This year, WorkSafe’s inspectors around the state will be focusing on work health and safety compliance in:
- the construction industry
- the transport industry
- the distillery sector
- workplaces where quarrying is undertaken or engineered stone is worked or used (silica inspections).
Inspectors will be making both planned and unannounced visits to workplaces in these sectors to make sure they are managing health and safety risks. For example:
- construction and transport: reducing the risk of injuries from body stressing, falls slips and trips, being hit by moving objects; and complying with industry-specific regulations
- distillery: increasing awareness of the hazards involved in the manufacture, use and storage of class 3 alcohol-based products
- silica inspections: raising awareness of the risks of respirable silica.
WorkSafe Tasmania inspectors work with employers and workers to ensure they are actively managing safety in their workplaces and protecting the safety of their workers and the broader community.
Inspectors take an educative approach to compliance, particularly where employers and workers are making genuine attempts to comply with their obligations under the work health and safety laws.
If a business is not complying, inspectors may issue an improvement notice, which helps to educate business by providing clear directions on what the business needs to do to comply with these requirements. Sometimes inspectors find activities are putting people at imminent risk of serious injury, and will issue a prohibition notice. Unfortunately at times, inspectors will find significant breaches or ongoing non-compliance, and will issue an infringement notice.
Make sure your safety systems are compliant before an inspector visits your workplace by checking out our online guidance.
Resources
Construction
Construction work code of practice
Transport
Transport industry: Safe Work Australia
Silica
Distilling
Managing risk of storing chemicals in the workplace: Safe Work Australia
Managing risks of hazardous chemicals in the workplace code of practice
Distilleries: Guide to Achieving Compliance (DOCX, 483.3 KB)