Work Health and Safety Act 2011

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The Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (WHS Act) sets out the requirements for healthy and safe workplaces. It outlines what you must do to protect the health, safety and welfare of your workers and other people who might be affected by the work your business does.

All workers are protected by the WHS Act. This includes:

  • employees
  • contractors
  • subcontractors
  • outworkers
  • apprentices
  • trainees
  • work experience students
  • volunteers
  • employers who perform work.

The WHS Act also provides protection for the general public so that their health and safety is not at risk by work performed by your business.

The WHS Act places the primary health and safety duty on the business owner or employer – referred to in the Act as a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU). This person must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers at the workplace. This means doing what you are reasonably able to do to ensure the health and safety of workers and others like volunteers and visitors.

Duties, or responsibilities, are also placed on managers, supervisors and workers at a workplace.

The WHS Act covers work health and safety definitions and duties. It also sets out the requirements for:

  • incident notifications
  • licensing and registrations
  • consulting with workers
  • compliance and enforcement
  • dispute resolution.

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