- January, 2012 A new 'harmonised' regulatory package
The model Work Health and Safety Act and associated regulations and codes, many of these are now available online to download.
The Model Work Health and Safety Act as well as other related documents such as the Explanatory Memorandum and the Transitional Arrangements, can be accessed and downloaded from this page of the Safe Work Australia website. In addition, Safe Work Australia has published the first five (of a series) of 'interpretive guidelines' to assist in the interpretation of key concepts within the model Work Health and Safety Act. They are a formal statement on how state, territory and Commonwealth work health and safety regulators believe key concepts in the Model WHS Act operate and in doing so provide an indication of how the laws will be enforced. These guidelines (which can be downloaded) are:
- The meaning of 'person conducting a business or undertaking'
- The health and safety duty of an officer under section 27
- The meaning of 'reasonably practicable'
- Discriminatory, coercive or misleading conduct
The Model Work Health and Safety Regulations can be accessed and downloaded from of the Safe Work Australia website together with information and a Guide to the Regulations.
The harmonised Work Health and Safety Codes of Practice were made available online in late 2011. The instrument 'enacts approved codes of practice providing practical guidance to duty holders on meeting their obligations under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and the Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011'.
The Model Act, Regulations and Codes have been amended and are again under review (2017)
To access the most recent versions of the Codes, go to Safe Work Australia's Model Codes of Practice webpage.
Last amended June 2022
More Items
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Background
Read about the background to the harmonisation of OHS laws in Australia...read more
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Model OHS Laws in Victoria
Information for Victorian health and safety reps and workers...read more