Work Health Safety Definitions

 The legal term for a business or person running a business. If you own or manage a company — whether you're a sole trader, partnership, or director — you're likely a PCBU and responsible for making sure work is carried out safely. 

 What business owners, managers, and company officers must do to stay on top of health and safety. It means understanding the risks in your business, having the right systems in place, and making sure they’re being followed. 

 A key WHS phrase that means doing what you can to keep people safe, based on what’s possible and affordable — weighing up the likelihood of harm, the seriousness of it, and how much effort it would take to reduce the risk. 

 Anything that could cause harm — like unguarded machinery, working at heights, exposure to chemicals, or even fatigue and stress. 

 The chance that someone could be harmed by a hazard — and how bad the outcome could be. It’s about how likely something is to go wrong and how serious it would be if it did. 

 Any unplanned event that causes (or could have caused) harm, injury, illness, or damage. That includes actual accidents and near misses. 

 A document that outlines how to safely carry out high-risk construction work. It lists the steps of the job, what the hazards are, and how to control the risks — and it’s legally required for certain types of work. 

 Gear worn to reduce risk — like gloves, hard hats, hearing protection, boots, or respirators. It’s the last line of defence if hazards can’t be eliminated or controlled another way. 

 A serious workplace incident that you must report to your state safety regulator. This includes things like death, serious injury, electric shocks, dangerous collapses, or incidents with high risk of harm. 

 In WHS, this means talking with your workers about safety decisions that affect them. It could be in toolbox talks, meetings, or just honest conversations — but it’s a legal requirement, not just a courtesy. 

 A system used to figure out the best way to deal with a hazard. It starts with the most effective (like eliminating the risk entirely) and works down to the least (like relying on PPE). The higher up the list, the better the control. 

 A Principal Contractor is the person or business appointed to manage the overall health and safety on a construction project valued at $250,000 or more. They are legally responsible for ensuring safety systems are in place, coordinating subcontractors, managing site risks, and making sure everyone follows WHS requirements.