Health and Safety Legislation

There's been quite a bit happening in WHS over the past 12 months. New PIN Requirements, New WHS Regulation 2025, Codes of Practice are now minimum performance standards, Psychosocial hazards remain a major regulatory focus, SafeWork's current enforcement priorities and Digital work systems, AI and automation

Most people understand that a business has work health and safety duties. Fewer people realise that certain individuals inside that business hold a separate duty, in their own name, that cannot be handed to anybody else. Those individuals are called officers. On 13 August 2026, SafeWork NSW released an online self-assessment tool and a quick reference guide to help officers understand and test their due diligence. It is a genuinely useful resource and I would encourage or

If you work in WHS, risk, HR or management, you probably know the feeling. You hear that something has changed, someone mentions a new Code of Practice, there is an amendment to legislation or a court decision starts doing the rounds on LinkedIn and suddenly you're wondering whether you've missed something important.

Safe Work Australia has published amendments to the Model WHS Laws, introducing new incident notification duties, crane licensing changes and updates to PPE and compliance requirements. These amendments set the national benchmark, but adoption will vary by state and territory, so businesses must check their local regulator.

When we think about workplace health and safety, our minds often go straight to employees, contractors, or maybe even volunteers. But what about visitors? People who pop in briefly, attend a meeting, drop off a parcel, or tour your facility? Under Australian WHS laws, visitors have a right to be safe – and businesses have a legal duty to protect them.

For any business, ensuring workplace health and safety (WHS) compliance isn’t just about ticking boxes. It’s about protecting your people

Navigating health and safety legislation can feel overwhelming, but understanding its structure, key terms, and practical application