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Health and Safety at Work Act 2015

Summary of changes

These summaries explain recent changes to the law. They are generated by AI comparing versions of the legislation, so they might oversimplify, miss details, or get things wrong. Learn more about how we track these changes.

22 April 2025

  • The definition of notifiable incident has been amended to include unplanned or uncontrolled incidents that could expose a worker or other person to serious risk to their health or safety
  • The regulator's ability to accept enforceable undertakings has been amended to require reimbursement of reasonable costs and expenses
  • The regulator must make reasonable efforts to establish whether enforcement action has been taken and notify the person in writing of the decision
  • The legal effect of a safe work instrument has been limited to the extent that regulations made under this Act refer to it
  • The exemption expiry period has been amended to be the earlier of a specified expiry date or 5 years after the exemption takes effect
  • Schedule 1 has been amended to include new provisions and update existing ones in relation to the Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Act 2025
  • The definition of 'tourist mining operation' has been revised and regulations regarding levies on mine operators have been updated
  • Minor formatting changes have been made to appeal provisions in Schedule 2, but these represent no substantive legal change
  • The title of Schedule 5 has been updated to include a reference to the empowering provision, section 232, and Schedule 4 has been updated with an empowering provision reference to section 162

Affected provisions

  1. 1: Transitional and savings provisions
    Schedule 1 has been amended to include new provisions and update existing ones in relation to the Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Act 2025
  2. 2: Health and safety representatives and health and safety committees
    Minor formatting changes have been made to appeal provisions in Schedule 2, but these represent no substantive legal change
  3. 3: Health and safety in mining sector
    The definition of 'tourist mining operation' has been revised and regulations regarding levies on mine operators have been updated
  4. 4: Provisions relating to classified security information
    The title of Schedule 5 has been updated to include a reference to the empowering provision, section 232, and Schedule 4 has been updated with an empowering provision reference to section 162
  5. 5: Consequential amendments
    The title of Schedule 5 has been updated to include a reference to the empowering provision, section 232, and Schedule 4 has been updated with an empowering provision reference to section 162
  6. 24: Meaning of notifiable incident
    The definition of notifiable incident has been amended to include unplanned or uncontrolled incidents that could expose a worker or other person to serious risk to their health or safety
  7. 123: Regulator may accept enforceable undertakings
    The regulator's ability to accept enforceable undertakings has been amended to require reimbursement of reasonable costs and expenses
  8. 142: Person may notify regulator of interest in knowing of enforcement action taken by regulator
    The regulator must make reasonable efforts to establish whether enforcement action has been taken and notify the person in writing of the decision
  9. 220: Regulator may grant exemption from compliance with regulations
    The exemption expiry period has been amended to be the earlier of a specified expiry date or 5 years after the exemption takes effect
  10. 228: Legal effect of safe work instruments
    The legal effect of a safe work instrument has been limited to the extent that regulations made under this Act refer to it

14 May 2025

  • Definitions of 'aircraft' and 'CAA' have been updated to reference the Civil Aviation Act 2023
  • Funding levy provisions have been amended to include purchased weekly compensation and update earnings and earner definitions

Affected provisions

  1. 16: Interpretation
    Definitions of 'aircraft' and 'CAA' have been updated to reference the Civil Aviation Act 2023
  2. 201: Funding levy
    Funding levy provisions have been amended to include purchased weekly compensation and update earnings and earner definitions