The OHS Act

The main Act covering OHS in Victoria is the Victorian Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004. The Act came into effect on July 1, 2005. Click on the items below for a summary of the main sections of OHS Act of relevance to workers and OHS reps.

The latest authorised versions 2004 Act and Regs can be downloaded (in both pdf and word format) FREE on the Victorian government legislation repository website. The Act can be downloaded here. The Regulations can be downloaded here. (Make sure to check that it the latest version).

To purchase hard copies, go to the pages linked above. A 'Buy printed copy of Act/SR' button is now located below the latest authorised pdf version, and when selected will take the user to the authorised printer's website to make the purchase. Note that users can still open and download the legislation for their own use

More information

WorkSafe Victoria has produced a series of publications on the OHS Act. These include Information Sheets, Guides, and more. Four useful publications are:

Guide to the Act - provides a summary of the 2004 OHS Act (currently unavailable)
Information for employees on health and safety - for employees, independent contractors and their employees (this is also available in several languages)
About health and safety representatives - information for employees
Information for health and safety representatives - for reps and deputies, explains their rights and powers, what to expect from the employer and where to go for help.
Employee representation - an excellent resource for OHS reps, deputies, and workers wanting to know how to ensure they are represented. This is also very useful for employers who need to ensure they understand employees' rights to representation, and the powers and functions of reps. The guide has been updated - the new edition being released in March 2021.