It has been a busy few months in the world of work health and safety (WHS), and as always, the Health & Safety Handbook has been keeping up with changes to ensure you always know where you stand.

Below, find out the top six changes that have occurred in WHS law since June:

1. Penalty rates in some jurisdictions increased in July. The new penalty rates are stated wherever they are referenced in the handbook. Key chapters to note are Duties of employers, Notification of incidents and Prosecution.
2. NSW state laws have been amended to give power to the NSW Industrial Relations Commission to issue stop workplace bullying and sexual harassment orders in state public sector and local government workplaces. This now features in the chapters Sexual harassment and Bullying.
3. Unions in New South Wales now have more powers in relation to WHS matters, including the ability to commence prosecutions and act for individuals seeking penalties. These powers are explained in the chapter Unions.
4. Unions in South Australia also have more powers in relation to what WHS entry permit-holders can do upon entering a workplace. This is also featured in Unions.
5. Back to New South Wales, which has been particularly busy, from July 2025, an inspector can no longer be involved in assisting in a WHS dispute that doesn't involve an immediate or imminent exposure to a workplace hazard. Find out more about this in the chapter Enforcement.
6. Legislation has been amended in New South Wales in relation to working with crystalline silica. This is explained in the chapter Crystalline silica.

Stay tuned to see what the rest of the year brings.