Weekly WHS Round-Up
Weekly WHS Update (3rd to 9th February 2026)
Here’s your weekly Work Health and Safety update for 3–9 February 2026. It was a relatively quiet week for most jurisdictions, with no major new regulatory releases in Victoria, NSW, WA, SA, Tasmania, the ACT, or Comcare. However, Safe Work Australia unveiled a valuable new resource to help manage mobile plant risks, and an urgent incident in the Northern Territory is prompting immediate safety reviews in the mining sector. Below you’ll find a summary of these developments, plus recommended actions to ensure your team stays ahead on safety.
What You Should Do This Week:
- Distribute the Mobile Plant Guide: Send the Safe Work Australia interactive ground conditions guide to your project managers, plant operators and safety officers. Schedule a short toolbox talk or training session so staff can learn the warning signs of unstable ground and the control measures recommended (like using ground pressure mats, soil testing, or engaging geotechnical experts for unusual sites). Updating your pre-start checklists to include ground condition checks would be a proactive step.
- Conduct Lift Equipment Safety Checks: In light of the NT mine incident, urgently audit all lifting and hoisting equipment on your sites. Ensure that winches, cranes, hoists and rigging gear have been recently inspected and are in good working order. Reinforce safe lifting procedures: no one should stand under suspended loads; operators must verify that all components (e.g. winch brakes, cables) are within safe limits and properly used. Consider running an emergency drill with your crew for a dropped-load scenario to improve preparedness.
- Remind and Engage Site Teams: Even when regulators aren’t issuing new alerts, keep safety conversations going. For example, if you operate in agriculture or transport, revisit any seasonal hazards (like hay bale handling, as highlighted by Farmsafe Australia in late 2025) and ensure controls are in place. Encourage workers to speak up about any near-misses or concerns, a quiet week is a great opportunity to proactively address hazards before the next regulatory update.
- Have Your Say in WA (if relevant): If your business stores, transports or handles dangerous goods in Western Australia, review the proposed law changes on the DMIRS/WorkSafe WA website and prepare a submission or feedback by 27 Feb. Input from industry is crucial to make sure new rules are practical. Engage your facilities managers and dangerous goods advisors in this process, it’s an opportunity to influence regulations that will affect your operations.
Key Updates This Week:
- National – Safe Work Australia: New interactive guide for mobile plant safety. Safe Work Australia has released an online interactive guide to help workplaces assess and control ground condition risks when using mobile plant (e.g. cranes, elevating work platforms). The guide is designed for anyone responsible for mobile plant, including operators, site managers, and hire companies and uses videos and scenarios to illustrate how hidden ground hazards (like soft soil or underground voids) can be identified and managed.
Takeaway: If your business uses cranes, EWPs or heavy vehicles, ensure supervisors and operators explore this tool and incorporate its best practices (such as thorough ground assessments and expert geotechnical advice) into your operational procedures.
- Northern Territory – NT WorkSafe – URGENT Incident: Fatal mine accident under investigation. NT WorkSafe has commenced an inquiry into a workplace fatality at Newmont’s Tanami gold mine, after a 47 year old construction worker was killed on 4 Feb 2026. Initial reports suggest a winch failure during a lifting operation contributed to the incident. All mining activities at the site have been stopped.
Who is affected: Companies in mining and construction (especially those operating remote or high-risk sites).
Manager alert: Immediately review any similar lifting operations, check that winches, hoists and lifting gear are inspected and certified; reinforce exclusion zones and standby emergency procedures for heavy lifts. This tragedy is a sharp reminder to double down on your lift planning, equipment maintenance, and worker training to prevent a similar incident.
- Western Australia – WorkSafe WA (DMIRS): Dangerous goods law consultation open. While no new bulletins were issued in WA this week, note that public submissions are currently invited on proposed amendments to WA’s Dangerous Goods Safety laws, as part of a legislative review. The aim is to modernise and better align dangerous goods regulations with WA’s WHS laws.
Action: If your operations involve dangerous goods in WA, consider reviewing the proposed changes and having your say before the 27 Feb 2026 deadline for submissions. Ensuring your voice is heard now can help shape practical, improved safety standards in the revised laws.
- Quiet Week Elsewhere: No significant new safety alerts, codes, or enforcement news were published by WorkSafe Victoria, SafeWork NSW, SafeWork SA, WorkSafe ACT, WorkSafe Tasmania, or Comcare during this period. Routine inspections and previously announced campaigns (e.g. SA’s “People at Work” psychosocial risk survey changes, and QLD’s falling objects compliance campaign planned for early 2026) continue in the background, but no fresh directives or incidents were reported by these regulators in the past week.
Continued diligence: Use this lull to review ongoing safety initiatives (heat stress management, holiday period site security, etc.) as advised in earlier updates.
Source Links:
Please feel free to reach out if you need further details on any of these items or assistance implementing the recommended actions. Stay safe and have a great week ahead!
Compiled by: Work Safety Hub – Helping organisations build safer, stronger workplaces.
🔗 worksafetyhub.com.au