New laws to boost workplace safety in Victoria

New Laws to Boost Workplace Safety in Victoria

New laws to boost workplace safety in Victoria went into effect on 16 March 2022. The Workplace Safety Legislation and Matters Amendment Act 2022 aims to prevent and better respond to workplace safety incidents and improve outcomes for injured workers and their families. These regulations also strengthen protections for people working across construction, healthcare, and manufacturing sectors where risk exposure remains high.

The laws also increase WorkSafe's ability to enhance Victoria's workers' compensation scheme operations. WorkSafe now has broader authority to address psychosocial hazards alongside traditional physical risks, reflecting a growing recognition that mental health forms a core part of occupational health and safety obligations.

What Changed Under the New OHS Framework

New laws allow WorkSafe inspectors to issue prohibition notices or give directions relating to non-immediate yet serious health and safety risks, prohibiting an activity until satisfied the workplace has been made safe. This shift means employers, contractors, and site managers can no longer wait for an incident before corrective action gets triggered.

Under the amended OHS provisions, some activities for which an inspector may have previously issued an improvement notice may now become subject to a prohibition notice. This tightens the compliance margin considerably for principal contractors overseeing high-risk construction sites, where hazards can escalate quickly if left unaddressed.

Key changes include:

• Expanded inspector powers to issue prohibition notices for non-immediate serious risks
• Mandatory notification for incidents exposing workers to serious health and safety risk, even without injury
• Greater WorkSafe oversight of psychosocial hazards affecting worker wellbeing
• Stronger accountability measures for principal contractors managing subcontracted labour

Notification Requirements Now Cover Near-Miss Risk Exposure

Notification is now required for incidents that don't result in an injury but do expose a person to a serious health and safety risk. This is a significant shift for construction firms and contractors, who must now report near-miss events that previously fell outside mandatory notification thresholds under the OHS Act.

For any contractor managing multiple sites, this change demands more rigorous internal reporting systems. Failing to notify WorkSafe of a qualifying risk event can expose both the contractor and principal contractor to enforcement action, regardless of whether an injury actually occurred.

Why Psychosocial Hazards Now Matter More Under OHS Law

Psychosocial hazards, including workplace bullying, excessive job demands, and poor support structures, are now firmly within WorkSafe's regulatory scope. Construction and healthcare employers must actively identify and manage these hazards alongside physical dangers on site.

Recognising psychosocial risk as equally serious as physical hazards reflects broader trends across Australian OHS frameworks. Read more about how new laws prioritise mental health in Victoria to understand how these psychosocial provisions interact with the amendment act.

Implications for Construction and Contractor Compliance

Construction remains one of Victoria's highest-risk industries, and these reforms place added pressure on contractors to demonstrate proactive hazard management. Principal contractors coordinating multiple subcontractors on a single site bear heightened responsibility for ensuring every worker operates under safe conditions.

Businesses reviewing their compliance documentation should consider updating site management plans and safety procedures to reflect these OHS changes. Our Workplace Site Management Plan for subcontractors in Victoria offers a useful starting reference point, though businesses should verify current requirements against the latest legislation.

Organisations seeking broader guidance on safety obligations may also find our Workplace Safety Rules resource and general Office Workplace General Safety SWMS helpful when reviewing hazard controls across varied work environments.

Comparable Safety Reforms Across Australia

Victoria isn't alone in tightening workplace protections. Businesses operating across state borders should also review how new laws boost food delivery rider safety in NSW to understand parallel regulatory trends affecting gig and contractor workforces nationally.

WorkSafe has also expanded its inspection capacity in recent years; our earlier coverage of 40 new inspectors for workplace safety outlines how enforcement resourcing has grown alongside these legislative reforms.

Staying Informed and Compliant

Safety professionals attending industry events can gain further insight into evolving OHS obligations at the Workplace Health and Safety Show, where regulatory updates and practical compliance strategies get discussed in depth.

For more information about the new laws, visit the WorkSafe Victoria website.