Workplace health and safety
The department regulates compliance through:
- developing workplace health and safety legislation and standards
- inspections, investigations and audits
- managing registration, approval and accreditation
- enforcement activities
Developing workplace health and safety legislation and standards
The Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 (PDF, 766 KB), Workplace Health and Safety Regulation 2008 and codes of practice provide the legislative framework and practical advice for workplace health and safety.
Through understanding the legislation and the rights and obligations that relate to it compliance can be achieved.
Inspections, investigations and audits
Workplace health and safety inspectors work to ensure compliance with the legislation through:
- inspecting workplaces
- investigating complaints or workplace incidents
- conducting state-wide compliance campaigns
More information on workplace health and safety inspections, inspectors and audits.
Workplace health and safety officers (WHSO’s) and workplace health and safety representatives (WHSR’s) can also perform workplace inspections and audits, as well as undertake other workplace health and safety activities.
More on WHSO and WHSR inspections.
Managing registration, approval and accreditation systems
The department manages registrations, approval and accreditation systems relating to:
- registration of plant and plant design
- prescribed occupations (e.g. licences for doggers or riggers)
- prescribed activities (e.g. certificates for demolition or asbestos removal)
- registered training organisations (RTO’s)
- workplace health and safety officer (WHSO’s) certification
- induction for construction work
More information on licences and registrations.
Enforcement activities
Compliance can be enforced in many ways including:
- advice
- verbal directions
- improvement notices
- prohibition notices
- court order to secure compliance with notice
- seizure
- infringement notices
- prosecution
More information on prosecutions and penalties that result from enforcement activities.
Last updated July 4, 2006