The dawning of the new financial year brought with it the introduction of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (new Act) in Victoria. With it also came the much publicised transformation of character of Worksafe Victoria, mixing advice with enforcement.
The changes brought about by the new Act continue the trend in safety regulation in Australia—with more detailed requirements and dramatically increased penalties.
The new Act does not change the fundamentals of safety obligations, but does add to the ways in which safety is to be promoted and enforced. Many of the changes bring Victoria into line with other states, while some have it again leading the field.
My experience in recent months in many training workshops and brainstorming sessions with numerous clients has been that there is a surprisingly low level of understanding of what the law and good risk management practice has already required. The changes may prove in practice to be less important in themselves than
