Model WHS Laws

We created the model WHS laws in 2011.

See all

WHS laws in your jurisdiction

Contact your regulator

Data and Research

We collect, analyse and publish data and information on work health and safety and workers' compensation.

See our data

See our latest
Key work health and safety statistics

explore our data

Resources and Publications

We publish a wide range of resources covering many work health and safety topics.

See all

Read our Codes of Practice

read the codes

This document is the list

/doc/workplace-exposure-limits-airborne-contaminants

This page provides resources and further information for persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) and workers on the workplace exposure standards (WES), workplace exposure limits (WEL) and the WES review.

/safety-topic/managing-health-and-safety/workplace-exposure-limits-airborne-contaminants/wes-and-wel-resources

There are several changes between the Workplace exposure standards for airborne contaminants (WES list) and the

/safety-topic/managing-health-and-safety/workplace-exposure-limits-airborne-contaminants/changes-between-wes-and-wel

From 1 December 2026 Australia will adopt the Workplace

/safety-topic/managing-health-and-safety/workplace-exposure-limits-airborne-contaminants

In May 2023, Safe Work Australia commissioned the University of Adelaide to undertake a literature review and gap analysis of the scientific evidence to inform recommendations related to the three options for prohibition on the use of engineered stone in Australia.

/doc/prohibition-engineered-stone-literature-review-and-gap-analysis

Safe Work Australia is seeking to understand whether non-threshold genotoxic carcinogens (NTGCs) are present in Australian workplaces, in what quantities, and for what purpose. 

/media-centre/news/have-your-say-use-and-regulation-non-threshold-genotoxic-carcinogens

Safe Work Australia has today published submissions received as part of the recent consultation on a prohibition on the use of engineered stone.

/media-centre/news/consultation-prohibition-use-engineered-stone-submissions-published

Safe Work Australia is reminding all stakeholders that consultation on a prohibition on the use of engineered stone will close soon.

/media-centre/news/closing-soon-consultation-prohibition-use-engineered-stone

Quotes attributable to Safe Work Australia CEO Michelle Baxter:

“I welcome the decision by WHS ministers to agree to Safe Work Australia’s recommendations on action to reduce workplace exposure to respirable crystalline silica and prevent silicosis and silica-related diseases in Austral

/media-centre/news/safe-work-australia-opens-public-consultation-engineered-stone-ban

This Decision regulation impact statement (Decision RIS) provides an impact analysis of the regulatory and non-regulatory options to manage the risks of respirable crystalline silica at work. 

/doc/decision-regulation-impact-statement-managing-risks-respirable-crystalline-silica-work

Information about research into lowering the workplace exposure standard for respirable crystalline silica (RCS).

/safety-topic/hazards/crystalline-silica-and-silicosis/research-lower-workplace-exposure-standard-and-short-term-exposure-limit-respirable-crystalline-silica

This report investigates whether a short term exposure limit (STEL) should be implemented to complement the workplace exposure standard (WES) of 0.05 mg/m3 for respirable crystalline silica.

/doc/report-short-term-exposure-limit-respirable-crystalline-silica

This report investigates the challenges of measuring airborne concentrations of respirable crystalline silica in Australian workplaces at and below 0.02 mg/m3.

/doc/report-measuring-respirable-crystalline-silica

This guide helps doctors monitor the health of workers exposed to isocyanates.  

Isocyanates are a group of highly reactive, organic compounds of the formula R-N=C=O.  

/doc/health-monitoring-isocyanates

This Decision Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) is the result of Safe Work Australia’s review of the current toxicological information and overseas trends in the regulation of lead in the workplace.

/doc/decision-regulation-impact-statement-managing-risks-associated-lead-workplace-blood-lead-removal-levels-and-workplace-exposure-standard-0

Use this template to write a

/doc/hazardous-chemicals-manifest-template

This policy statement outlines labelling requirements for agricultural and veterinary (AgVet) chemicals under the model Work Health and Safety (WHS) Regulations.  

/doc/agvet-chemicals-policy-statement

This example of a site plan will help you create your own layout showing important areas, such as: 

  • chemical stores  

  • vehicle entry points. 

/doc/hazardous-chemicals-example-site-plan

This poster shows the labelling information required for hazardous chemicals in each hazard class in the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). You must label hazardous chemic

/doc/classification-and-labelling-workplace-hazardous-chemicals-poster

You can use this template to prepare a 

/doc/hazardous-chemicals-register-template

Use this guide if you manage risks to workers exposed to diesel exhaust at the workplace, including: 

  • drive-in booth operators 

  • miners 

  • construction workers 

  • oil and gas workers 

/doc/guidance-managing-risks-diesel-exhaust-information-sheet

This code contains information about transporting Class 1 explosives by road and rail in Australia. 

