Weekly WHS Round-Up  

Weekly WHS Update (25 December 2025 to 5th January 2026)

Happy New Year! We hope you had a safe and restful holiday. Below is your first WHS update for 2026, summarising regulatory news and important safety developments from the past two weeks (25 December 2025 – 5 January 2026). While the holiday period was relatively quiet for regulators, there are a few critical changes and reminders as we kick off the year.

What You Should Do This Week:

1. Review and reinforce your Heat Stress Plan – With hot summer conditions, ensure all supervisors and workers know how to prevent heat illness (ample water, shaded rest, extra breaks, buddy systems, etc.). Consider rescheduling strenuous tasks to cooler parts of the day safeworkaustralia.gov.au.

2. Verify Compliance with New NSW Noise Rules – Double check that any NSW employees who regularly use hearing protection have completed their baseline hearing test. Schedule any missed tests ASAP to meet the new Jan 2026 requirement safework.nsw.gov.au.

3. Update NT Electrical Work Practices – If you operate in the NT, brief your maintenance and electrical teams on the new like for like replacement policy worksafe.nt.gov.au. They should know that simple one for one swaps (same capacity) no longer need paperwork, but any upgrade or new wiring still does.

4. Safety Stand-Down (Post-Holiday) – Take a moment with your teams to refocus on safety for the new year. Discuss any unusual tasks happening during the holiday period and ensure all hazards are controlled. Emphasise vigilance to avoid incidents like the SA contractor fatality, especially with contractors or lone workers.

5. Monitor for Upcoming Changes – Although standards and national codes saw no changes this week, stay tuned. For example, new Workplace Exposure Limits will replace exposure standards by Dec 2026 safework.nsw.gov.au. We’ll keep you informed on any developments as regulators return to full activity this month.

National / All-Jurisdictions

• 02 Jan 2026 – Safe Work Australia: “Working in heat – Frequently Asked Questions” – Safe Work Australia updated its guidance on working in heat. It emphasises there is no fixed “stop work” temperature; instead, PCBUs must proactively manage all factors (humidity, airflow, workload, worker acclimatisation) to prevent heat illness safeworkaustralia.gov.au.

  Who it affects: All industries with outdoor or hot indoor work (e.g. construction, agriculture, kitchens).

  Action: Review your heat stress management plan – ensure hydration, shade/ventilation, rest breaks, and the option to reschedule work during extreme heat safeworkaustralia.gov.au.

  Source: Safe Work Australia safeworkaustralia.gov.au.

• No new national codes or Comcare updates were published in this period. (Safe Work Australia’s new fatigue Code was released in Nov 2025; no further national WHS releases over the holidays. Comcare offices were closed 25 Dec–1 Jan; no new bulletins or incidents reported upon reopening on 2 Jan 2026.)

• Standards Australia/NZ – No changes detected this week. No new editions or amendments were released for the tracked WHS standards in this period. (This includes AS/NZS ISO 45001:2018; AS/NZS 4801:2001; AS 3745:2010; AS 2293 series; AS 2444:2001; AS 1670.1:2024; AS 1851:2012; AS/NZS 3000:2018; AS/NZS 3012:2019; AS/NZS 3760:2022; AS 1657:2018; AS/NZS 1891 series; AS/NZS 1576.1:2019; AS 4576:2020; AS/NZS 4024 series; AS 1418 series; AS 2550 series; AS 2865:2009; AS/NZS (IEC) 60079 series; AS/NZS 1269 series; AS 1319:1994; AS/NZS 1715:2009; AS/NZS 1716:2012; AS 2210.3:2019; AS/NZS 1337 & 1338 series; AS 3788:2024.)

  Action: No action needed – continue to follow current versions.

New South Wales (NSW)

• 01 Jan 2026 – SafeWork NSW: New mandatory hearing tests for noise-exposed workers – The final phase of NSW’s occupational noise reforms commenced. From 1 Jan 2026, any worker who must wear hearing protectors due to high noise must undergo audiometric testing. PCBUs must provide baseline hearing tests for new noise exposed workers within 3 months of starting, and at least every 2 years thereafter safework.nsw.gov.au. Existing employees hired before 1 Jan 2024 should have had a hearing test by 1 Jan 2026 safework.nsw.gov.au.

  Who it affects: NSW businesses in industries with hazardous noise (construction, manufacturing, mining, etc.).

  Action: Ensure all required hearing tests have been completed. Schedule any overdue tests immediately and set reminders for periodic re-tests. Update your noise control and health monitoring program accordingly.

  Source: SafeWork NSW safework.nsw.gov.au.

• (No other NSW regulator releases during this period.) Holiday-season safety reminders were issued just before this window (e.g. farm safety, site security on 22–24 Dec), but no new SafeWork NSW alerts or incidents were published between 25 Dec and 5 Jan.

