The Safety Dept.

08/09/2026

A near miss happens. No one is hurt, everyone says, “That was close,” and the job carries on.

But that near miss may be telling you something about the way the work is being managed.

What allowed it to happen? Could it happen again? Was a control weaker than it should have been? And after it was reported, did anything actually change?

In Safety Decoded: Australia, Sarah-Jane explains why near misses are useful early warnings, and why recording them is only part of the job. What matters is what the business learns and does next.

Download the FREE ebook to read the full explanation.
https://safetydept.com.au/safety-risk-ebook/

07/09/2026

New worker. New machine. New client. New site.

Your WHS documents might already exist, but somebody still needs to keep everything behind them moving.

Actions need following up. Registers change. Training records need updating. Incidents and near misses need reviewing. Procedures need checking against what people actually do.

That’s what ongoing WHS management looks like.

At The Safety Dept., we focus on safety management, not simply safety documents.

Is someone keeping yours current?

05/09/2026

Australia is the first country in the world to ban engineered stone benchtops.

One kitchen trend, stopped cold by silicosis.

04/09/2026

Has this happened to you?

Friday afternoon:
“Can you send through your WHS information before the job starts Monday?”

Now you’re checking SWMS, chasing licences, finding plant records and trying to work out what’s current.

It’s much easier when WHS is kept organised between jobs instead of becoming urgent whenever someone asks for it.

The Safety Dept. helps businesses keep the WHS work moving in the background so those requests don’t automatically become a Friday afternoon scramble.

If this sounds familiar, we can help.

03/09/2026

What is SafeWork NSW focusing on this year?

For 2026–27, the regulator has identified four priority WHS areas:

𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤𝐬
𝐇𝐚𝐳𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬
𝐌𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭, 𝐯𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐱𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐲

That doesn’t mean these are the only risks inspectors care about. But if any of these are part of your work, now is a good time to check how they’re actually being managed.

Not just whether you have the right paperwork, whether the controls are still in place, understood by workers and working day to day.

Which of these four would you put at the top of your review list?

01/09/2026

If you’ve been meaning to get a better handle on WHS, save these dates.

SafeWork NSW is running free online WHS seminars this September:

📅 9 September — General WHS
📅 17 September — Construction WHS
📅 29 September — General WHS

They cover everyday safety topics such as risk management, training, plant, emergency planning, working at heights and psychological health.

Attendees may be eligible for the $1,000 Small Business Rebate.

Find the links in the comments below.

29/08/2026

Fluorescent hi-vis does nothing after dark.

It runs on daylight. At night, the reflective tape is doing all the
work alone.

24/08/2026

𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐲 𝐕𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝟏 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔.

The important point for NSW operators: a compliant work diary doesn’t automatically mean someone is fit to get behind the wheel.

The changes put clearer focus on fatigue, health and fitness to safely operate a heavy vehicle.

We explain what changed and what your business should be reviewing.

Click the link in the comments to read the full article.

22/08/2026

Australian safety switches are built to trip at just 30 milliamps.

That's roughly what it takes to be fatal. The switch is tuned to your body, not your tools.

21/08/2026

The auger had been used as part of everyday work.

But on one morning, a 17-year-old worker slipped near the infeed hopper and his foot was pulled into the moving machinery.

𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 $𝟔𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞.

What makes this story important isn’t just what happened that morning. It’s what the investigation and prosecution revealed about the controls that were missing beforehand.

Guarding. Training. Supervision. Safe work procedures.

Individually, they can sound like routine safety matters. In this case, their absence had very real consequences.

Read the full article: https://safetydept.com.au/machine-guarding-nsw-auger-injury/

Machine guarding NSW matters wherever workers can reach moving parts. See what an auger injury shows businesses to review across fixed machinery safely.