Work health and safety consultation, cooperation and coordination Code of Practice 2021 changes

Following the 2018 review of the model work health and safety (WHS) laws, Safe Work Australia (SWA) has been working with SWA members to implement the recommendations.

Recommendations 6, 7a and 11 required changes to the Model Code of Practice: Work Health and Safety Consultation Cooperation and Coordination. SWA published the revised code of practice in March 2022 after consulting with SWA members.

Queensland has now updated the Work health and safety consultation, cooperation and coordination Code of Practice 2021 (PDF, 0.47 MB) to reflect the model code of practice. The changes are not substantive policy changes. Changes include adding examples and clarifications to assist industry.

A table of key changes is below:

Section	Change
1.1 Who has duties in relation to work health and safety consultation, cooperation and coordination?	Example added for a: marketing company construction company.
2.3 Making changes affecting work health and safety	Example added for a: small café community soccer club.
3.5 To what extent should you consult	Example added for a: large IT company small agricultural business.
4. How to consult with workers	Clarification added that a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) may establish a Health and Safety committee on their own initiative.
4.1 What kind of consultation is best for your workplace?	Clarification that consultation arrangements take into account the complexity, frequency and urgency of issues that require consultation.
4.1 What kind of consultation is best for your workplace?	Example added of: how to support ongoing, effective consultation with workers what may be required to achieve effective consultation how to effectively consult with fly-in fly-out, drive-in drive-out or other remote working arrangements.
4.1 What kind of consultation is best for your workplace?	Example added for a farm employing seasonal workers.
4.3 Consulting using health and safety representatives and committees	Example added for a medium-sized steel fabrication business.
Appendix B - Examples of consultation arrangements	Example added of consultation in a workplace with health and safety representatives—small business.

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