Purpose of the Act
The Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 (PDF, 766 KB) is about making workplaces and work practices safer for everyone.
The Act sets out the laws about health and safety requirements affecting most workplaces, work activities and specified high risk plant in Queensland. It seeks to protect your health and safety and the health and safety of everyone at a workplace, while undertaking work activities or using specified high risk plant.
It specifically seeks to reduce the risk of a person's death, injury or illness as a result of a workplace or work activity, for example:
- Asthma caused by inhaling spray paint from a neighbouring workplace.
- Carbon monoxide poisoning caused by liquefied petroleum gas operated forklift being used in a coldroom.
- Legionnaire's disease acquired by inhaling legionella bacteria from a contaminated cooling tower of an air-conditioning unit.
The Act establishes a framework for preventing or minimising exposure to risk by:
- imposing workplace health and safety obligations on people who may affect the health and safety of others by what they do, or fail to do
- establishing benchmarks for industry through the making of regulations and codes of practice
- establishing a workplace health and safety board that encourages industry participation and cooperation
- appointing workplace health and safety officers to help employers and principal contractors manage workplace health and safety
- encouraging workplaces to have workplace health and safety committees involving workers and management
- supporting worker involvement through the establishment of workplace health and safety representatives in the workplace
- appointing accredited providers to assist industry in managing particular risks
- appointing inspectors to monitor and enforce compliance with the Act.
You need to be familiar with the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 in order to understand your obligations and safety requirements.
Last updated February 10, 2006
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