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Safety & prevention
Safety & prevention
Maintaining a safe workplace is everyone’s responsibility. This section offers information and tools to help you manage risks and protect health, safety and wellbeing.
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Claims & insurance
Claims & insurance
Everything you need to know about worker’s compensation insurance, whether you’re an employer needing to insure your workers or a worker who’s been injured at work.
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Rehabilitation & return to work
Rehabilitation & return to work
Your rehabilitation and return to work journey will be easier if you know your options, the steps to take, and who’s responsible for what.
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Licensing & registrations
Licensing & registrations
Information about work health and safety and electrical licensing, registration and training.
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Laws & compliance
Laws & compliance
Learn about the Acts, Regulations and codes of practice we are responsible for and find information on workplace inspections and prosecutions.
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Your industry
Your industry
Find health and safety information and guidance about your industry and the kind of work you do.
Resources
Resources
A listing of useful resources available on the website. Use the in-page search or filters to find what you need.

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Safety & prevention Toggle menu for Safety & prevention
- Consultation, representation and participation Toggle menu for Consultation, representation and participation
- Creating safe work Toggle menu for Creating safe work
  - Good work design Toggle menu for Good work design
    
    Systems thinking for health, safety and wellbeing
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    Personal protective equipment (PPE) Toggle menu for Personal protective equipment (PPE)
    
    Respiratory protective equipment (RPE)
    
    Local exhaust ventilation (LEV) Toggle menu for Local exhaust ventilation (LEV)
    
    Video on what lev is, the key components and how it works courtesy of hse
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    Electrical product recalls Toggle menu for Electrical product recalls
    
    Recall of Brilliant Lighting ceiling mounted LED batten luminaires
    Recall of LG Energy Solution Australia Pty Ltd ESS Home Energy Storage System Batteries
    Ceiling luminaires
    Mist fans
    Fractal wood burning equipment
    DC solar isolator switches
    SKL electrical cables prohibited
    Infinity and Olsent brand cable recall
    Recall of Dielle YK78 Model Residual Current Device (RCD)
    Eaton Quicklag ELQ-TW earth leakage circuit breaker
    Recalls and prohibition notice on Salzer solar DC isolator
    Recall of Clipsal socket outlet 10mA Residual Current Device (RCD) and service panel 10mA RCD
    
    Electrical safety at work
    
    Hazardous electrical environments Toggle menu for Hazardous electrical environments
    
    Arc flash safety - Mark's story
    
    Voltmeter measurements for foil insulation
    
    Electrical work in declared disasters
    
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    Identifying high voltage hazards
    
    Installing smoke alarms
    
    Battery energy storage systems (BESS)
    
    Cathode protection systems
    
    Ceiling spaces
    
    Industry-specific electrical hazards Toggle menu for Industry-specific electrical hazards
    
    Electrical safety for plumbers
    
    Construction wiring
    
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    Powerlines and electrical cables Toggle menu for Powerlines and electrical cables
    
    Exclusion zones
  - Hazards index Toggle menu for Hazards index
    
    Children in workplaces
    
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  - Hazardous chemicals Toggle menu for Hazardous chemicals
    
    Working with large quantities of hazardous chemicals Toggle menu for Working with large quantities of hazardous chemicals
    
    Are you a manifest quantity workplace?
    
    Are you a possible major hazard facility?
    
    Managing hazchem risks Toggle menu for Managing hazchem risks
    
    Hazardous chemicals register
    
    Labelling and safety data sheets Toggle menu for Labelling and safety data sheets
    
    Understanding safety data sheets safe work australia
    
    Managing incompatible goods Toggle menu for Managing incompatible goods
    
    Storing incompatible hazardous chemicals
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    Storage and handling systems
    
    Health monitoring Toggle menu for Health monitoring
    
    Hazardous chemicals requiring health monitoring
    Health monitoring when you work with hazardous chemicals guide
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    Hazardous chemicals and dangerous goods Toggle menu for Hazardous chemicals and dangerous goods
    
    Globally Harmonised System
    
    Chemicals of security concern Toggle menu for Chemicals of security concern
    
    National security hotline
    National code of practice for chemicals of security concern2
    National code of practice for chemicals of security concern
    
    Specific hazchem risks Toggle menu for Specific hazchem risks
    
    Abandoned underground tanks
    
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    Specific hazchem workplaces Toggle menu for Specific hazchem workplaces
    
    Alcohol-based hand sanitiser manufacturers
    
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    Pool chemical retailers Toggle menu for Pool chemical retailers
    
    Pool chemical retailers FAQs
    
    Service stations
    
    Events (short-term fuel storage)
    
