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HSE inspections up 47% - HSE carried out over 13,200 workplace inspections in 2024/25.

Health and Safety Consultants inAustralia

WHS risk assessments · Officer due diligence support · DSE and ergonomics · Compliance under the model WHS Act and state regulators · Support in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, and Canberra

Australia operates one of the more distinctive workplace safety frameworks among English-speaking markets, built around the concept of the person conducting a business or undertaking (the PCBU) and a positive due diligence duty placed personally on company officers, including directors. For international and UK-headquartered groups expanding into Australia, the terminology and the personal-liability model are materially different from the UK system and need careful handling. Arinite provides Qualified consultants and compliance software to businesses operating in Australia, coordinating WHS obligations with group compliance standards across 50+ countries.

Book My Free Australia Gap Analysis Call+44 (0)20 7947 9581
1,500+ businesses
50+ countries
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ABOUT

Workplace Health and
Safety in Australia

Australia harmonised most of its workplace safety law around the model Work Health and Safety (WHS) Act, developed by Safe Work Australia and adopted by the Commonwealth and most states and territories. Safe Work Australia is a national policy body that develops the model laws but does not enforce them. Enforcement sits with the state and territory regulators, such as SafeWork NSW, WorkSafe Victoria, and Workplace Health and Safety Queensland. Several features distinguish the Australian system and matter for any business operating there:

The model WHS Act is adopted, not universal

Most jurisdictions have adopted the model WHS Act, but Victoria continues to operate under its own Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004, and Western Australia adopted its WHS Act more recently. A business operating in multiple states must account for these differences.

The PCBU duty

The primary duty of care sits with the person conducting a business or undertaking (the PCBU), a deliberately broad concept that extends beyond the traditional employer.

Officer due diligence

Under Section 27 of the model WHS Act, company officers, including directors, have a personal, positive duty to exercise due diligence to ensure the PCBU complies. This is a stronger and more explicit personal-liability model than the UK Section 37 approach, and it is a frequent gap for incoming international businesses.

Reasonably practicable

Duties are framed around what is reasonably practicable, with a defined set of factors for weighing risk against the cost of control.

Incident notification

Notifiable incidents must be reported to the relevant state or territory regulator.

Arinite provides Qualified consultants and compliance software to businesses operating in Australia, with particular strength for UK and international groups establishing or running Australian operations who need WHS compliance aligned with their global standards.

CITIES

Health and Safety
Support Across Australia

Sydney

Australia's largest commercial and financial centre.

Melbourne

A major corporate, finance, and professional services hub.

Brisbane

Perth

Adelaide

Canberra

The seat of federal government.

COMPLIANCE GAPS

Common Compliance Gaps We
Find in Australia

Officer due diligence not understood or evidenced. The Section 27 personal duty on directors is frequently overlooked by incoming international businesses.

Multi-state differences not accounted for, particularly Victoria's separate OHS Act 2004.

UK group documentation used unchanged, without reflecting the PCBU model or WHS terminology.

Risk assessment not aligned to the reasonably practicable test and the WHS Regulations.

DSE and ergonomic assessments missing for office, home, and hybrid workers.

Incident notification arrangements not aligned to the relevant state regulator.

SERVICES

Our Health and Safety
Services in Australia

Delivered through Qualified consultants and integrated health and safety software, as part of our outsourced health and safety service.

WHS risk assessments

Risk assessment aligned to the model WHS Act and the reasonably practicable test.

Officer due diligence support

Briefing and documentation to help officers evidence the Section 27 due diligence duty.

Multi-state compliance coordination

Accounting for the model WHS jurisdictions, Victoria's OHS Act 2004, and Western Australia.

DSE and ergonomic assessments

For office, home, and hybrid workers.

Group compliance coordination

Aligning Australian WHS obligations with a single multi-jurisdiction compliance system.

Book a Free Gap Analysis Call

Book a free gap analysis call with one of our Qualified health and safety consultants. In 30 minutes, we will assess your current arrangements, identify the compliance gaps that matter most including officer due diligence and multi-state differences, and give you a clear recommendation and indicative cost.

Book My Free Gap Analysis Call+44 (0)20 7947 9581