Safety & Compliance Consulting
Practical WHS advisory and compliance solutions built for how sites actually run.
LevelUp helps Australian employers meet their work health and safety obligations, manage psychosocial and physical hazards, and build safety systems that protect their people and their business. From WHS audits and incident investigations to contractor management frameworks and psychosocial risk management, LevelUp provides expert advisory and hands-on implementation support grounded in the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and its state and territory equivalents. We work across construction, mining, manufacturing, and professional services, industries where safety performance directly determines operational viability.
About Safety & Compliance at LevelUp
Work health and safety is both a legal obligation and a business imperative. The model Work Health and Safety Act 2011, adopted in most Australian states and territories, imposes significant duties on persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) to ensure the health and safety of workers and others so far as is reasonably practicable. Officers of a PCBU, including directors, CEOs, and other decision-makers, have a separate due diligence duty that carries personal criminal liability for significant failures.
The WHS landscape has evolved significantly in recent years. Psychosocial hazards, including excessive workload, poor management practices, workplace conflict, and exposure to traumatic events, are now explicitly regulated under WHS legislation across Australian jurisdictions, with dedicated codes of practice and active regulator enforcement. The Safe Work Australia model Code of Practice on managing psychosocial hazards provides a compliance framework that employers are expected to follow, and regulators are issuing improvement notices and prosecution actions for failures to address psychosocial risk.
LevelUp’s Safety & Compliance advisers bring deep experience across the WHS legislative framework, psychosocial hazard management, safety management systems, and incident investigation methodology. We work alongside employers in high-risk industries where the intersection of employment law, IR, and WHS creates complex compliance obligations, and we advise on all three dimensions simultaneously rather than treating safety as an isolated technical function.
Our safety work is integrated with LevelUp’s broader employment and HR advisory capability. WHS obligations and employment law obligations frequently intersect, particularly in areas such as managing ill and injured workers, responding to psychosocial hazard complaints, and managing the WHS implications of workplace investigations and disciplinary processes.
How LevelUp can help
- Conducting WHS audits and compliance gap assessments that measure your current safety systems against the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and applicable codes of practice
- Developing and implementing safety management systems that are practical, operational, and embedded in the day-to-day rhythms of your business rather than sitting in a document library
- Identifying, assessing, and controlling psychosocial hazards, including work design issues, management practice failures, and interpersonal conflict, consistent with the relevant codes of practice
- Investigating workplace incidents and near misses to identify root causes, not just immediate causes, and implementing controls that prevent recurrence
- Designing contractor management frameworks that meet PCBU obligations for the health and safety of contractors operating on your sites or under your direction
- Advising on WHS legislative obligations, regulatory compliance, and the officer due diligence duty across all Australian jurisdictions
- Developing WHS policies, procedures, and safe work method statements that are practically written and consistently applied
- Providing safety leadership coaching and training to executives, officers, and managers on their personal WHS duties and how to exercise them effectively
Topics covered
- Psychosocial Risks
- Workplace Health & Safety
- Safety Systems
- Incident Investigations
- Contractor Management
- Legislative Compliance
Safety & Compliance topic areas
LevelUp covers every major topic within safety & compliance.
Psychosocial Risks
Identifying and managing psychosocial hazards, including work design, workload, job demands, workplace relationships, and management practices, that create risk to psychological health and safety. Australian WHS legislation now explicitly requires employers to identify, assess, and control psychosocial risks with the same rigour applied to physical hazards. LevelUp conducts psychosocial hazard assessments, develops risk registers and management plans aligned to the relevant codes of practice, and designs interventions that address root causes at the systemic level rather than just supporting affected individuals.
Workplace Health & Safety
Managing physical and psychological WHS risks to meet the primary duty of care under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011. LevelUp works with employers to build WHS management capability that is integrated into operations, not a compliance function running parallel to the business. We advise on hazard identification, risk assessment, control selection, and the governance structures needed to manage WHS as an ongoing operational discipline.
Safety Systems
Designing and implementing safety management systems that are practical, compliant, and embedded in daily operations. LevelUp’s safety management systems are built around the specific hazard profile and operating context of each client, not generic templates, and are designed to be used and maintained by the people responsible for safety, not stored in a folder and retrieved only for audits. We also support safety system maturity assessments and improvement programs for organisations preparing for major project tenders or regulatory review.
Incident Investigations
Conducting thorough workplace incident investigations that identify root causes, not just immediate causes, and implement controls that prevent recurrence. LevelUp’s incident investigation methodology goes beyond the incident timeline to examine the systemic and organisational factors that created the conditions for the incident. Our investigation reports are written to a standard that supports regulatory compliance, workers’ compensation management, and continuous improvement, and are defensible in WHS prosecution proceedings.
Contractor Management
Designing contractor management frameworks that meet PCBU obligations for the health and safety of contractors and subcontractors operating under the principal’s coordination or direction. In construction, mining, and engineering, where multi-contractor worksites are the norm, PCBU obligations extend across complex contractual chains. LevelUp designs prequalification frameworks, induction and supervision protocols, and monitoring and review systems that are proportionate to the risk of the activities being performed.
