Articles

In Queensland there is no separate “working at heights licence”, but there is a clear legal duty: a business must manage the risk of a fall that could cause injury — at any height — so far as is reasonably practicable. This duty sits in the Work Health and Safety Regulation’s falls provisions and the…

If you are a director, partner or senior manager of any business in the heavy vehicle Chain of Responsibility, you carry a personal due diligence duty under the Heavy Vehicle National Law — and you can be prosecuted even if your company never is. With the reformed HVNL commencing on 1 August 2026, executive accountability…

A forklift VOC (Verification of Competency) is an assessment that confirms a current LF licence holder can still operate safely. Employers commonly require one for new hires, site inductions, returns from extended leave, or after an incident. It is not a licence, and it does not renew or reinstate one — it verifies competency for…

The amended Heavy Vehicle National Law commences on 1 August 2026 — four weeks from now. The parties and the core duty are unchanged, but documented, risk-based safety management becomes the standard businesses are measured against. Here is the 8-point readiness check covering policy, risk, controls, contracts, training, records, incident response and executive due diligence.…

Since 1 July 2026, WHS codes of practice are enforceable in New South Wales. Under new section 26A of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW), every business must follow approved codes — including the psychosocial hazards code — or prove its own approach is equal or better. An inspector no longer needs to…

Mental health first aid is the help you give to someone developing a mental health problem, or in a crisis — until appropriate professional help is found or the crisis resolves. Like physical first aid, it’s an initial response, not a diagnosis or treatment. In Australia, the nationally accredited equivalent is the unit PUARCV001 Provide…

A Melbourne food wholesaler has been fined a record $3.4 million for workplace manslaughter after a worker fell about four metres to his death — the largest fine ever imposed for a single offence under Victoria’s workplace safety laws. Sentenced on 25 June 2026, the case is a blunt warning to every business that puts…

If you want warehouse, logistics, manufacturing or distribution work in Brisbane, a forklift (LF) high risk work licence is one of the most useful tickets you can hold. Many roles list it as essential or highly desirable. You earn it by completing the unit TLILIC0003 with a Registered Training Organisation and applying to WorkSafe Queensland…

Yes — psychological first aid is accredited when it is delivered as the nationally recognised unit PUARCV001 Provide Psychological First Aid by a Registered Training Organisation (RTO). On successful assessment you receive a nationally recognised Statement of Attainment listed on training.gov.au. Many “mental health first aid” programs, by contrast, are not nationally recognised vocational training.…

Serious psychological injury claims have reached a record 17,600 a year in Australia — up 14.7 per cent in a single year — with affected workers off work for a median 35.7 weeks and median compensation of $67,400, according to Safe Work Australia’s latest national statistics. For employers, the data confirms psychological injury is now…