Work Safety Group

We develop laws and provide programs and services to make sure ACT workplaces are healthy and safe.

What we do

We make sure workers’ rights and entitlements are protected so you're supported if you become ill or injured through work.

We also develop laws and provide programs and services to make sure ACT workplaces are healthy and safe.

Our work includes:

managing and preventing workplace injuries and managing workers' compensation self-insurance arrangements for the ACT Public Service (ACTPS)
providing health and safety services and safety system improvement programs for the ACTPS
managing the ACT private sector workers' compensation scheme, including policy, legislation and supervision of the ACT Default Insurance Fund
supporting the ACT’s contribution to the national harmonisation of work health and safety and workers' compensation laws
advising, developing and maintaining ACT legislation for:
- industrial relations
- workplace health and safety
- dangerous substances and asbestos
- workers' compensation
- workplace privacy
- portable long service leave.

Legislation, regulation and codes of practice

Find out about the work we do on new legislation, regulation and codes of practice.

Work health and safety legislation and regulations

The Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 are laws to ensure that we have healthy and safe working environments for ACT workers and workplaces and our legislation is consistent with similar laws across Australia.

The regulation provides details on specific work health and safety (WHS) obligations, such as:

workplace arrangements
psychosocial hazards
licensing high risk work
construction
plant safety
electricity safety
performing hazardous manual tasks.

It was last updated in 2024 to include the ban on engineered stone.

The ACT’s work health and safety laws are administered by the work safety regulator WorkSafe ACT.

On the spot fines may be issued for breaches of WHS laws. For more information about WHS infringement notices see the Magistrates Court (Work Health and Safety Infringement Notices) Regulation 2011.

Other key work safety legislation we have responsibility for includes:

Dangerous Substances Act 2004 health and safety laws for explosive substance licensing and asbestos containing materials in residential settings
Dangerous Goods (Road Transport) Act 2009 laws to make sure dangerous substances and hazardous chemicals are transported safely when transported by road in line with the Australian Dangerous Goods Code (edition 7.8).

Work health and safety (WHS) codes of practice

Codes of practice provide practical guidance about how to meet WHS standards in the legislation. They cover specific topics or hazards and include effective ways to identify and manage health and safety risks.

Following a code of practice assists those with WHS duties to comply with their legal obligations.

When they are issued, codes of practice are announced in public notices.

New codes of practice

Extreme heat and cold risks

The ACT has approved a new code of practice that provides practical guidance to assist workplaces in meeting existing duties under work health and safety laws to manage extreme heat and cold risks in the working environment.

The Managing the Risks Associated with Extreme Temperatures Code of Practice helps workplaces to identify, assess and control the health and safety risks of working in extreme hot and cold conditions.

The code comes into effect on 14 November 2025.

The Managing the risks associated with extreme temperatures factsheet [PDF 227KB] has more information about the new code.

For more information about managing health and safety risks at work visit WorkSafe ACT.

Silica dust

The ACT’s managing the risks of airborne crystalline silica (silica dust) in the workplace code of practice was updated when the national ban on engineered stone [PDF 278 KB] was introduced in July 2024.

More information on the engineered stone ban and silica dust WHS requirements is available on the WorkSafe ACT website.

Workplace relations legislation

We have responsibility for a number of laws that apply to workplaces, work conditions and workers’ compensation, including:

Workers Compensation Act 1958 laws that provide support to workers who become injured or ill to return to work
Labour Hire Licensing Act 2020 laws that protect workers from poor workplace practices and promote compliance in the labour hire sector
Long Service Leave Act 1976 laws that provide for long service leave entitlements for length of service with the same employer
Long Service Leave (Portable Schemes) Act 2009 laws that provide access to long service leave entitlement for length of service within a covered industry
Holidays Act 1958 laws that provide the days to be observed as a public holiday in the ACT, for more details see public holidays, school terms and daylight savings.

Law reforms

Asbestos safety rules – removal of coloured sand from workplaces

The Removal of coloured sand from workplaces factsheet (PDF 214KB) has more information about these changes under ACT work health and safety laws.

