Spotlight
What You Need to Know About QLD Work Health and Safety Law
The information in this post is adapted from Business Queensland. For more information about Work Health and Safety law, see the Work Health and Safety Act 2011.
As an employer, it is your duty to provide employees with a safe and healthy work environment. You must assess risks and put into place control measures to prevent or minimise exposure to these risks. In order to comply with QLD Work health and safety (WHS) laws, you must:
- Identify workplace hazards
- Determine who might be harmed and how
- Implement control measures
- Review these control measures regularly
For more information about how to reduce risks in specific industries, see WorkCover Queensland.
WHS Breaches
If you do not fulfil your WHS duties or obligations, you are breaching the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (or the Electrical Safety Act 2002 ) and can be prosecuted. Depending on the severity of the breach, punishment can include hefty fines (we’re talking millions of dollars) and even imprisonment.
In QLD, a breach to WHS law occurs when:
- A person is put at risk of injury
- Illness or death occurs
- Steps are not taken to prevent risk
- There is a failure to comply with regulatory requirements
What Are Some Examples of WHS Breaches?
Some examples of common WHS breaches include:
- Exposing workers to the risk of excessive noise
- Working at heights without controlled risk
- Allowing unlicensed operators to use specified equipment
- Failing to have safe work method statements for work carried out in or near a confined space
- Not notifying Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ) when a notifiable serious injury or illness occurs at your workplace
For more information, see Injuries in the Workplace – What You Can Do to Prevent Them.
Importance of Workplace Training
To avoid injury and manage risk, it is essential that you and your employees receive Workplace Health and Safety training. For more information about why training is so important for both employees and staff, see this blog post. Need workplace training? Check out our nationally recognised courses.
As an employer, it is your duty to provide employees with a safe and healthy work environment. Find out more about WHS laws and what happens if you breach them.
