We hope you had a safe and restful holiday. Below is your third WHS update for 2026, summarising regulatory news and important safety developments from the past week (12th to 19th January 2026). While the holiday period was relatively quiet for regulators, there are still a few critical changes and reminders as we continue to kick off the year.
Distribute Alerts to Teams: Share the NT excavator bucket alert with your construction/maintenance crews. Discuss the importance of securing loads on all plant machinery and the consequences of complacency.
Audit Flood Response Safety: If you have operations in flood-prone areas (QLD/NT), review your incident action plans. Ensure workers have adequate PPE, first aid for wounds, and know the symptoms of diseases like melioidosis. Check that any volunteers or contractors are briefed on the new safety guidance for carcass disposal and not entering unsupported trenches.
Check Hazardous Substance Controls: Anticipating SWA’s new chemical exposure limits, start comparing your current workplace air monitoring results to the proposed WEL values (many are stricter). Identify any processes that might need improved ventilation or substitution to meet the 2026 requirements.
Engage with Safety Innovations: Pick one idea from the WorkSafe Victoria Awards finalists relevant to your industry and discuss it in your next safety meeting. For example, if manual handling injuries are an issue, see how a finalist’s “safety lifting device” could inspire a solution at your site.
Update Psychosocial Risk Strategy: With the PAW survey ending, ensure you’re compliant with the new psychosocial hazard regulations without it. Consider other survey tools or EAP feedback to gauge workplace mental health, and document your risk controls (e.g. workload assessments, anti-bullying training) as required by the 2022–25 Code of Practice.
By addressing the above, we not only stay compliant but actively prevent incidents. Let’s make 2026 a safe year across all our operations.
Safe Work Australia – Asbestos Framework Review (13 Jan 2026): SWA announced a comprehensive review of the model WHS asbestos regulations and codes. Public consultation will inform potential changes aimed at strengthening asbestos risk controls and prioritising removal.
Who is affected? All industries with asbestos (construction, demolition, property management) should take note.
Action for safety managers: Ensure your asbestos registers and management plans are current, and prepare to contribute to the consultation or adjust practices once new guidelines emerge.
Safe Work Australia – Transition to New Exposure Limits (15 Jan 2026): SWA updated guidance on the shift from Workplace Exposure Standards (WES) to Workplace Exposure Limits (WEL) for hazardous chemicals. WHS Ministers agreed in 2024 to replace the old WES list with a new WEL list, with a harmonised adoption across jurisdictions by 1 December 2026. The WELs will only be mandatory after each jurisdiction updates its laws.
Who is affected? All businesses that use or generate airborne contaminants.
Action for safety managers: Review current controls and monitoring against the upcoming WEL values. Plan for compliance by late 2026, and stay subscribed to SWA updates for the transition. (Comcare: No new updates found this week (last checked at 09:41 AEST).)
WorkSafe Victoria – Safety Awards Finalists Announced (13 Jan 2026): WorkSafe VIC unveiled 22 finalists across seven categories for the 2025 WorkSafe Awards, highlighting outstanding workplace safety and return to work initiatives. Sectors represented include healthcare, landscaping, construction, local government, and more.
Who is affected? All industries. These awards showcase best practices by employers, workers, and Health and Safety Representatives.
Action for safety managers: Draw inspiration from the innovations shared by finalists (e.g. psychosocial risk initiatives, farm safety tech). Consider how similar solutions or a “safety champion” culture could be fostered in your workplace. (No other Victorian regulator updates in this period.)
(SafeWork NSW: No new updates found this week (last checked at 09:41 AEST).) The latest NSW safety news was an 8 Jan 2026 heatwave warning (pre-dating this week).
Action: NSW managers should maintain vigilance on summer heat protections despite no new announcements, and watch SafeWork NSW for any late January bulletins.
WHSQ (WorkSafe QLD) – North QLD Flood Hazards (16 Jan 2026): Severe wet season weather in northern Queensland prompted multiple safety alerts in the eSAFE Rural bulletin. Authorities warn of melioidosis, a tropical disease risk that surges after monsoonal floods (bacteria in wet soil can infect at risk workers), and issued guidance on safe animal carcass disposal after floods to manage biohazards and trench collapse risks.
Who is affected? Rural workers, farmers, graziers, station hands, clean up crews in flood-affected areas.
Action for safety managers: Reinforce hygiene (hand washing, wound care) and PPE use to combat melioidosis. Ensure any storm recovery work involving dead livestock follows the new safety alert: use machinery to move carcasses, never ride unsecured loads in buckets, and shore up or avoid unstable trenches. These precautions are urgent to prevent disease and injuries in post cyclone clean ups.
WHSQ QLD – Rural Plant Code Video Series (16 Jan 2026): A new “Unpacking the Rural Plant Code of Practice” video series launched to help farms and agribusinesses implement safer practices with machinery. Co-designed with local farmers, the short videos and roundtable discussion address priority topics: safe use of technology, farm vehicle safety, training, and traffic management in fields.
