Work health and safety

It is your duty as an employer to provide your employees with a safe and healthy work environment.

Under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, you must assess risks and implement and review control measures to prevent or minimise exposure to the risks.

To properly manage exposure to risks, you must:

• identify workplace hazards
• determine who might be harmed, and how
• decide on control measures
• put controls in place
• review the controls regularly.

WorkSafe Queensland provides details about risks and how to reduce them in specific industries, business types and occupations.

Read more about keeping your workplace safe.

First aid and emergency plans

As an employer, you must have an adequate number of workers (or other persons) trained in first aid and provide adequate, accessible first aid equipment and facilities.

You must also have emergency plans in place to ensure that you can deal with any emergencies that arise in your workplace. Read more about your first aid and emergency plan obligations from WorkSafe Queensland.

For more advice, read the First aid in the workplace code of practice 2021 (PDF, 491KB).

Workers' compensation insurance

Every Queensland employer must have workers' compensation insurance. Premiums paid by an employer cover the costs of benefits received by employees if they are injured or become ill because of their work. Most employers insure with WorkCover Queensland.

Learn more about workers' compensation.

Also consider...

• Learn about personal safety in the workplace.
• Read more about work health and safety.
• Use the emergency plan fact sheet from Safe Work Australia to create a plan for your business.
• Find out how to identify business risk.
• Learn more about Managing the work environment and facilities code of practice 2021 (PDF, 558KB).
• Read the mental health and wellbeing resources for businesses.