Employee / worker

Topics

Manual tasks in retail and wholesale

Body-stressing injuries resulting from manual tasks are the highest cause of injury in retail and wholesale industries. Common hazardous manual tasks in the retail and wholesale industries include manually handling heavy, bulky and awkward items, handling below mid-thigh and above shoulder height,...
Manual tasks
01 Apr 2014

Manual tasks in manufacturing

Body stressing injuries as a result of performing manual tasks is highest cause of serious and severe injury in manufacturing. T wo of sub-sectors that are at high risk of manual tasks injuries in WA include food manufacturing and metal product manufacturing. Common hazardous manual tasks in the...
Manual tasks
01 Apr 2014

Manual tasks in healthcare and social assistance

Healthcare and social assistance workers play an important role in assisting others. Workers may be exposed to a range of hazards depending on the services provided, the location of the workplace and the clients being cared for. Healthcare and social assistance workers may work in designated...
Manual tasks
01 Apr 2014

Criteria for investigation

Consistent with the principles of proportionality and responsiveness, resources available for investigation of incidents are devoted to the most serious cases. WorkSafe investigations are undertaken for a range of reasons, which include: determining the causes of an incident assessing compliance...
Workplace inspections
28 Mar 2014

Competency based training in testing and tagging

The Occupational Safety and Health Regulations 1996 requires the testing and tagging of portable electrical equipment or a portable RCD on any construction or demolition site to be carried out by a competent person or a licensed electrician. A competent person, who does not have an electrical...
Electricity
28 Mar 2014

Five day health and safety representative training providers

Health and safety representative training can only be undertaken with an approved training provider. Training providers are approved by the Work Health and Safety Commission in accordance with the Work Health and Safety Act 2020 . The following training providers are currently approved by the Work...
Training
28 Mar 2014

Bridge cranes

A bridge crane is a crane that — consists of a bridge beam or beams, that are mounted to end carriages at each end; and is capable of travelling along elevated runways; and has 1 or more hoisting mechanisms arranged to traverse across the bridge. This term is used in both the WHS (General)...
Plant and machinery
27 Mar 2014

SmartMove

An educational resource for secondary students
Learning resources
25 Mar 2014

Manual tasks in construction

The construction industry is labour intensive. Materials such as bricks, timber, cement bags, tiles, and plasterboard are carried or manipulated by hand, often over rough or slippery terrain. Manual task injuries remain one of the industry's largest single causes of injury causing pain and...
Manual tasks
21 Mar 2014

Guarding

Manufacturers, designers and suppliers of machinery and equipment are legally required to make sure dangerous parts are safely guarded so that operators and others are protected from injury. A guard may be any shield, cover, casing, physical or electronic barrier intended to prevent contact between...
Guarding
21 Mar 2014

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Publications

Guidance note - Horizontal underground directional drilling

READ
This guidance note applies to all workplaces in Western Australia covered by the OSH Act. It provides guidance for employers and workers on minimising the exposure to underground asset strikes and...
WorkSafe
Guidance note
20 Dec 2016

Safety alert 08/2016 Employee fatality injured after falling from forklift

READ
An employee was fatally injured when the wooden box he was standing in overbalanced and fell on top of him. The employee had been using the box balanced on the tines of a forklift and raised to a...
WorkSafe
Alert
10 Nov 2016

Safety alert 07/2016 - Person drowns in plastic lined liquid waste pond

READ
A person engaged to assist with the day-to-day activities at a septic liquid waste pond facility drowned when he slipped into one of the ponds. On the day of the incident the person was required to...
WorkSafe
Alert
10 Nov 2016

Safety alert 06/2016 Exposure to asbestos during renovation works

READWATCH
Recently construction workers were exposed to asbestos whilst carrying out renovation work on a multi-storey building. A worker was using an electrical jackhammer to remove old waste pipes from a...
WorkSafe
Alert
04 Dec 2023

Record keeping templates

READ
These templates help small business employers meet their legal obligations for time and record keeping and keep accurate employee leave records. All state system employers are legally required to...
Labour Relations
Template
20 Jun 2022

OSH newsletter for employers in the architectural aluminium and metal container manufacturing industries

READ
This occupational safety and health (OSH) newsletter has been developed to provide information and assistance to employers, self-employed persons, persons having control of workplaces and employees...
WorkSafe
Checklist
22 Nov 2016

Manual tasks solutions: Mops and vacuums

READ
Cleaning tasks are common to most workplaces, however tasks such as mopping and vacuuming can increase the risk of musculoskeletal injuries such as sprains and strains due to awkward postures,...
WorkSafe
Fact sheet
20 Oct 2016

