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Workplace Health & Safety Checklists

Workplace WHS audit and compliance checklists for businesses managing their health and safety obligations under the WHS Act.

WHS audit and compliance checklists help PCBUs systematically assess their performance against the duties imposed by the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and the model WHS Regulations. The primary duty of care under section 19 of the WHS Act requires a PCBU to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers and others affected by the business.

The risk management process under WHS Regulation 34 is the practical mechanism through which that duty is discharged. It requires the PCBU to identify hazards, assess the risk each hazard presents, implement controls following the hierarchy of controls, and review those controls to ensure they remain effective. A structured WHS audit checklist provides the framework for conducting this review systematically across the workplace.

Regular internal audits also support the WHS consultation obligations under section 47 of the WHS Act, which require the PCBU to share relevant safety information with workers and involve them in decisions affecting their safety. Audit findings should be communicated to workers through toolbox talks or safety committee meetings, and corrective actions should be tracked to completion. Safe Work Australia's Guide to the Model WHS Act and the relevant codes of practice provide the benchmark against which audit checklists should be developed and reviewed.