absences
- make sure the first aid equipment in your workplace is easy to find and access
- run emergency drills in your workplace
- evaluate your business activities to identify areas with higher risk.
Work in extreme weather
Extreme weather (such as extreme heat, cold, hail or strong winds) may affect your business. Under WHS laws you must provide a safe working environment and keep your workers safe in extreme weather.
Extreme heat is an issue in many parts of Australia. Make sure you’re aware of the signs of heat-related illness and how to manage the risks.
Some employers must provide leave if their employees can’t work because of extreme weather. Check if your employees have these entitlements under their award or agreement. If you’re not clear on your rights and responsibilities as an employer, you can either:
- visit the Fair Work Ombudsman website
- contact the Fair Work Infoline on 13 13 94.
Work parties and WHS
Parties and functions are a great way to celebrate and thank your staff for their hard work. But you're still responsible for your staff's health and safety at the event, even if they are not being paid.
Before the event, make sure your internal policies and procedures are up to date. These include your policies for acceptable behaviour and bullying and harassment.
You can send a friendly email to staff reminding them that:
- while the party is a time to relax, it's still a work function
- the usual rules still apply, including those around sexual harassment
- they should be careful if consuming alcohol.
At the event:
- if you serve alcohol, make sure it's served legally and responsibly
- ensure enough food and non-alcoholic drinks are available
- make arrangements for staff to get home safely afterwards. For example, organising a bus, pre-ordering taxis or arranging designated drivers.
Working with remote team members
Your WHS obligations still apply when staff are working remotely or from home.
If you employ remote staff, make sure your policies and procedures include them. You may have to update your policies to account for your employees' remote work environments.
When considering WHS for remote workers, think about:
- how staff can report incidents or injuries while working at home
- providing guidance on safe home office environments
- letting workers borrow equipment from the office if available
- how you can support their mental health and wellbeing.
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Understand your work health and safety obligations to remote team members.
Safe Work Australia
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