Which Australian industries face the most WHS prosecutions?

In Australia's public prosecutions record, construction, manufacturing, transport and agriculture consistently carry the highest prosecution counts, and the repeat fact patterns are unguarded plant and machinery, falls from height, mobile plant operating near people, trench collapses and electrical work. This tool computes your industry's exact count, penalty range and injury severity mix live from the ingested Safe Work Australia dataset.

Where does this data come from?

From Safe Work Australia's public WHS prosecutions dataset, ingested into FairWork Mate and refreshed periodically. All outputs are aggregate and sector-level only — counts, penalties, severities, jurisdictions and years. The tool never identifies a defendant, company or individual.

My industry has few prosecutions — does that mean low risk?

No. A quiet prosecution record reflects enforcement activity, not the absence of hazards, and your legal duties are identical regardless of sector. Use the prosecution patterns to prioritise controls, then build your full obligations list with the WHS Compliance Requirements Checker.

WHS Industry Risk Benchmark

Your industry's real WHS prosecution record — counts, penalties and injury severity computed live from Australia's public prosecutions dataset. Aggregate figures only; no parties identified.

Last verified: 22 July 2026

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General information and estimates only — not legal, financial or tax advice. Always check your specific award, agreement or contract, or a qualified professional, before you rely on the result.

WHS Industry Risk Benchmark

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