WHS Essentials: Know your obligations

Ticket sales will end on 19 August 2025 to allow time for course materials to be mailed.

Time/Duration: Tuesday 2 and Wednesday 3 September - 9am-12:30pm AEST each day

Key learning outcomes

• Gain a clear understanding of the WHS framework and how it shapes your business’s legal obligations.

• Gain clarity on legal duties and responsibilities of PCBUs, officers and workers in relation to WHS.

• Learn the importance of building safety awareness and understanding throughout the business, and how to achieve this.

• Enhance knowledge and skills relevant to risk management including hazard identification, risk assessment and the selection of control measures.

• Learn how to identify psychosocial hazards in the workplace.

• Understand the importance of reporting incidents and hazards, conducting investigations, and maintaining an effective incident response system.

• Gain insight into the possible consequences for non-compliance with obligations established by WHS legislation.

Course Overview

Workplace safety isn’t just a legal obligation, it’s a human one.

In 2023, Safe Work Australia reported more than 130,000 serious injury claims had been made by Australian workers. Mental health conditions accounted for a growing share of these incidents, and many were preventable.

This practical training is built for health and safety officers, HR professionals and business owners who want to meet their WHS duties and protect their people. You’ll walk away with the legal clarity and real-world tools needed to build a safer, more accountable workplace.

Running over two half-days the course will cover:

• WHS legal foundations - Understand the core framework, including the WHS Act, regulations and codes of practice.

• Roles and responsibilities - Learn the specific legal duties of PCBUs, officers and workers, including consultation and coordination requirements.

• Risk management essentials - Gain clarity on identifying and managing physical and psychosocial hazards, plus a refresher on high-risk work obligations.

• Incident response - Know what to do when an incident occurs, including internal and external reporting requirements.

• Penalties and enforcement - Understand the serious consequences of non-compliance, including industrial manslaughter.

Register now and gain the skills required to minimise your liability when it comes to WHS.

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Schedule each day

8.45am - Virtual waiting room opens
9:00 am - Training commences
12:30 pm - Training concludes

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Please note this course is not available for law firm employees, IR consultants or consultants deemed competitors and ABLA has the right to cancel any ticket purchased.


About the trainer

Alana Rafter
Senior Associate 
Australian Business Lawyers & Advisors (ABLA)

Alana specialises in helping employers and businesses navigate compliance with the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) and work health and safety legislation.
 
Alana’s employment and industrial law expertise includes:

• advising on employment and workplace matters;

• advising on compliance with work health and safety duties;

• responding to unfair dismissal, general protections and discrimination claims;

• preparing and reviewing contracts and policies;

• workplace investigations;

• assisting employers to navigate workers compensation law; and

• modern award interpretation and compliance.

She is an experienced advocate and regularly appears in industrial tribunals and courts around Australia. Currently, she continues to appear on behalf of the employer interests in the Work Value – Aged Care Industry Case before the Full Bench of the Fair Work Commission.

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FAQs

What is included in the price?

Course training booklet will be sent via post. Please provide the address when booking, and please provide your home address if working from home and would like it sent there. No soft copies of the materials will be provided.

Who can attend?

This course is open to all organisations excluding other legal service providers and consultants deemed competitors.

Suited for: Health and Safety Officers, HR professionals, small Business Owners, Directors, and anyone responsible for managing the safety of employees.

How can I contact the organiser with any questions?

Contact Catriona Johnston on 0482 162 218 or email catriona.johnston@ablawyers.com.au

What's the refund policy?

Participants will receive a full refund if they cancel at least seven (7) business days prior to the scheduled event. However, if participants cancel less than seven (7) business days before the event, no refund will be made. The place can be transfered to another member of the paid organisation. No-shows or cancellations after 7 days will receive the course training material and supporting documents. If there are insufficient participants, we reserve the right to cancel the event and participants will be transferred to another module of equal value or receive a full refund at their election. We will give three business days’ notice of any such cancellation.

Privacy policy

To understand how we protect your privacy, please refer to our Privacy Policy.

This session is conducted subject to everyone agreeing to the Chatham House Rules which means that participants can use the information in practice in their business but should not identify any organisation, individual or information that can be used to identify any organisation, individual or information that can be used to identify them.