Who is affected? Agricultural sector managers and workers in Queensland.
Action for safety managers: Leverage these free videos as a toolbox resource, update your training and inductions to reflect the practical tips shown, and engage your teams in discussions on improving machinery safety and maintenance.
(WorkCover QLD / Workers’ comp: Note that updated medical fee tables took effect 1 Jan 2026, per earlier announcements, but no fresh update this week. No other QLD regulatory news in this window.)
(WorkSafe WA / DMIRS: No new regulator updates found this week (last checked at 09:41 AEST).) Continue to monitor WA safety bulletins, e.g., a fragile roofing falls alert was issued recently, but no new WA specific releases during 12–18 Jan.
Action: WA safety managers should review any late December guidance (e.g. falling through roofs bulletin) and maintain compliance with WA’s 2022 WHS Act provisions.
NT WorkSafe – Excavator Bucket Alert (16 Jan 2026): NT WorkSafe issued a Safety Alert after a Darwin construction worker was seriously injured by an excavator bucket falling off in transit. Disturbingly, this mirrors a 2019 NT incident that was fatal, despite a prior alert and a record $1.14 million fine to the employer.
Who is affected? Civil construction and earthmoving companies, plant operators, and contractors using excavators.
Action for safety managers: Immediately ban the practice of carrying smaller excavator attachments loose in a larger bucket. Ensure all attachments are securely restrained during transport, and refresh operator training about the deadly consequences of unsecured loads. Review and enforce your load restraint procedures on all heavy equipment, this alert signals a zero tolerance stance by the regulator.
(WorkSafe Tasmania: No new updates found this week (last checked at 09:41 AEST).) Note: WorkSafe Tasmania offices reopened 2 Jan after the break, with no incidents reported in mid-January.
Action: Tasmanian businesses should still stay vigilant post holidays, for example, secure any unfinished building sites (as per a Dec safety reminder) and prepare for upcoming events (e.g. Agfest safety planning if relevant).
SafeWork SA – People at Work Survey Ending (13 Jan 2026): SafeWork SA announced that the People at Work (PAW) psychosocial risk survey platform will be decommissioned over the next 12 months. Since 2020, ~5,000 businesses and 160,000 workers nationwide have used this free survey to assess workplace stress and other psychosocial hazards. However, due to new WHS regulations on psychosocial risks and improved tools now available, the PAW platform “may no longer fully meet organisations’ needs”.
Who is affected? Employers Australia wide who have used PAW for psychosocial risk assessments (note: SA’s update is of national relevance).
Action for safety managers: If you rely on PAW, plan to export your data (guidance is provided) and explore alternative survey tools or methods to gauge psychological safety. Stay informed via SafeWork SA on key dates for PAW’s closure and transition support. Meanwhile, ensure compliance with the new model Code of Practice on psychosocial hazards, proactive risk management remains a legal duty even as PAW winds down.
(ReturnToWorkSA: No scheme updates this week. Recent changes to self insurance financial requirements effective 1 Jan 2026 were communicated in 2025, and no new media releases were issued in Jan 2026.)
(WorkSafe ACT: No new updates found this week (last checked at 09:41 AEST).) Continue to observe national guidance and any ACT Government advisories. The ACT joined national moves on 1 Jan to increase protections for silica work and psychosocial risk (per earlier announcements).
Action: ACT businesses should ensure they have implemented the January 2026 legislative amendments (e.g. for silica and psychosocial hazards) that came into effect. No additional ACT specific news was released during this period.
(WHS-related Australian Standards: No changes detected this week.) We tracked the key WHS standards listed (AS/NZS 45001, 3745, 3000, 1891 series, 1657, 2444, 1851, 1418, 2550, 2865, 1269 series, 1715/1716, 2210.3, 1337/1338, 3788, 4024, 1576 series, 2293, 3012, 3760, IEC 60079 series, 1319, 4576).
Outcome: No new editions or amendments were published between 12–18 Jan 2026. (Last known updates: AS/NZS 1891.4 was revised in late 2025; no January activity.)
Action for safety managers: Continue using current standards and watch for any announced drafts or public consultations (none in this window). We will report any standard revisions as soon as they arise.
Sources:
Safe Work Australia – Asbestos review notice; Exposure limits transition
WorkSafe Victoria – Awards finalists media release
WHS QLD (eSAFE Rural) – Flood alerts on melioidosis and carcass handling
WHS QLD – Rural Plant Code video series news
NT WorkSafe – Excavator bucket safety alert
SafeWork SA – People at Work survey update
Stay safe, and as always, reach out if you need assistance interpreting how these updates impact our operations.
Compiled by: Work Safety Hub – Helping organisations build safer, stronger workplaces.
🔗 worksafetyhub.com.au