    Specific hazardous chemicals Toggle menu for Specific hazardous chemicals
    
    Ammonium nitrate Toggle menu for Ammonium nitrate
    
    Ammonium storage structures
    Ammonium nitrate storage and handling
    
    Anhydrous ammonia
    
    Flammable and combustible liquids
    
    Flammable refrigerants Toggle menu for Flammable refrigerants
    
    Flammable refrigerant gases position paper
    Flammable refrigerants safety guide 2013
    
    Gases in cylinders Toggle menu for Gases in cylinders
    
    Transporting gas cylinders or cryogenic liquid
    
    Hazchem regulations Toggle menu for Hazchem regulations
    
    Environmentally relevant activities
    
    Classifying hazardous chemicals
    
    Globally harmonised system of classification and labelling of chemicals ghs
    
    Australian code for the transport of dangerous goods by road and rail adg code
    
    Agencies and contacts Toggle menu for Agencies and contacts
    
    Hazchem regulatory agencies Queensland
    
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  - Hazardous exposures Toggle menu for Hazardous exposures
    
    Airborne contaminants Toggle menu for Airborne contaminants
    
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    Biological hazards Toggle menu for Biological hazards
    
    Cytomegalovirus (CMV) in early childhood education and care services
    
    Diseases from animals Toggle menu for Diseases from animals
    
    Q fever
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    Influenza A viruses in pigs
    Work with bird and bat droppings
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    Ebolavirus disease (EVD)
    
    Immunisation in early childhood education and care services
    
    Infection risks from flood recovery and response work
    
    Infection risks from work with sewage
    
    Latex allergy
    
    Legionnaires’ disease
    
    Legionella risks from work with potting mix and compost
    
    Lyngbya (blue-green algae)
    
    Managing mould
    
    Melioidosis
    
    Mosquito borne diseases
    
    Occupational viral hepatitis
    
    Skin infections at work
    
    Skin penetrating injuries
    
    Bushfire smoke
    
    Carbon monoxide in breathing air during air compressor use
    
    Carcinogens
    
    Hazardous dusts
    
    Heat stress Toggle menu for Heat stress
    
    Common terms
    
    Health effects
    
    Managing exposure
    
    Pre-start checklist
    
    More information
    
    Lead Toggle menu for Lead
    
    Working with lead Toggle menu for Working with lead
    
    Health monitoring when you work with hazardous chemicals guide
    
    Working with lead-based paint
    
    Nanotechnology Toggle menu for Nanotechnology
    
    What laws apply
    
    Are nanoparticles dangerous?
    
    Nanotechnology in the workplace
    
    Classification of engineered nanomaterials
    
    Definitions
    
    Risks of nanoparticles
    
    Nanomaterial control banding risk assessment
    
    Register of nanomaterial use and storage
    
    Noise
    
    Non-potable water
    
    Pesticides
    
    Respirable crystalline silica Toggle menu for Respirable crystalline silica
    
    Respirable crystalline silica (general) Toggle menu for Respirable crystalline silica (general)
    
    Respirable crystalline silica audit campaign report: Stage 3
    Reduction in workplace exposure standard for respirable crystalline silica
    
    Respirable crystalline silica in the stone benchtop industry
    
    Construction dust: respirable crystalline silica
    
    Work-related respiratory diseases
    
    Skin disorders and exposures
    
    Spray painting and powder coating
    
    Sun safety and skin cancer
    
    Welding
    
    Phosphine gas
  - Hazardous manual tasks Toggle menu for Hazardous manual tasks
    
    What are hazardous manual tasks? Toggle menu for What are hazardous manual tasks?
    
    Managing hazardous manual tasks
    
    Identify and assess hazardous manual task risks
    
    Hazardous manual task training Toggle menu for Hazardous manual task training
    
    Is lifting training effective?
    
    After a hazardous manual task injury
    
    Working with computers Toggle menu for Working with computers
    
    Selecting and adjusting your chair Toggle menu for Selecting and adjusting your chair
    
    Selecting and purchasing office chairs
    
    Setting up your workstation
    
    Visual comfort for computer work
    
    Working from home on your computer
    
    Staying active while working on your computer
    
    Mobile computer work
    
    Participative ergonomics for manual tasks (PErforM) guidance for high-risk industries Toggle menu for Participative ergonomics for manual tasks (PErforM) guidance for high-risk industries
    
    PErforM resources
    
    PErforM workshops and webinars Toggle menu for PErforM workshops and webinars
    
    PErforM trainers network
    PErforM webinar series
    
    Guidance for high risk industries Toggle menu for Guidance for high risk industries
    
    Health care and social assistance
    
    People handling Toggle menu for People handling
    
    Ceiling hoists
    Home care ohs fact sheets pdf, 5.54 mb
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    Manual tasks in construction
    
