Your Safety and your rights: What every worker in Australia needs to know.

The numbers are confronting. In 2024, 188 Australian workers died from traumatic injuries at work. Across that same year, 146,700 serious workers’ compensation claims were lodged – more than 400 every single day. Behind every one of those figures is a person who went to work and didn’t come home the same, or didn’t come home at all.

We are now three years into Australia’s national ten-year plan – the “Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy 2023–2033” — which sets an ambitious national vision of ‘safe and healthy work for all’. The legislation has been strengthened. The data is clearer than ever. And yet, harm continues.

The gap between what the law promises and what workers actually experience on the ground often comes down to one thing: knowledge. Workers who understand their rights are harder to put at risk. They ask better questions on day one. They know when something is wrong. And they know how to act.

At Your Resourcing Group, we place people across Construction, Industrial, Business Support, and Healthcare – sectors that sit at the heart of Australia’s economy and at the sharp end of its workplace safety statistics. Whether you’re starting a new placement with us, returning to the workforce after a break, or simply want to understand your protections better, this is relevant to you.

The Reality: Where Are Workers Getting Hurt?

Before you can protect yourself, you need to understand the landscape honestly.

According to Safe Work Australia’s ‘Key Work Health and Safety Statistics 2025’ – the most recent nationally validated data – the picture looks like this:

Worker fatalities in 2024:
– 188 workers killed from traumatic injuries
– A fatality rate of 1.3 deaths per 100,000 workers — 24% lower than a decade ago, but still unacceptable
– 96% of those killed were men
– Workers aged 45 and over accounted for more than half (52%) of all fatalities

The industries where deaths are concentrated:
– Transport, postal and warehousing (54 fatalities)
– Agriculture, forestry and fishing (44)
– Construction (37)
– Mining (10)

Risk Areas:
– Vehicle incidents — 42% of all fatalities
– Falls from height — 13%
– Being hit by moving objects — 9%
– Being hit by falling objects — 7%

Where non-fatal serious injuries are highest:
– Healthcare and social assistance (19.9% of all serious claims)
– Construction (12%)
– Manufacturing (10.1%)
– Public administration and safety (9.2%)

If you work in construction, industrial, or healthcare you are working in environments that demand constant vigilance. That’s not a reason to be afraid. It’s a reason to be informed.

The National WHS Framework

Australia operates under a nationally harmonised work health and safety framework – the Model WHS Laws – which has been adopted (with some variations) by every state and territory. In 2026, this framework is more protective of workers than at any point in its history.

The central piece of legislation in most states is the ‘Work Health and Safety Act 2011’ and its associated Regulations. The person or business you work for — whether a direct employer, a contractor, or a host employer is referred to in the law as a ‘Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU)’.

All employers must ensure that your health and safety is not put at risk. This covers your physical health, your psychological health, and your ability to carry out work without unreasonable risk of injury or illness.

The national ‘Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy 2023–2033’ has set measurable targets to reduce fatalities, serious injuries, and illness over the decade. Three years in, enforcement activity is intensifying – particularly around psychosocial risks, falls from height, and high-risk industries.

New updates across the country:

– NSW introduced its new ‘Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025’ in August 2025, strengthening psychosocial risk management requirements and introducing new compliance measures. From March 2026, unions can now initiate civil penalty proceedings for WHS breaches in NSW — a significant shift in enforcement power.
– Victoria commenced its ‘Occupational Health and Safety (Psychological Health) Regulations 2025’ in December 2025, bringing psychological safety into a formally enforceable regime.
– Queensland introduced mandatory psychosocial hazard prevention plans from March 2025, a requirement for businesses of all sizes to systematically document and manage risks to mental health.
– Nationally, the federal government approved the *Work Health and Safety (Sexual and Gender-based Harassment) Code of Practice 2025* in March 2025, providing enforceable guidance on one of the most underreported workplace hazards.
– From December 2026, Australia will replace Workplace Exposure Standards with Workplace Exposure Limits – a significant update to how chemical and hazardous substance exposure is regulated.

The direction is unmistakable: obligations are growing, enforcement is increasing, and both employers and workers are expected to take safety seriously. As a worker, that legislative momentum is working in your favour and designed to keep you safer.

