Your legal duties

The Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (OHS Act) sets out the key principles, duties and rights in relation to occupational health and safety.  The duties imposed by the Act cover a wide variety of circumstances, recognizing the need for a duty-holder to have flexibility in determining what needs to be done to comply.

The OHS Act is based upon the following key health and safety principles:

• All people – employees and the general public – should have the highest level of protection against risks to health and safety.
• Those who manage or control things that create health and safety risks in the workplace are responsible for eliminating or reducing the risks, so far as is reasonably practicable.
• Employers should be proactive in promoting health and safety in the workplace.
• Information and ideas about risks and how to control them should be shared between employers and employees.
• Employees are entitled – and should be encouraged – to be represented in relation to health and safety issues.