Legislative Compliance
Advising on compliance with the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, Work Health and Safety Regulations, and industry-specific codes of practice across all Australian jurisdictions. Most jurisdictions have adopted the harmonised model. Western Australia operates under the Work Health and Safety Act 2020 (WA), which includes industrial manslaughter provisions. Victoria remains the only jurisdiction outside the harmonised model and operates under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004. LevelUp advises on the specific obligations applicable to your operations and jurisdiction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about safety & compliance consulting in Australia.
What are psychosocial hazards and how should employers manage them?
Psychosocial hazards are aspects of work design, the work environment, and organisational management that have the potential to cause psychological or physical harm. Common psychosocial hazards include excessive workload, poor management practices, workplace conflict, job insecurity, low job control, and exposure to traumatic events or client aggression. Australian WHS legislation now explicitly requires employers to identify, assess, and control psychosocial risks, with regulators actively issuing improvement notices and prosecuting for significant failures. LevelUp conducts psychosocial hazard assessments and develops risk management frameworks aligned to the relevant Safe Work Australia codes of practice.
What is a PCBU and what are its WHS obligations?
A Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU) is the term used in the model Work Health and Safety Act 2011 to describe an organisation or individual that conducts a business. PCBUs have a primary duty of care to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of their workers and others who may be affected by their work. Officers of a PCBU, including directors, CEOs, and senior managers, have a separate due diligence duty requiring them to take reasonable steps to ensure the PCBU complies with its obligations. Breach of the officer duty can result in personal criminal liability.
When is a WHS audit recommended?
LevelUp recommends a WHS audit when an organisation has not reviewed its safety systems in the past two years; when there has been an increase in incidents, injuries, or near misses; when the business is expanding into new activities or high-risk environments; when a regulator has raised concerns or issued a notice; or when the organisation is preparing for a major project tender that requires evidence of safety system maturity. WHS audits are also valuable following a significant change to operations, workforce structure, or leadership, as these events frequently disrupt established safety culture and practice.
What are the WHS officer due diligence obligations in Australia?
Under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, officers of a PCBU, including company directors, CEOs, and other senior decision-makers, must exercise due diligence to ensure the PCBU complies with its WHS obligations. Due diligence requires officers to acquire and keep up-to-date knowledge of WHS matters, understand the nature of the PCBU’s operations and the associated hazards and risks, ensure the PCBU has appropriate resources and processes for WHS compliance, and receive and act on information about incidents and WHS performance. Industrial manslaughter laws in some jurisdictions extend personal criminal liability to officers for workplace fatalities. LevelUp provides officer WHS education and due diligence frameworks tailored to the PCBU’s risk profile.
What are PCBU obligations when using contractors and labour hire?
In multi-contractor workplaces, each PCBU that manages or controls a workplace has a duty to ensure the workplace is safe and without risks to health as far as is reasonably practicable. Where duties are shared across multiple PCBUs, they must consult, co-operate, and co-ordinate their activities with each other. Principal contractors in construction have additional obligations under the WHS Regulations, including developing and maintaining a WHS management plan. LevelUp designs contractor prequalification and management frameworks that are proportionate to the risk involved and clearly articulate the safety obligations of each party in the contractual chain.
How does WHS intersect with employment law in managing ill and injured workers?
Managing ill and injured workers requires careful navigation of both WHS and employment law obligations. WHS legislation imposes duties to provide rehabilitation and return-to-work support; employment law imposes obligations around unfair dismissal, general protections, and discrimination for employees with a disability or illness. LevelUp advises on both dimensions simultaneously, helping employers fulfil their rehabilitation obligations while managing the employment relationship in a way that is compliant, compassionate, and practically sustainable.
What is the difference between WHS and occupational health and safety (OHS)?
WHS (work health and safety) and OHS (occupational health and safety) refer to the same field of law and practice, but use different terminology. Most Australian states and territories have adopted the model Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and use WHS terminology. Western Australia adopted the Work Health and Safety Act 2020 (WA), which introduced the harmonised model including industrial manslaughter provisions, effective from 2022. Victoria is now the only Australian jurisdiction that remains outside the harmonised model and continues to use OHS terminology under its Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004. The substantive obligation, to protect the health, safety, and welfare of workers and others so far as is reasonably practicable, applies across all jurisdictions regardless of the terminology used.
How should employers respond to a WHS regulator visit or notice?
When a WHS regulator visits your workplace, whether for a routine inspection, in response to an incident, or following a complaint, the manner in which you respond significantly affects the outcome. LevelUp advises employers on how to engage constructively with regulators while protecting the organisation’s legal position, how to respond to improvement notices and prohibition notices within the required timeframes, and how to manage the investigation process following a serious incident. Early engagement of experienced WHS advisers following a serious incident or regulatory notice is strongly recommended.
Related Practice Areas
LevelUp’s expertise in safety & compliance connects closely with these disciplines.
Human Resources
Strategic HR advisory and hands-on execution. Built with you, not handed to you.
Industrial Relations
Expert IR advisory for enterprise bargaining, Modern Awards, and Fair Work compliance.
Employment Law Support
Practical employment law guidance that turns complex obligations into defensible decisions.
Workplace Investigations
Independent, procedurally fair workplace investigations conducted by experienced specialists.
Need safety & compliance support?
LevelUp provides expert safety & compliance consulting across Australia. Let’s talk about your specific situation.