How SafeWork NSW manages feedback and complaints
Information on submitting complaints, feedback or complaints to SafeWork NSW and how your feedback is managed.
On this page:
What is feedback
Feedback is when you tell us what we are doing well or what we can improve on. Positive feedback, or compliments, help us recognise our staff and encourage us to continue delivering high quality service.
Constructive or negative feedback highlights areas where we may need to make changes to improve. We monitor all feedback and use it to improve our services.
What is a complaint
A complaint is when you let us know you are unhappy with something we have done and you would like to receive a response.
You can complain about our service, a decision we have made, or one of our systems or policies. If you have had an experience with us that did not meet your expectations, we want to hear about it.
What is not a complaint?
- Workplace health or safety complaints (also known as Requests for Service). For information about how to raise a concern about health and safety in the workplace, visit our Safety complaints page.
- Asking for an update on your Request for Service or asking for information about SafeWork NSW’s policies or procedures. Contact us by phone on 13 15 10 or via our online online enquiry form for this information.
- A request for an internal review of inspector and regulator decisions. For information about eligibility and how to request a review visit our Internal review of inspector and regulator decisions page.
- Formal requests for information from SafeWork NSW. For this information visit our Right to information page.
If you are unhappy with how SafeWork NSW responds to or manages any of the above requests, you can make a complaint.
How to make a complaint or submit feedback
Phone
Call us on 13 15 10.
Online
Using the complaints, feedback and compliments form.
In person
Directly with a SafeWork NSW Inspector.
Write to Locked Bag 2906 Lisarow NSW 2252.
SafeWork NSW has a ‘no wrong door’ approach to receiving complaints. No matter how you complain to us, we will make sure we refer it to the correct area.
Get help making a complaint
Accessibility support
SafeWork NSW is committed to making our complaints process accessible for everyone.
If you are d/Deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech or communication difficulty you can:
- contact us through your preferred National Relay Service (NRS) call channel
- provide the NRS with our phone number, 13 10 50.
Find more information about the NRS.
If you need language help, you can contact the Telephone Interpreter Service (TIS) on 13 14 50 and ask to speak to SafeWork NSW on 13 15 10.
If you need other assistance let us know. We will use a trauma-informed approach when managing your complaint.
Make a complaint anonymously
You can make a complaint anonymously if you prefer. We will consider all anonymous complaints, however, if we do not have your contact details our ability to fully assess the matter, seek clarification, or provide a resolution may be limited. In some cases, this may affect the extent of the response we are able to provide.
Where possible, providing your details helps us better understand and respond to your concerns.
How we handle your complaint
When you raise a complaint with us, we take the time to listen and treat you with dignity and respect.
We will acknowledge your complaint promptly, explain what will happen next, and keep you informed as it progresses. Your complaint will be assessed fairly and handled by the appropriate team. Where possible, we try to resolve your complaint early and at the first point of contact.
We can make adjustments where needed to support your communication or accessibility needs. We will explain our decisions clearly, provide reasons for the outcome, and offer an apology where something has gone wrong.
If your complaint needs further consideration, it will be reviewed by a manager or our Issues and Complaints Resolution team, who will investigate the matter in more detail and keep you updated.
See our Complaint management (external) policy for further information.
Please note that we manage complaints about individual staff conduct confidentially and in accordance with privacy considerations. You may not receive detailed information about the complaint outcome (such as information about staff performance management or private information about a person conducting a business or undertaking [PCBU]). We will provide you with as much information as possible in response to your complaint.
We take concerns seriously and our goal is to handle complaints with care, transparency and fairness. We use complaints to learn and improve our processes and service.
If you are unsatisfied with the outcome
Request an internal review
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint or how we handled it, you can request an internal review. To request a review, reply to the outcome email and:
- tell us why you want a review, including the outcome you are seeking
- provide any new information or evidence that supports your complaint.
The internal review will be handled by a person who was not involved in the initial handling of your complaint.
External review
If you are still unsatisfied after an internal review, you may raise your concerns with the NSW Ombudsman. The NSW Ombudsman is independent and can review how we handled your complaint.
We will respond to any inquiries made by the NSW Ombudsman’s Office in accordance with our obligations to them as an oversight body.
Visit the NSW Ombudsman website to make a complaint and learn more about What the NSW Ombudsman does with complaints.
How we respond to disruptive behaviour in complaints
SafeWork NSW is committed to managing complaints in a way that is fair, accessible, transparent, and respectful. We also have a responsibility to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of our staff and to ensure our services are effective for everyone.
We expect complainants to:
- treat staff with courtesy and respect
- provide information that is accurate and relevant
- communicate concerns clearly
- cooperate with reasonable requests for further information or clarification
- allow reasonable time for us to assess and respond to the complaint
- respect the roles, responsibilities and legal scope of SafeWork NSW
- not use abusive, threatening or discriminatory language
- communicate with us using appropriate channels and avoid excessive or repeated contact.
Behaviour we consider disruptive includes:
- being aggressive or verbally abusive towards our staff
- threatening harm or violence
- repeatedly contacting our offices with unnecessary and excessive phone calls and emails
- making inappropriate demands on our time
- refusing to accept our decisions or recommendations even when we have explained our reasons.
Our approach is based on the NSW Ombudsman’s Managing unreasonable conduct by complainants Model policy and focuses on fairness, proportionality and transparency.
Managing behaviour is separate from decisions about your complaint and does not influence complaint outcomes.
Where possible, we address early indicators of disruptive behaviour by explaining our role, processes and timeframes to complainants. Our goal is to set expectations for communication and treat complainants respectfully and professionally.
Action we will take
If your behaviour does not meet our expectations, we may issue a warning, detailing the behaviour we consider disruptive and explaining what is expected. If the behaviour continues, we may put temporary contact restrictions in place to manage how communication occurs. These restrictions may include:
- asking that future communication is made in writing
- limiting how often a complainant may contact us
- nominating a single contact person
- defining the complaint issues that we will respond to.
We make sure that any communication restriction is proportionate and does not prevent access to SafeWork NSW’s services. We explain the restriction in writing and review all restrictions every 6 months.
If complainant behaviour improves, restrictions may be removed or reduced. If you are unhappy with the outcome of our review, you may contact the NSW Ombudsman.
Privacy
For details of the information we collect, how we may use and disclose it, and how we protect it and your rights, please read our Privacy Collection Notice and visit our privacy page.