Worksafe Australia Codes Of Practice

In Australia, every state or territory has it’s own health & safety regulations enforced by their respective governmental authority. To ensure a safe workplace for all Australians, Safe Work Australia develops model codes of practice for a variety of high risk construction work.

The purpose of these safety policies is to harmonise safe working practices and procedures under one legal framework. Although each state or territory has its own regulator for the enforcement of safety laws in the workplace, Safe Work Australia’s codes of practice outlines the health and safety standards required under the WHS Act. These practical guides only become enforceable after the government of each state or territory approves them. Approved codes of practice are also admissible in court meaning if legal proceedings were to occur, the code of practice can be used as evidence as to what is know about a hazard, risk or control measure. The codes of practice will in turn be used as a reference point to determine what is reasonably practicable in the relevant situation.

There are currently 32 model codes of practice published by Safe Work Australia ranging from asbestos handling to confined spaces. More details of the codes can be found at Safe Work Australia’s website.