WHS Quick Check
Pick your industry and state. See the top hazards, your employer's duties under the Model WHS Act, your worker duties, notifiable incidents that trigger regulator reporting, and the right state regulator to call.
Last verified: 16 May 2026Top hazards in Construction
- •Falls from height (single largest cause of construction fatalities in AU)
- •Struck-by mobile plant / vehicle
- •Crush injuries from collapsing structures
- •Silica dust (engineered stone — banned 1 July 2024)
- •Asbestos exposure (in demolition / refurb)
- •Manual handling injuries
Employer / PCBU duties
- •Safe Work Method Statements for high-risk construction work
- •Site safety plan and induction (white card)
- •PPE provision and enforcement
- •Falls hazards prevention plan for any work >2m
- •Air monitoring and respiratory protection for silica / asbestos work
Penalty for breach: Category 1 (reckless conduct exposing person to risk of death/serious injury) — up to 5 years imprisonment for individuals, A$10.45M for body corporates. Category 2 — A$1.65M for individuals, A$5.225M for body corporates.
Your worker duties
- •Take reasonable care for own and others' safety
- •Follow safe work procedures and instructions
- •Use PPE provided
- •Report hazards to supervisor
- •Stop work if there's an imminent serious risk (s 84 WHS Act)
Notifiable incidents
Death, serious injury (admission to hospital), serious illness (e.g. silicosis diagnosis), dangerous incident (e.g. uncontrolled escape of substance, structure collapse) — notify state regulator immediately + preserve site.
Your regulator (NSW)
SafeWork NSW (13 10 50)
Report a notifiable incident immediately by phone. Anonymous tips and unsafe-work-place reports also accepted online via your regulator's website.
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