Updated laws for ACT workers

A number of workplace laws in the ACT have been updated to better protect and support ACT workers.

The key changes are:

Work health and safety

revised laws make it clearer what work incidents and injuries are notifiable and need to be reported to WorkSafe ACT
complainants of workplace sexual assault and harassment cases now have the same special protections in work health and safety legal proceedings as witnesses and complainants in other types of sexual assault cases.

Workers compensation – ACT private sector scheme

a new crisis payment for family members when someone dies at work
employees who contract HIV/AIDS at work can now claim permanent impairment benefits, giving them the same rights as other workers who are permanently injured at work

Long service leave

stronger compliance tools for when employers don’t meet their long service leave obligations, including paying long service leave when an employee employment ends
those with portable long service leave have more choice in the timing of their payment when taking portable leave.

The Updated laws for ACT workers fact sheet [PDF 303KB] and related additional incident notification guidance [PDF 251KB] has more information about these changes and the updated laws.

Automatic mutual recognition

Automatic mutual recognition (AMR) is part of national reforms to make it easier for eligible workers to operate interstate. Under AMR workers who hold an occupational registration or licence in one Australian state or territory can work in other Australian states or territories without needing to pay additional fees or apply for a separate registration.

The ACT has renewed significant risk exemptions from AMR until 1 July 2030 for licences under the Labour Hire Licence Act 2020 and the Dangerous Substances Act 2004. This maintains a position in the ACT that is consistent with other jurisdictions in relation to these licences.

For more details about AMR, see occupational mobility for interstate workers.

Portable long service leave

Portable long service leave allows workers in certain industries to accrue long service leave entitlements based on length of service in a covered industry, rather than service with a single employer.

On 1 January 2027, the Services Industry Scheme expands to cover:

hairdressing and beauty services
accommodation and food services industries, including hospitality and clubs.

Employers in the expanded industries need to register with ACT Leave by 31 December 2026. From 1 January 2027, employers will pay a levy contribution at the end of each quarter to the ACT Long Service Leave Authority.

The food and beverage industry will receive a phased levy discount over three years.

The discount provides food and beverage businesses a 75 per cent reduction in their levy in the first year, a 50 per cent reduction in the second year, and a 25 per cent reduction in the third year.

Learn more about portable long service leave in the ACT on the ACT Leave website.

Programs and services

We have a range of programs and services to help keep ACT workplaces safe and healthy. They include:

ACT Private Sector Workers’ Compensation Scheme. We monitor scheme performance, including publishing suggested reasonable premium rates by industry type for private sector workers compensation.
ACT Public Sector Workers' Compensation. We provide works compensation for ACT public sector employees under a self insurance licence.
Healthier Work. Information and resources to create a healthier workplace.
Secure Local Jobs Code. We ensure that the money we spend on goods and services goes back into the local economy and creates jobs for people in the ACT.

Advisory councils and reference groups

ACT Work Health and Safety Council

This council advises the Minister for Skills, Training and Industrial Relations on:

work health and safety
workers' compensation
workplace relations
bullying in the workplace and other workplace psychosocial issues
the activities and function of the ACT's work health and safety regulator WorkSafe ACT.

Find out more about the ACT Work Health and Safety Council.

Labour Hire Licensing Advisory Committee

This committee advises the Minister for Skills, Training and Industrial Relations about ACT labour hire licensing laws and the labour hire sector.

Find out more about the Labour Hire Licensing Advisory Committee.

Secure Local Jobs Code Advisory Council

This Council advises the Minister for Skills, Training and Industrial Relations on the operation of the Secure Local Jobs Code.

Grants and funding

Payments to support people with diseases caused by loose-fill asbestos. Provides financial support for people with an asbestos-related disease from living in a loose-fill asbestos insulation (Mr Fluffy) affected property in the ACT and their families.
Workplace Health and Safety and Conditions Liaison and Education Grant [PDF 3.8 MB]. To improve information, awareness, and education of workplace rights, with a focus on vulnerable workers such as young workers, culturally and linguistically diverse workers and high-risk industry sectors.

Publications

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