WorkSafe Victoria is the occupational health and safety arm of the Victorian WorkCover Authority (VWA). It takes the lead role in the promotion and enforcement of health and safety in Victorian workplaces.
VWA is the manager of Victoria's workplace safety system. Broadly, the responsibilities of the organisation include:
- helping avoid workplace injuries occurring
- enforcing Victoria's occupational health and safety laws
- helping injured workers back into the workforce
- managing the workers' compensation scheme
The VWA's statutory obligations are spelt out in several Acts of Parliament. These include:
- health, safety and welfare in the workplace under the Occupational Health & Safety Act 2004
- workers' compensation and the rehabilitation of injured workers under the Accident Compensation Act 1985 and the Accident Compensation (WorkCover Insurance) Act 1993
- employer insurance and premium under the Accident Compensation (WorkCover Insurance) Act 1993
- explosives and other dangerous goods under the Dangerous Goods Act 1995
- the transport of dangerous goods by road under the Road Transport Reform (Dangerous Goods) Act 1995
- high-risk equipment used in public places and on private premises under the Equipment (Public Safety) Act 1994.
The VWA website has information on the OHS Act and regulations, provides access to WorkSafe publications such as Codes and Guidance materials, and has a number of industry pages reporting WorkSafe's activities in these programs.
WorkSafe has funded the establishment and maintenance of this website.