    Hazardous manual task laws
    
    Hazardous manual task resources Toggle menu for Hazardous manual task resources
    
    Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy 2012-2022
    
    Musculoskeletal disorders frequently asked questions
  - Health and wellbeing
  - Mental health
  - Workplace hazards Toggle menu for Workplace hazards
    
    Agriculture Toggle menu for Agriculture
    
    Animal handling
    
    Casual workers
    
    Cattle handling Toggle menu for Cattle handling
    
    Cattle crushes
    
    Children on farms
    
    Construction in the agriculture, foresty and fisheries workplaces
    
    Driving plant on the road
    
    Elevating work platforms Toggle menu for Elevating work platforms
    
    Design registration of elevating work platforms (EWPs)
    Maintenance, inspection and repair of elevating working platforms (EWPs)
    
    Emergency preparedness and first aid
    
    Fruit harvesting and packaging
    
    Hazardous chemicals
    
    Health and safety tips for the agriculture, forestry and fishing industry
    
    Horse handling
    
    Machinery and equipment Toggle menu for Machinery and equipment
    
    Farm vehicles and harvesters
    Machinery guarding
    Power take-off shafts
    Quad bikes and side-by-side vehicles
    Rim wheels
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    Tractors
    
    Manual tasks and noise
    
    Pig handling
    
    Remote and isolated work
    
    Safer field palletising on harvest aids
    
    Farm vehicles and harvesters
    
    Palletising including field palletising on harvest aids
    
    Safer palletising
    
    Loading and unloading cattle
    
    Fixed plant in packing sheds
    
    Safer sorting and grading on conveyors
    
    Safer ways to work out of produce bins
    
    Safety of older farmers
    
    Serious about farm safety
    
    Sheep handling and shearing
    
    Silo safety
    
    Statistics for agriculture, forestry and fishery workers
    
    Stockyard design
    
    Working at heights
    
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    Sun safety at work
    
    Child care Toggle menu for Child care
    
    Immunisation in early childhood education and care services
    
    Coal Workers' Pneumoconiosis (CWP)
    
    Construction Toggle menu for Construction
    
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    Owner builders
    Installation of solar panels
    
    Principal contractors
    
    Work health and safety management plans
    
    Asbestos
    
    Concrete pumping Toggle menu for Concrete pumping
    
    Avoiding pipeline failure
    Compliance inspections and maintenance
    Controlling noise and fumes
    Hose whip
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    Plant design and item registration - concrete placement booms
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    Confined spaces
    
    Cranes
    
    Excavations
    
    Healthy diet and lifestyle
    
    Lighting
    
    Mental wellbeing and suicide prevention
    
    Manual tasks in construction
    
    Mobile plant
    
    Nail guns
    
    Q fever risks and construction work
    
    Scaffolding Toggle menu for Scaffolding
    
    Zip ties on scaffolding
    Scaffolding hop-up bracket tie bars
    
    Security
    
    Tunnelling
    
    Tilt-up and pre-cast construction
    
    Work at heights
    
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    Site specific induction
    
    Dangers in your workplace Toggle menu for Dangers in your workplace
    
    Abrasive blasting Toggle menu for Abrasive blasting
    
    Particulate matter, solvents, noise and vibration
    Abrasive blasting general health and safety issues
    
    Burns and scalds
    
    Confined spaces
    
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    Demolition Toggle menu for Demolition
    
    Asbestos and demolition
    
    Falls from one level to another
    
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    Knives at work Toggle menu for Knives at work
    
    Sharps safety programs
    
    Lighting
    
    Non-potable water
    
    Storms and floods Toggle menu for Storms and floods
    
    List of National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) accredited laboratories for asbestos sample analysis
    
    Work at heights
    
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    Supervision at public swimming pools
    
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    Recreational technical diving Toggle menu for Recreational technical diving
    
    Decompression diving
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    Certified diver assessment
    
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    Non-English speaking participants
    
    Qualifications and competency Toggle menu for Qualifications and competency
    
    Examples of competencies for diving work
    
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    Hazardous area classification (fire and explosion prevention) Toggle menu for Hazardous area classification (fire and explosion prevention)
    
    Hazardous area assurance of conformity equipment
    
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    Guides for Major Hazard Facilities
    
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    Majaor hazard facilities guides
    
    Major hazard team activities
    
    Slips, trips and falls Toggle menu for Slips, trips and falls
    
    Risk management
    
    After an injury
    
    Contaminants
    
    Cleaning
    
    Floor and ground surfaces Toggle menu for Floor and ground surfaces
    
    Flooring hse uk
    Flooring types - characteristics & applications
    As 1428 set 2010 design for access and mobility series
    As 4663 2013 slip resistant measurement of existing pedestrian surfaces
    As 4586 2013 slip resistance classification of new pedestrian surface materials
    Hb 1971999 an introductory guide to the slip resistance of pedestrian surface materials
    Sa hb 1982014 guide to the specification and testing of slip resistance of pedestrian surfaces
    