Safety alert 5/2016 - Grain fire and dust explosion in silo

READ
A farmer was seriously injured when he tried to extinguish a barley grain fire inside a large grain silo. The farmer had climbed the external silo ladder to access the hatch on the roof approximately...
WorkSafe
Alert
04 Oct 2016

Checklist for lead exposure management in fire assay facilities

READ
WorkSafe
Checklist
21 Sep 2016

Employee or Subcontractor Checklist

READ
This checklist assists in determining whether a worker is a sub-contractor or an employee. It is a guide only and is not intended to provide a definitive assessment of the status of the working...
Labour Relations
Fact sheet
04 Jul 2017

Pages

Announcements

Coronavirus - What can be done to reduce risks from a viral outbreak such as COVID 19

Under OSH legislation, employers are required to provide and maintain, as far as is practicable, a working environment in which their workers are not exposed to health risks. This includes situations where employees and contractors may be at risk of contracting viruses such as the COVID-19 coronavirus. Employers need to keep up to date with the latest health warnings from the Australian and WA...
WorkSafe
Alert
10 Mar 2020

Employment impacted by COVID-19 coronavirus

Information update Two different industrial relations systems operate in Western Australia the state system and the national fair work system. The state system covers sole traders, unincorporated partnerships and trusts and some incorporated or not for profit organisations. For employers and employees covered by the state system, information is being regularly updated on the Employment impacted...
Labour Relations
Department News
17 Mar 2020

Pay rates for working on Easter Saturday

The Western Australian public holidays for the 2020 Easter period are: Good Friday – Friday 10 April Easter Monday – Monday 13 April While Easter Saturday is not a public holiday in Western Australia, some WA awards require employees to be paid additional rates on this day. To check if this applies to your situation visit the WA award summaries page or alternatively contact Wageline on 1300 655...
Labour Relations
Department News
11 Mar 2020

Café owner ordered to serve up more than $33,000 in backpay and penalties

The owner of a now-closed North Perth café has been ordered by the Industrial Magistrates Court to back pay $24,337 in unpaid award wages and interest to five former employees. Ms Jodie Cooper, who operated the Cloud Nine Vegan café, was also penalised $9,000 for the 24 contraventions of the Restaurant, Tearoom and Catering Workers’ Award 1979 . When setting the penalties, Industrial Magistrate...
Labour Relations
Media release
06 Mar 2020

Progress of the Work Health and Safety Bill 2019

On Thursday 20 February, the Work Health and Safety Bill 2019 passed through the Legislative Assembly of the Western Australian Parliament. The Hon Bill Johnston MLA, Minister for Mines and Petroleum and Industrial Relations said: “I am pleased that the Work Health and Safety Bill has now passed the Legislative Assembly. “The McGowan Government recognises the importance of these reforms and hopes...
WorkSafe
Department News
25 Feb 2020

Register Interest now for Mineral and Petroleum Resource Leadership Roles in 2020

Be a leader with one of the State’s leaders in workplace diversity and inclusion
Corporate
Department News
21 Feb 2020

Easter 2020 public holiday employment entitlements

The Western Australian public holidays for the 2020 Easter period are: Good Friday – Friday 10 April Easter Monday – Monday 13 April If you are covered by the state industrial relations system, the Easter 2020 public holiday page contains information on employment entitlements for: award free employers and employees Shop and Warehouse (Wholesale and Retail Establishments) Award Restaurant,...
Labour Relations
Department News
12 Feb 2020

Labour Day public holiday entitlements

The public holiday for Labour Day in 2020 is Monday 2 March. Under the Public and Bank Holidays Act 1972 , in Western Australia the Labour Day public holiday takes place on the first Monday in March. The Labour Day 2020 public holiday page provides information on entitlements for: state system award free employers and employees Shop and Warehouse (Wholesale and Retail Establishments) Award...
Labour Relations
Department News
06 Feb 2020

Reporting wage theft in WA

Western Australian workers can visit the wage theft website at www.wagetheft.wa.gov.au for assistance with how to: seek help with resolving an underpayment issue or unpaid annual or long service leave; report wage theft anonymously to the relevant government department; or seek help with unpaid superannuation. Visit www.wagetheft.wa.gov.au for more information.
Labour Relations
Department News
03 Feb 2020

Nail salons audit finds widespread underpayment

One in four nail salons were found to be non-compliant with state employment laws in a proactive compliance audit undertaken by industrial inspectors at Private Sector Labour Relations. The major breach identified was underpayment of wages, with some salons paying rates of pay below the State minimum wage. A total of $50,441.68 was recovered from the 26 non-compliant nail salons for 55 employees...
Labour Relations
Department News
31 Jan 2020

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