Work Health & Safety

The WHS basics every tradie business owner needs — where the model WHS Act applies (VIC and WA differ), the non-delegable PCBU primary duty, the hierarchy of control, the officer due-diligence duty, and the Category 1-3 penalty structure.

What to know when a safety inspector visits — the state regulators and their numbers, Improvement vs Prohibition Notices (one stops the job), the 2025-26 enforcement priorities, and what an elected Health & Safety Representative can do.

When you need a Safe Work Method Statement — the high-risk construction work activities that trigger it (falls 2m+, trenches 1.5m+, asbestos, energised electrical and more), what a SWMS must contain, who prepares it, and the stop-and-revise rule.

How to manage work at height in Australian construction — the fall-protection hierarchy (and when a harness is not enough), the 2-metre trigger, the Work Safely at Heights training benchmark, scaffold licensing (4m) and 30-day inspections, and AS/NZS 1891/4576.

When a site incident must be reported to the WHS regulator — what counts as a notifiable death, serious injury or dangerous incident, the immediate-notification and 48-hour rules, the site-preservation duty, and the Stop-Make safe-Preserve-Notify sequence.

The hard rules for three serious site hazards — the 85 dB(A)/140 dB(C) noise standard and audiometry, confined-space entry permits and rescue plans (AS/NZS 2865), trenches over 1.5m and shoring, and Before You Dig Australia.

The site rules for power, fire and plant — mandatory 30 mA RCDs and AS/NZS 3000/3012, the 3-monthly construction test-and-tag interval, hot-work permits and fire watch, registered plant, High Risk Work licences and crane lift plans.

The silica rules for Australian construction — the engineered-stone ban (1 July 2024), the 0.05 mg/m³ exposure standard, the silica control plan (since 1 Sep 2024), the never-dry-cut controls, and health monitoring.

Managing asbestos in Australian construction — the pre-1990 presumption and register, Class A (friable) vs Class B (non-friable, 10 m²) removal licences, notification, licensed disposal, and the stop-work steps when you uncover it mid-job.

The scaffold, excavation and plant rules — the SB/SI/SA scaffolding licence classes, the s225 4m/30-day inspection rule and tagging, Before You Dig Australia, and the difference between design and item plant registration.

When demolition is licensed work — the state licences (NSW DE1/DE2, VIC Demolisher, QLD/WA/SA/TAS/ACT/NT), the 6m/5-day WHS notification trigger, the separate asbestos removal regime, and the building permit you also need.

Two things that catch one-person tradie businesses — a WHS inspector can turn up unannounced (and what happens on the day), and the state workers' comp scheme generally does not cover you for your own injuries unless you arrange private cover.