Lesson 2: Legislation
Occupational health and safety legislation is about basic rights, general safety standards and responsibility for health and safety in the workplace. Occupational health and safety laws in Australia provide a set of minimum standards to protect the health and safety of all workers. Every workplace in Australia is governed by either State, Territory or Commonwealth law.
The occupational health and safety laws that apply in Queensland are:
- Occupational Health and Safety (Commonwealth Employment) Act 1991 (Cwlth).This Act covers all employees of the Commonwealth Government and Commonwealth authorities throughout Australia
- Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 (Qld). This Act sets out laws about workplace health and safety for all workplaces and workplace activities in Queensland If you were to work in another State you would be covered by different Acts within that State. The focus in this unit is on the Queensland Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995.
Aims of Occupational Health and Safety
Workplace Health and Safety is a problem particularly for young workers in Australia. Many countries such as Canada, have special programs targeting youth under the age of 24. Check out the following websites IAPA for some of the innovative ways to make canadian students more aware of safety in the workplace.
Read Candice's story about how her life changed so quickly in a workplace accident and how she goes about making young people all over the world aware of the seriousness of Workplace Health and Safety.
- Check out her website Passport to Safety.
- Talk to Candice about her promotion of WHS Ask Candice
NEWS: We will have a teleconference with Candice on 13th August. Prepare your questions about how WHS conditions in Canada compare with Australian conditions.
Information for young workers in Australia
- Victorian worksafe
- New South Wales young worker website
- Youthsafe ypack (updated 2012)
- Training WHS checklist for work experience students
In British Columbia there are special WHS training programs out there targeted for young workers. The following video shows the reasons why young and new workers are at greater risk than other employees.
