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227: Minister may approve safe work instruments
or “Minister can create, modify, or revoke safety guidelines after consultation”

You could also call this:

“Safe work instruments have legal power when mentioned in other health and safety rules”

Safe work instruments are special documents that can help keep you safe at work. These instruments only have legal power when other health and safety rules mention them. This means they only work when other rules say they do.

The rules can talk about safe work instruments in two ways. They can mention a specific safe work instrument, even if it changes over time. Or, they can talk about any safe work instrument that might be made in the future, even if it doesn’t exist yet when the rules are written.

Remember, these safe work instruments are only legally important when other rules say they are. It’s like they’re waiting to be activated by other rules to help keep you safe at work.

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Next up: 229: Minister may delegate approval of codes of practice and safe work instruments to regulator

or “Minister can allow regulator to approve workplace safety guidelines”

Part 5 Miscellaneous provisions
Regulations, exemptions, approved codes of practice, and safe work instruments: Safe work instruments

228Legal effect of safe work instruments

  1. A safe work instrument made under section 227 has legal effect only to the extent that any regulations made under the relevant health and safety legislation refer to it.

  2. For the purposes of subsection (1), regulations may refer to—

  3. a particular safe work instrument as amended or replaced from time to time; or
    1. any safe work instrument that may be made for the purposes of regulations (even if the instrument has not been made at the time the regulations are made).