Leveraging the Approved Workplace Health and Safety Codes of Practice

Work Health and Safety Act

The Work Health and Safety Act (WA) 2020 (‘WHS Act’) was introduced to replace its legislative predecessor, the Occupational Health and Safety Act 1984. The WHS Act aims to better protect West Australian workers by imposing broader responsibilities and tougher penalties on the various types of employers.

WorkSafe shares over 40 approved Code of Practice documents to help organisations navigate their responsibilities under the WHS Act.

Code of Practice

A Code of Practice is a guide to achieving the standards of health and safety required under the WHS Act.

Like regulations, codes of practice deal with particular issues and do not cover all hazards or risks that may arise. Health and safety duties require you to consider all risks associated with work, not only those risks that regulations and codes of practice exist for.

Approved codes of practice are not law, but they’re admissible in court proceedings. Courts regard an approved code of practice as evidence of what is known about a hazard, risk, or control and may rely on this to determine what is reasonably practicable in the circumstances.

WorkSafe WA

WorkSafe is the Western Australian Government agency responsible for the administration of the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984. WorkSafe WA aims to reduce workplace fatalities and injury and disease rates in accordance with national targets, by reducing high incidence/severity risks.

Click below to visit the WorkSafe website and view the 40+ codes of practice for workplace safety in Western Austalia.