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    Obstacles
    
    Environment Toggle menu for Environment
    
    Asnzs 1680 series interior lighting
    
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    External areas Toggle menu for External areas
    
    Building code of australia
    As 1657 2013 fixed platforms, walkways, stairways and ladders design construction and installation
    
    Footwear Toggle menu for Footwear
    
    Asnzs 2210.12010 occupational protective footwear part 1 guide to selection, care and use
    
    Design considerations
    
    Safe design and use of stairs
    
    Transport Toggle menu for Transport
    
    Securing loads on trucks
    
    Safe handling when securing loads on trucks
    
    Load restraint devices to tension chains
    
    Safe design and use of cattle crates
    
    Safety with tyre fitting
    
    Young workers Toggle menu for Young workers
    
    Worksafe wa education materials
- Mental health Toggle menu for Mental health
  - Mentally healthy workplaces toolkit
  - Psychosocial hazards Toggle menu for Psychosocial hazards
    
    High and/or low job demands
    
    Low job control
    
    Poor support
    
    Low role clarity
    
    Poor organisational change management
    
    Low reward and recognition
    
    Poor organisational justice
    
    Poor workplace relationships including interpersonal conflict
    
    Remote or isolated work
    
    Poor environmental conditions
    
    Traumatic events
    
    Violence and aggression
    
    Bullying
    
    Harassment including sexual harassment
    
    Fatigue
  - People at Work
  - Mental Health Week
  - Mental health resources Toggle menu for Mental health resources
    
    Mental health webinars
    
    Mental health case studies
    
    Workers' compensation statistics - mental health
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- Health and wellbeing Toggle menu for Health and wellbeing
  - Why take care of health and wellbeing at work? Toggle menu for Why take care of health and wellbeing at work?
    
    Benefits of health and wellbeing for work
    
    Integrating health, safety and wellbeing
    
    Be a leader in work health and wellbeing
  - Managing chronic disease at work Toggle menu for Managing chronic disease at work
    
    Work health and wellbeing toolkit
    
    Chronic disease risk factors by industry
    
    Work health and wellbeing online learning course
  - Supporting an ageing workforce
  - Sedentary work
  - Be Recognised Toggle menu for Be Recognised
    
    Recognition wall Toggle menu for Recognition wall
    
    Noja Power Switchgear Pty Ltd
    
    Ipswich State High School
    
    Burnside State High School
    
    Queensland University of Technology: Wellness Matters
    
    Assessment for gold recognition
  - Healthy workplace audit tool
  - Case studies
  - Healthy workers survey
  - Health and wellbeing resources Toggle menu for Health and wellbeing resources
    
    New approach to mental health in resources sector
  - Alcohol and other drugs
  - Framework to manage the risks of alcohol and other drugs at work
- Incidents and notifications Toggle menu for Incidents and notifications
  - Notify us of an incident Toggle menu for Notify us of an incident
    
    Notify Workplace Health and Safety Queensland or the Electrical Safety Office Toggle menu for Notify Workplace Health and Safety Queensland or the Electrical Safety Office
    
    Confirm if an incident is notifiable
    
    Don’t disturb the site of an incident
    
    Notify WorkCover Queensland or your workers' compensation insurer
  - Asbestos notifications
  - Demolition notifications
  - Hazardous chemical notifications
Claims & insurance Toggle menu for Claims & insurance
Rehabilitation & return to work Toggle menu for Rehabilitation & return to work
Licensing & registrations Toggle menu for Licensing & registrations
Laws & compliance Toggle menu for Laws & compliance
Your industry Toggle menu for Your industry
Resources Toggle menu for Resources

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Electrical licensing office course package and online assessment (Opens in an external website)
Organisational systems benchmarking (Opens in an external website)
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You are here:

Home
Safety & prevention
Hazards
Electricity

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Industry-specific electrical hazards

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Some places of work have specific electrical hazards. Find out more.

Electrical safety for plumbers

Before installing water meters or repairing or replacing metal water services, plumbers and their assistants should plan and use a safe system of work to prevent or minimise the risk of electric shock.
Learn more
Construction wiring

Construction wiring is a term used for the electrical installation that supplies temporary power to a construction site.
Learn more
Electrical safety in the rural industry

Electrical incidents in the rural industry have often involved contact between machinery or irrigation pipes with overhead powerlines. Other causes of electrical incidents include general lack of electrical equipment maintenance and unauthorised electrical handy-work.
Learn more

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