SafeWork NSW has completed a compliance operation featuring unannounced visits to abattoirs and meat processing facilities across the State to ensure duty holders are meeting their obligations to keeping workers safe.
In line with SafeWork NSW’s regulatory priorities, inspectors targeted compliance with work health and safety duties related to labour hire arrangements and complex supply chains.
Inspectors also focused on the safe operation of mobile plant, vehicles and fixed machinery.
Inspectors visited five facilities across regional NSW in late September and issued three improvement notices for non-compliance with work health and safety laws related to the safe operation of machine guarding and traffic management.
On a positive note, migrant worker checks across the abattoir visits showed generally strong arrangements for consultation, training, supervision and worker welfare.
The focus on abattoirs is one of several compliance campaigns SafeWork NSW is conducting during national Safe Work Month in October.
This includes SafeWork NSW’s largest-ever compliance program focused on psychosocial hazards, with inspectors to have targeted conversations with employers and workers around psychosocial hazards and steps taken to eliminate or reduce these risks.
Businesses will also be provided with resources for the management and prevention of psychosocial hazards in the workplace.
Still on compliance, SafeWork NSW Inspectors will undertake a statewide program of visits focused on all four of its 2026-27 regulatory priorities:
- Falls from heights
- Psychosocial risks
- Hazardous substances
- Mobile plant, vehicles and fixed machinery.
This year’s Safe Work Month theme is “Safe work is for life”, reflecting the fundamental purpose of work health and safety: to protect workers’ lives, health and future.
Alongside compliance operations, SafeWork NSW will be meeting with businesses, industry groups and stakeholders throughout the month to share insights, resources and tools to design safe and healthy work practices to prevent injury, illnesses and long-term harms.
This includes attendance at industry events such as the Workplace Health & Safety Show at Sydney Olympic Park on 21-22 October and AgTech Discovery Days across NSW regional centres.
SafeWork NSW is hosting a series of in-person events for principal contractors and workers in construction, workshops on preventing sexual harassment in the workplace and a forum for health and safety representatives in Nowra on 21 October.
Quotes attributable to SafeWork Commissioner Janet Schorer:
“Compliance blitzes are an important part of SafeWork NSW’s strategy to proactively address high-risk activities across the State.”
“They strengthen SafeWork NSW’s regulatory presence and reinforce the message all businesses must prioritise worker safety every day of the week.
“SafeWork NSW’s engagement activities complement this work, allowing stakeholders and businesses to come together to share experiences, have important conversations and collaborate with the shared aim of having safe workplaces.
“SafeWork NSW is committed to working with businesses across the state to help them stay accountable for managing the health and safety of their workers.
“Everyone deserves to return home safely from work.”
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