The Australian, State, Territory and New Zealand Workplace Relations Ministers’ Council (WRMC) has agreed to a framework for uniform OHS laws that will lead to enhanced safety protections for Australian employees and greater certainty for employers.

Every year in Australia, over 200 people die as a direct result of workplace accidents and it is estimated that the number of workplace related deaths exceeds twice the national road toll. This is despite the existing occupational health and safety (OHS) laws currently in place across the Commonwealth, States and Territories.  

The model OHS Act will include enhanced duty of care provisions, an emphasis on consultation, and maintain that breaches of duty of care are criminal offences to reflect the seriousness of non-compliance.

Currently all States and Territories are responsible for making and enforcing their own OHS laws. Safe Work Australia will act as an independent body to develop national model OHS legislation that will require each State and Territory to adopt suitable OHS laws by 2011.