Code of Practice — Prevention of Falls at Workplaces

The full title is the Code of Practice: Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces, published by Safe Work Australia and adopted across all harmonised jurisdictions. The code becomes legally binding from 1 July 2026 under Section 26A of the WHS Act. It applies to all work at any height where there is a risk of a fall that could cause injury, not just work above a specified height threshold. The code establishes a fall prevention hierarchy that must be applied in sequence: eliminate the risk of a fall by doing the work at ground level or on a solid construction, use a passive fall prevention device such as a guardrail or edge protection, use a work positioning system such as an industrial rope access system or travel restraint, use a fall arrest system such as a harness and lanyard connected to an anchor point. The code requires PCBUs to provide administrative controls and personal protective equipment as supplementary measures only — they cannot be used as primary fall prevention. Emergency and rescue procedures must be established before any work involving fall arrest systems commences.

The code applies to every PCBU whose workers perform tasks at any height where a fall could cause injury. This encompasses construction companies performing work on roofs, scaffolds, ladders, and elevated platforms. It includes maintenance contractors accessing building exteriors, plant rooms, roof-mounted equipment, and elevated infrastructure. Warehouse and logistics operators whose workers access racking systems, mezzanine levels, and loading docks are covered. Manufacturing businesses with elevated work platforms, multi-level production areas, and overhead crane walkways must comply. Property managers responsible for buildings where maintenance workers access heights are captured as upstream PCBUs. The code also applies to workers who access vehicles, trucks, and mobile plant where the platform height creates a fall risk, and to arborists and utility workers who access elevated positions in the course of their duties. The breadth of application means that virtually every industry has fall-related obligations under this code.

The code requires PCBUs to implement a systematic process for managing fall risks. A fall hazard identification must be conducted for every workplace and every task where workers could fall. This includes routine tasks, non-routine maintenance activities, emergency access situations, and transitional activities such as accessing and egressing work platforms. For each identified fall hazard, a risk assessment must be documented that considers the height of the potential fall, the surface below, the duration and frequency of the task, environmental conditions, and the worker's competency and physical condition. Controls must be selected from the fall prevention hierarchy in descending order of effectiveness. Edge protection systems must comply with AS 1657 for permanent installations and the WHS Regulation for temporary installations on construction sites. Fall arrest systems must comply with AS/NZS 1891 and be used only where passive prevention and positioning systems are not reasonably practicable. Anchor points must be rated and installed in accordance with AS/NZS 1891.4. Emergency rescue plans must ensure that a suspended worker can be retrieved within the timeframe necessary to prevent suspension trauma.

First, conduct a comprehensive fall hazard audit of every workplace, identifying all locations and tasks where workers access heights, including non-obvious situations such as accessing truck trays, stepping between levels on uneven ground, and working near open edges on mezzanines. Second, review all current fall prevention controls against the code's hierarchy and identify any locations where administrative controls or PPE are being used as primary prevention when passive or active systems are reasonably practicable. Third, develop a fall prevention plan for each workplace that documents the identified hazards, the selected controls, the inspection and maintenance schedule for fall prevention equipment, and the emergency rescue procedures. Fourth, ensure all workers who use fall prevention equipment have received training in the correct selection, fitting, inspection, and use of that equipment, including rescue procedures. Training must be documented and refreshed at defined intervals. Fifth, integrate fall prevention requirements into procurement and contractor management processes so that subcontractors, labour hire workers, and visiting maintenance personnel are required to comply with the code as a condition of engagement.

Falls from height attract the most severe WHS enforcement responses because the consequences are frequently fatal or life-altering. After 1 July 2026, failure to follow the code when managing fall risks will be a standalone offence. Category 2 penalties apply where a worker is exposed to a risk of death or serious injury from an uncontrolled fall hazard — maximums of $1,731,500 for a body corporate and $346,300 for an individual. Where non-compliance is reckless, Category 1 penalties apply with maximums of $18,513,000 for a body corporate, $3,085,500 for an individual, and five years' imprisonment. Prohibition notices are routinely issued for unprotected work at heights, immediately stopping the affected work and creating project delays and associated costs. Recent prosecutions demonstrate the enforcement posture: TJN Australia was fined $200,000 for inadequate fall protection on a construction project, and Keks Projects received $180,000 for similar failures. These penalties were imposed under the pre-Section 26A framework — the binding code will provide regulators with additional prosecution tools.