Section 3 — Health and Safety at Work Act 2015: Purpose

3 Purpose (1) The main purpose of this Act is to provide for a balanced framework to secure the health and safety of workers and workplaces by— (a) protecting workers and other persons against harm to their health, safety, and welfare by eliminating or minimising risks arising from work or from prescribed high-risk plant; and (b) providing for fair and effective workplace representation, consultation, co-operation, and resolution of issues in relation to work health and safety; and (c) encouraging unions and employer organisations to take a constructive role in promoting improvements in work health and safety practices, and assisting PCBUs and workers to achieve a healthier and safer working environment; and (d) promoting the provision of advice, information, education, and training in relation to work health and safety; and (e) securing compliance with this Act through effective and appropriate compliance and enforcement measures; and (f) ensuring appropriate scrutiny and review of actions taken by persons performing functions or exercising powers under this Act; and (g) providing a framework for continuous improvement and progressively higher standards of work health and safety. (2) In furthering subsection (1)(a), regard must be had to the principle that workers and other persons should be given the highest level of protection against harm to their health, safety, and welfare from hazards and risks arising from work or from specified types of plant as is reasonably practicable. Compare: Model Work Health and Safety Act (Aust) s 3