SafeWork NSW Enforcement Priorities for 2026
Psychosocial hazards, silica, falls, and plant safety are SafeWork NSW's elevated focus areas. Know what inspectors will look for.
What SafeWork NSW is targeting in 2026
SafeWork NSW was established as a standalone agency from 1 July 2025, reflecting the NSW Government's commitment to strengthening workplace safety enforcement. The agency's enforcement priorities for 2026 focus on four key areas: psychosocial hazards, respirable crystalline silica, falls from height, and plant safety. These are not new areas of concern, but the intensity of enforcement activity has increased significantly.
Psychosocial hazards have become SafeWork NSW's highest-profile priority. The Minister for Industrial Relations now receives six-monthly reports on psychosocial hazard enforcement outcomes. The WHS Regulation 2025 provisions requiring the hierarchy of controls for psychosocial risks (s.55C and s.55D) give inspectors a clear framework for assessing compliance. Businesses that rely solely on policies and training, without demonstrating that they have considered elimination, substitution, isolation, and engineering controls, are vulnerable to enforcement action.
Silica enforcement has intensified following the commencement of the silica worker register on 1 October 2025 and the publication of the new Code of Practice for Managing Risks of Respirable Crystalline Silica in February 2026. Construction and manufacturing businesses that cut, grind, or drill silica-containing materials must maintain the register, provide health monitoring, and implement controls in accordance with the hierarchy. The upcoming WEL reduction for silica from 0.05 to 0.025 mg/m³ on 1 December 2026 will further tighten requirements.
Union prosecution powers under the Industrial Relations and Other Legislation Amendment (Workplace Protections) Bill 2025 have expanded the range of entities that can bring WHS prosecutions. This means businesses may face enforcement action not only from the regulator but also from unions. The practical implication is that WHS compliance evidence must be robust enough to withstand scrutiny from multiple directions.
Affected Industries
| Industry | Impact Level | Key Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | high | Falls, silica, SWMS compliance — highest inspection frequency | View Solution → |
| Steel fabrication | high | Silica from cutting/grinding, plant safety, welding fume | View Solution → |
| Aged care | high | Psychosocial hazards — primary enforcement target | View Solution → |
| General manufacturing | medium | Plant safety, psychosocial hazards, chemical management | View Solution → |
| All industries | medium | Psychosocial hazard enforcement applies to every PCBU | View Solution → |
Preparing for SafeWork NSW inspections in 2026
Audit psychosocial hazard controls
Document that you have applied the hierarchy of controls to psychosocial hazards, not just implemented policies and training.
Open Module →Verify silica compliance
If your workers perform silica risk work, verify that the silica worker register is maintained, health monitoring is current, and controls follow the new Code of Practice.
Open Module →Review fall prevention systems
Ensure all work at height has current risk assessments, SWMS where required, and controls that follow the falls Code of Practice.
Open Module →Conduct internal inspections
Run your own inspections before SafeWork runs theirs. Document findings and corrective actions with evidence of close-out.
Open Module →Regulatory Timeline
Inspection-Ready Compliance
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