/doc/australian-code-transport-explosives-road-and-rail-3rd-edition

This document outlines the criteria for how to find hazardous chemicals that could be added to or removed from the 

/doc/wes-review-criteria-adding-and-removing-hazardous-chemicals-workplace-exposure-standards

If you are a person conducting a business or undertaking and you store, handle or use hazardous chemicals, you must put up signs to let workers and visitors know about the dangers of the hazardous chemical.  

/safety-topic/hazards/chemicals/hazardous-chemical-records-and-signs-workplaces/hazardous-chemicals-signs-placards

Each jurisdiction in Australia has its own system of explosives regulation. In 2018, WHS ministers provided in-principle agreement to consider implementing nationally consistent explosives reforms in their jurisdictions.  

/safety-topic/hazards/chemicals/explosives-regulation-reform

The workplace exposure standards review has been completed. Until 1 December 2026, you must still comply with the Workplace exposure standards for airborne contaminants.

/safety-topic/managing-health-and-safety/exposure-standards-airborne-contaminants/workplace-exposure-standards-review

Classification is the systematic identification of a chemical’s hazards. It determines what information must be included on labels and Safety Data Sheets (SDS) to comply with

/safety-topic/hazards/chemicals/classifying-chemicals

Hazardous chemicals can be dangerous if they are not properly managed.  

/safety-topic/hazards/chemicals/hazardous-chemicals

If you have carcinogens at your workplace, you must manage the risks they pose.

/safety-topic/hazards/carcinogens/managing-risks

A carcinogen is something that can cause cancer. Find out about carcinogens – what they are, how to identify them, and which ones are prohibited or restricted for use in the workplace. 

/safety-topic/hazards/carcinogens/overview

Australia is transitioning to the

/safety-topic/managing-health-and-safety/exposure-standards-airborne-contaminants

Health monitoring is the monitoring of a worker by doctors to identify changes in their health status because of exposure to certain substances. If you are a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU), you must provide health monitoring to workers if there is a signifi

/safety-topic/managing-health-and-safety/health-monitoring

Inorganic lead (lead) and lead compounds are found in many workplaces.

/safety-topic/hazards/inorganic-lead

If you work with hazardous chemicals, you must store them correctly to keep people safe. You must make it clear where you’re storing chemicals with signs and labels. 

/safety-topic/hazards/chemicals/storing-hazardous-chemicals

Almost every hazardous chemical will require Safety data sheets (SDS).

/safety-topic/hazards/chemicals/safety-data-sheets

Signs and records tell your workers and visitors about the hazardous chemic

/safety-topic/hazards/chemicals/hazardous-chemical-records-and-signs-workplaces

Australia has transitioned to the 7th Revised Edition of the GHS (GHS 7), which includes some changes to hazardous chemical classifications and precautionary statements. 

/safety-topic/hazards/chemicals/classifying-chemicals/transition-ghs7

Labels on hazardous chemicals identify hazards and give instructions on how to use them safely. The following pages will tell you if you need to prepare labels for hazardous chemicals, the information that must be on the labels and when WHS labelling for hazardous chemicals is not required.

/safety-topic/hazards/chemicals/labelling-hazardous-chemicals

Australia uses the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) to classify and label chemicals.  

/doc/manufacturers-and-importers-workplace-hazardous-chemicals-adoption-ghs-7-information-sheet

Australia uses the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) to classify and label chemicals.  

/doc/suppliers-and-users-workplace-hazardous-chemicals-adoption-ghs-7-information-sheet

Australia uses the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) to classify and label chemicals.

/doc/changes-chemical-classifications-and-labelling-under-ghs-7-information-sheet

This guide helps doctors monitor the health of workers exposed to fluorides.  

Fluorine (as F2) (CAS 7782-41-4): 

  • is a pale-yellow gas at normal temperature 

/resources-and-publications/guidance-materials/health-monitoring-fluorides

This guide helps doctors monitor the health of workers exposed to toluene.  

/resources-and-publications/guidance-materials/health-monitoring-toluene

This guide helps doctors monitor the health of workers exposed to styrene.  

/resources-and-publications/guidance-materials/health-monitoring-styrene
This decision regulation impact statement (decision RIS) is about the framework for workplace exposure standards under the model Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws and how it should be kept up to date.
/doc/decision-regulation-impact-statement-workplace-exposure-standards-framework-under-model-work-health-and-safety-laws
Advice about safely storing swimming pool chemicals.
/doc/storage-swimming-pool-chemicals
This summary includes feedback received through the targeted face-to-face consultation sessions and the online public consultation period.
/doc/proposal-adopt-ghs-7-consultation-summary

This report provides detailed information about:

/doc/insights-report-exploring-dust-exposure-stone-industry
Public submissions closed on 28 September 2012. The zip file contains the documents and public submissions received during the consultation process.
/doc/public-comment-proposed-amendment-workplace-exposure-standard-wes-mineral-wools-previously-known-synthetic-mineral-fibres-2012

This document outlines the criteria to assign a skin notation to a chemical. 

/doc/wes-review-criteria-skin-notation