Victoria (VIC)

• No new WorkSafe Victoria updates were published in the 25 Dec–5 Jan period. (WorkSafe Victoria’s media releases on prosecutions and incidents paused over the holiday closure. The next updates are expected after 5 Jan 2026.)

  Action: None required beyond continuing compliance. (Note: WorkSafe’s prosecutions announced in Nov/Dec – e.g. Laverton North machine injury charges – have court dates in Jan 2026 worksafe.vic.gov.au, but no new incidents were reported during the holidays.)

Queensland (QLD)

• No new WHSQ alerts or Safe Work Queensland updates in this period. (Workplace Health and Safety Queensland did not issue any new safety alerts, enforcement news, or incident reports over the Christmas/New Year week.)

  Action: None required. (WorkCover QLD did finalise updated medical fee tables effective 1 Jan 2026 worksafe.qld.gov.au, but this impacts workers’ compensation billing, not workplace safety duties.)

Western Australia (WA)

• No new WorkSafe WA releases during this period. WorkSafe WA (DMIRS) offices were closed 24 Dec – 4 Jan worksafe.wa.gov.au.

  Action: None required. (Reminder: WA’s ban on engineered stone took effect in 2024; WorkSafe WA will continue compliance inspections in 2026 wa.gov.au. No further announcements were made during the holidays.)

Northern Territory (NT)

• 16 Dec 2025 – NT WorkSafe: Certificate of Compliance no longer required for like-for-like electrical replacements – NT’s Electrical Safety Regulator announced a technical exemption effective 1 Jan 2026. Electrical contractors no longer need to complete a Certificate of Compliance (CoC) for straightforward “like-for-like” replacements (swapping an electrical component with an equivalent, without altering wiring) worksafe.nt.gov.au. These minor repairs, as defined in AS/NZS 3000:2018, are considered safe if the replacement item has the same ratings as the original worksafe.nt.gov.au.

  Who it affects: NT licensed electricians and electrical contractors performing maintenance work.

  Action: Update your procedures and client advice – from 2026, only issue CoCs for electrical work that involves new wiring or higher-capacity equipment. Ensure all staff understand which jobs qualify as like-for-like under the Wiring Rules.

  Source: NT WorkSafe worksafe.nt.gov.au.

• (NT incident notification laws unchanged) – NT WorkSafe confirmed it has NOT yet adopted the model WHS incident notification amendments Safe Work Australia introduced on 5 Dec 2025. Those changes to the model Act/Regs (e.g. clarifying psychological injury notifications) do not apply in NT until formally enacted locally worksafe.nt.gov.au.

  Who it affects: All NT businesses.

  Action: Continue to follow current NT incident notification requirements. NT WorkSafe will advise when any legislative updates occur.

  Source: NT WorkSafe worksafe.nt.gov.au.

Tasmania (TAS)

• No new WorkSafe Tasmania updates during this period. (WorkSafe Tasmania observed its annual closure from 24 Dec to 2 Jan worksafe.tas.gov.au. No new safety alerts, guidance, or incidents were published in the window.)

  Action: None required beyond standard compliance.

South Australia (SA)

• URGENT – 4 Jan 2026 – (Media) SafeWork SA notified after fatal contractor incident – A 41-year-old contractor was found deceased at a work site in Pompoota (Murray Mallee region) on 4 Jan miragenews.com. Emergency services responded to a 2:20pm call; sadly the worker was pronounced dead at the scene. SafeWork SA has been advised and is investigating. No suspicious circumstances; a coroner’s report is underway .

  Who it affects: All SA employers and contractors – highlights the ever-present risk of fatal incidents, even during routine work.

  Action: IMMEDIATE – review safety controls for any high-risk tasks being done by contractors or during the holiday period. Ensure strict compliance with SWMS and supervision, especially for regional and lone worksites. Be prepared to cooperate with any SafeWork SA inquiries if you have similar operations.

  Source: SA Police (media release) miragenews.com.

• No regulator publications from SafeWork SA in this period aside from the above incident. (SafeWork SA’s latest compliance campaign updates (e.g. lead risk and construction blitz for 2025–26 safework.sa.gov.au) were announced prior to Christmas. No new SafeWork SA news releases or alerts were posted between 25 Dec and 5 Jan.)

Australian Capital Territory (ACT)

• No new WorkSafe ACT updates during this period. (No incidents or releases from WorkSafe ACT were published over the New Year. The regulator’s next quarterly newsletter is expected later in January worksafe.act.gov.au.)

  Action: None required. Continue to monitor WorkSafe ACT communications as normal operations resume in January.

Compiled by: Work Safety Hub – Helping organisations build safer, stronger workplaces.
🔗 worksafetyhub.com.au