Officer due diligence is one of the more misunderstood parts of Australian WHS law, which is impressive given safety legislation already contains enough plain English avoidance to power a small Canberra department. At its core, due diligence means an officer must take reasonable, active and informed steps to ensure the organisation complies with its health and safety duties. It is not the same as doing every safety task personally, and it is not satisfied by hiring a safety m

A Victorian residential builder has been convicted and fined after WorkSafe found contractors working more than three metres above ground level without fall protection. Desbo Industries Pty Ltd was sentenced in the Geelong Magistrates’ Court on 05 Mar 26 after pleading guilty to failing to ensure a workplace under its management and control was safe and without risks to health. The company was fined $40,000 and ordered to pay $4,422 in costs. The facts are not complex, which

WorkSafe ACT’s enforcement and psychosocial safety focus are evolving rapidly and are likely to shape inspector expectations and compliance obligations across ACT workplaces. WorkSafe ACT has recently secured substantial penalties in multiple safety prosecutions and is embedding the national Managing Psychosocial Hazards Code into local practice. Inspectors are increasingly looking beyond physical hazards and will expect well‑organised documentation across asbestos, planned r

Tasmania’s regulator now expects psychosocial risk management to sit in documented risk registers with real consultation records, not just policies on a shelf. The Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work Code of Practice took effect in Tasmania on 4 Jan 23 following national model WHS amendments and is now the practical foundation for how you must identify, assess and control psychosocial risks such as bullying, excessive workload, violence and poor work design. It sits under

Queensland regulators are now making psychosocial risk management a core part of workplace safety obligations, and inspectors are paying attention to how duty holders document and act on these risks. Workplace Health & Safety Queensland has published updated practical guidance on managing workplace psychosocial risks aimed at helping PCBUs take a structured approach to identifying, assessing, controlling and monitoring hazards that could harm psychological health. The update