Health and Safety Representatives: Your Voice on the Floor

One of the most underutilised — and most powerful — mechanisms for worker safety in Australia is the ‘Health and Safety Representative (HSR)’ system.

An HSR is a worker elected by their work group to represent the health and safety interests of that group. They are not a manager. They are not the employer. They are chosen by your peers to be an active participant in the safety of your workplace.

An HSR has the power to:
– Inspect any part of the workplace that may affect the safety of workers they represent
– Investigate complaints from workers
– Issue ‘Provisional Improvement Notices (PINs)’ — formal written directions requiring a PCBU to fix a specific safety issue within a defined timeframe
– In urgent circumstances, direct workers to cease unsafe work even before consulting the PCBU

If your workplace doesn’t have an HSR and you have five or more workers, you have the right to request that one be elected. Know who your HSR is. Use them. The system was built for exactly the situations where workers feel uncomfortable raising concerns directly with management.

Australian WHS law requires all risks to be managed through the ‘Hierarchy of Controls’ — a structured approach that prioritises the most effective solutions first. From most to least effective:

1. Elimination — Remove the hazard entirely. The safest option and always the first question to ask.

2. Substitution — Replace the hazardous process, material, or piece of equipment with something less dangerous.

3. Isolation — Physically separate the hazard from workers: barriers, guarding, exclusion zones, restricted access.

4. Engineering controls — Redesign equipment or processes to reduce the risk at the source: mechanical lifting aids, improved ventilation, machine guarding.

5. Administrative controls — Change the way work is done: safe work procedures, training, job rotation to limit exposure time, signage.

6. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) — The last line of defence. Hard hats, high-visibility vests, hearing protection, safety glasses, gloves, respiratory protection.

PPE sits at the bottom of this hierarchy for a reason: it does nothing to reduce the hazard itself. It only reduces your exposure if everything else fails or while better controls are being put in place. If your employer’s primary or only response to a hazard is to hand you some PPE and send you back in, that is not adequate risk management under Australian law, and you are entitled to ask what else is being done.

What is a psychosocial hazard?

A psychosocial hazard is anything in the design or management of work that creates a risk of psychological — or, in turn, physical — harm. The law requires these to be identified, assessed, and controlled using the same risk management approach applied to physical hazards. Common examples include:

– Excessive or sustained workload without adequate support or recovery time
– Bullying, harassment, aggression, or threatening behaviour
– Sexual or gender-based harassment (now subject to a specific national Code of Practice)
– Poor management support or unclear role expectations
– Job insecurity, lack of autonomy, or inadequate recognition
– Traumatic incidents or exposure to distressing content (particularly relevant in healthcare, emergency services, and social work settings)
– Working alone or in isolation without appropriate check-in processes

Working Through a Recruitment Agency: Shared Duties, Clear Protections

When you are placed in a role through a labour hire agency like Your Resourcing Group, it’s important to understand that you don’t fall into a legal gap — both your placement agency and your host employer carry defined duties toward your safety under Australian WHS law.

Your host employer is responsible for:
– The physical safety of the worksite — equipment, plant, facilities, and work environment
– Site induction and site-specific safety training before you commence work
– Providing appropriate PPE for the tasks and environment
– Supervision, safe work procedures, and incident response
– Managing psychosocial risks within their workplace

Your recruitment agency (Your Resourcing Group) is responsible for:
– Ensuring the host worksite meets safety obligations before placing you there
– Communicating known risks to you prior to any placement
– Supporting you if you raise a safety concern about the host site
– Never penalising you for raising safety concerns

Your responsibilities as a placed worker:
– Take reasonable care of your own health and safety, and the safety of those around you
– Follow reasonable safety instructions provided by the host employer
– Report hazards, near-misses, and incidents promptly — to the host employer and to us
– Cooperate with safety procedures and not misuse safety equipment
– Do not attempt to work through pain, fatigue, or injury without raising it

Across several states, labour hire licensing requirements add an additional layer of accountability. Victoria and Queensland both require labour hire operators to be licensed, with obligations that include assessing host workplaces before placements are made.

