SafeWork NSW Regulatory Priorities 2023
Our Regulatory Priorities focus our actions to deliver on three strategic outcomes for workers, businesses and regulation.
Introduction
SafeWork NSW is part of the Better Regulation Division (BRD) within the Department of Customer Service. BRD brings together a range of regulators in NSW.
BRD’s vision is to be Australia’s most trusted and customer-centric regulators.
Its purpose is to make NSW safer, fairer and more productive for consumers, workers and businesses.
This document sets out the regulatory priorities for SafeWork NSW in 2023. Another set of regulatory priorities has been developed for NSW Fair Trading. Both have been informed by stakeholder feedback and data analysis.
The SafeWork NSW and the NSW Fair Trading regulatory priorities will be targeted as joint initiatives where appropriate.
Where we will focus for 2023
We have identified regulatory priorities across risk types and sectors. For each priority, we will focus our actions to deliver on three strategic outcomes for workers, businesses and regulation. As we work to deliver these outcomes, we will focus on priority/vulnerable groups of workers:
- younger workers
- workers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (especially newly arrived workers)
- Aboriginal people.
Our strategic outcomes
- Workers understand their rights and responsibilities.
- Employers ensure that work is healthy and safe, with no advantage for cutting corners.
- Regulation is efficient and fair.
How did we choose these priorities?
We chose the regulatory priorities based on the following factors:
- potential for serious harm or death
- new or emerging issues
- increases in frequency of an issue.
How will we measure progress?
Reaching the strategic outcomes will take more than a year. Over time, we will measure our progress using high-level indicators, including:
- employer understanding of their work health and safety rights and responsibilities
- worker understanding of their rights and responsibilities
- satisfaction and trust in SafeWork NSW as a regulator
- reduced serious incidents and deaths at NSW workplaces
- reduced employer non-compliance in targeted areas.
SafeWork NSW will establish baseline and measurements to monitor performance over time.
Our priorities for 2023 are:
Gig economy
Increase safety and work health and safety compliance in the gig economy sector, particularly food delivery riders and health care.
Safety around moving plant
Reduce workplace safety incident related to moving plant, particularly forklifts.
Seasonal workplaces
Increase work health and safety compliance to support itinerant workers, particularly in the agricultural sector and those working with amusement devices.
Psychological safety
Reduce the prevalence of psychological injury at workplaces, with a focus on mental health and wellbeing.
Respect at work
Reduce the incidence of bullying, sexual harassment, and customer aggression in the workplace, particularly in male dominated sectors and healthcare.
Exposure to harmful substances
Reduce the incidence of worker exposure to dangerous substances in the workplace, particularly silica and dangerous chemicals.
Falls
Reduce the incidence of falls from heights with a particular focus on construction.