Enforcement

Occupational Health & Safety

WorkSafe’s compliance and enforcement activities are designed to be constructive, accountable, transparent and effective, and its enforcement actions aim to be targeted, proportionate, consistent and fair.

WorkSafe’s enforcement activities aim to:

  • deter non-compliance with Victoria’s health and safety laws to prevent workplace and work-related deaths, injuries, and disease;
  • promote the highest level of protection to persons against risk to their health and safety that is reasonably practicable through good OHS values and practices and, where relevant, organisational rehabilitation; and
  • encourage compliance and to support Victoria’s accident compensation system.

Investigations and prosecutions by WorkSafe may be commenced whether or not a breach has resulted in death, injury or disease.

Key enforcement activities include:

  • managing WorkSafe’s state-wide, 24 hour emergency response service
  • investigating incidents and alleged offences under the acts and regulations it administers
  • conducting prosecutions of offences under Victoria’s health and safety laws and compensation laws
  • conducting litigation and appeals arising from inspector and administrative decisions

WorkSafe directs considerable resources to workplaces and industries with a high incidence or risk of injury or disease.  This is fundamental to achieving safer workplaces.

Compliance and Enforcement Policy

WorkSafe’s Compliance and Enforcement Policy details what considerations apply to WorkSafe’s enforcement and prosecution activities and how WorkSafe applies its ‘constructive compliance strategy’.  A Summary of WorkSafe’s Compliance and Enforcement Policy is also available.

WorkSafe’s General Prosecution Guidelines provide information about prosecution of offences under Victoria’s health and safety and compensation laws.

For more information about these documents, please click here.

Laws & Regulations

WorkSafe administers a number of acts and regulations in Victoria.

More Information

WorkSafe publishes supplementary compliance and enforcement polices, which provide further information about particular aspects of its compliance and enforcement activities, as well as its prosecution outcomes.

For supplementary compliance and enforcement policies and documents, please click here.

For more information about enforcement outcomes, please click here.