If you have a safety concern at a host site — tell us. Your Resourcing Group takes those reports seriously. We have a responsibility to act on them, and you are protected from any adverse response for raising them.

A Practical Safety Checklist: Before You Start Any New Role

Use this on day one. It takes five minutes and it could save your life.

Site induction:
– [ ] Have you received a formal, site-specific induction?
– [ ] Do you know the site emergency procedures and evacuation muster points?
– [ ] Do you know where the first aid kit is and who the trained first aiders are?
– [ ] Have you been shown how to report a hazard or incident on this site?

Your work:
– [ ] Do you understand the specific risks of your role and tasks?
– [ ] Have you been trained in how to perform your tasks safely — not just shown once?
– [ ] Are you clear on the correct procedures for any plant or equipment you’ll operate?
– [ ] Is all required PPE provided, correctly fitted, and in good condition?

Your rights:
– [ ] Do you know who the HSR is at this workplace?
– [ ] Do you know how to raise a safety concern?
– [ ] Do you know that you have the right to refuse work that poses serious, immediate risk?
– [ ] Do you have the contact number for your state WHS regulator?

If any of these boxes cannot be checked, raise it before you begin work. This is not being difficult. This is being professional — and it is exactly what the law intends.

The 2026 Landscape: What’s On the Horizon

For workers in construction, industrial, and healthcare settings, several developments are worth watching as 2026 unfolds:

Workplace Exposure Limits (December 2026): Australia is replacing its Workplace Exposure Standards with a new Workplace Exposure Limits framework, updating how acceptable exposure to hazardous substances is measured and enforced. Workers handling chemicals, silica dust, asbestos-containing materials, or other hazardous substances should be aware their protections are being strengthened.

AI and digital work systems: NSW is leading nationally with legislation placing WHS duties on employers who use algorithmic management and digital work platforms — including AI-assisted scheduling, performance monitoring, and automated decision-making. If your work involves being managed or monitored by digital systems, this is emerging territory that is moving toward formal protection.

Psychosocial enforcement escalation: SafeWork NSW has signalled a 25% increase in inspector visits relating to psychosocial risk, specifically targeting larger employers. WorkSafe Victoria’s 2025–2026 Regulatory Intent identifies bullying, harassment, and psychological health as priority focus areas across healthcare, construction, manufacturing, and government. Regulators are no longer treating mental health as a soft issue.

At Your Resourcing Group, we are committed to placing you in workplaces that meet their legal obligations — and to standing beside you when they don’t. Safety isn’t a box-ticking exercise for us. It is the foundation of every placement we make.

If you have a safety concern about a current or upcoming placement, contact us directly. That is exactly what we are here for.

Key National Resources

References

– Safe Work Australia, *Key Work Health and Safety Statistics Australia 2025*, data.safeworkaustralia.gov.au
– Safe Work Australia, *Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy 2023–2033*, safeworkaustralia.gov.au
– WorkCover Queensland, *Annual Report 2024–2025*, worksafe.qld.gov.au
– Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, *Work Health and Safety and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024*, worksafe.qld.gov.au
– Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, *Updated guidance: managing workplace psychosocial risks*, August 2025
– SafeWork NSW, *Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025* (commenced 22 August 2025), safework.nsw.gov.au
– Victorian Government, *Occupational Health and Safety (Psychological Health) Regulations 2025* (commenced 1 December 2025)
– Australian Government, *Work Health and Safety (Sexual and Gender-based Harassment) Code of Practice 2025* (effective 24 March 2025)
– Norton Rose Fulbright, *WHS Law Briefing January 2026*
– Future Advisory, *Work Health & Safety Legislation Changes in 2026*, futureadvisory.com.au
– Holding Redlich, *Managing Psychosocial Risks: A Top Priority for Employers*, December 2025
– Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (harmonised jurisdictions), ss 19, 84, 85

This article is for general information purposes and does not constitute legal advice. WHS laws and obligations vary across states and territories. For matters specific to your workplace situation, contact your state or territory WHS regulator or seek independent legal counsel.*

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Your Safety and your rights: What every worker in Australia needs to know.

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