WorkSafe ACT is committed to providing a high standard of customer service, while continuing to meet legislative obligations. As part of the ACT Public Service WorkSafe ACT has adopted the service’s values and recognises that to provide a high standard of service we must demonstrate Respect, Integrity, Collaboration, and Innovation.

Purpose:

This policy is intended to ensure that WorkSafe ACT handles regulatory complaints fairly, efficiently and effectively, and aims to:

• ensure a person’s right to complain is promoted and protected
• inform the community of the procedures WorkSafe ACT will use to manage complaints
• ensure information received is handled in an appropriate manner, allowing follow-up action to be undertaken, where necessary, and to improve the focus of WorkSafe ACT’s resources, and
• increase the community’s satisfaction with WorkSafe ACT.

The procedures are to ensure that all notifications and complaints received by WorkSafe ACT are:

• Triaged with Consistency: ensuring uniform handling of all incoming reports and reducing variation in the triaging process.
• Managed Appropriately: providing clear guidelines for addressing each type of report and ensuring that each report is managed according to its specific requirements.
• Handled Efficiently: streamlining processes to resolve ‘Public Complaint’ issues promptly and enhances the overall efficiency of the Compliance and Enforcement Branch and WorkSafe ACT.

Scope

All WorkSafe ACT employees must use the complaint management process in this policy to manage regulatory complaints.

Any person who has contact with WorkSafe ACT, or is impacted by an industry, activity, or business we regulate, has the right to make complaint/provide feedback.

WorkSafe ACT expects employees at all levels to be committed to fair, effective and efficient complaint management.

Workplace concerns or complaints

If you have a concern or complaint about a workplace or have seen something that doesn't look right, then you can submit a report to WorkSafe ACT. When reporting a workplace concern or issue, you can either choose to identify yourself or remain anonymous.

Psychosocial hazards

If you have experienced a psychosocial hazard such as workplace bullying, you can also complete a psychosocial incident form and send it back to us. Please refer to the Psychosocial hazards page for more information.

Guiding Principles

This policy outlines how we will manage the regulatory complaints we receive.

Prioritisation Thresholds

We prioritise complaints based on the level of harm and impact of the alleged conduct. All complaints of alleged wrongdoing will be triaged to determine whether further information is required. Consideration will be given to:

• the nature and seriousness of the allegations raised in the complaint
• the credibility of the information provided, and
• whether the allegations can be reasonably tested or verified without knowing the complainant’s identity (for anonymous complaints).

Complaints will be prioritised proportionately to the risk that may occur from the conduct.

Prioritisation in case selection

While WorkSafe ACT carefully considers all matters that involve a potential breach of the law, we do not undertake a regulatory response to every matter that is brought to our attention.

We will apply a risk-based compliance approach to ensure that our resources are targeted to where the risks of harm are the greatest, thereby strengthening our capacity to take action where workers and/or the community are most at risk.

To ensure we appropriately allocate our resources, we take into consideration a range of factors when selecting matters for a regulatory response; including but not limited to:

• Office of the Work Health and Safety Commissioner - Compliance and Enforcement Policy 2025-2029
• Office of the Work Health and Safety Commissioner - Strategic Plan 2025-2029
• whether the reported conduct poses a serious or imminent risk to the safety of workers or the community
• whether the reported conduct is impacting on vulnerable workers
• whether the reported conduct is industry-wide, involves a new or emerging issue and has a potential significant impact on WHS
• whether a regulatory response is likely to have a strategic educative or deterrent effect, and
• whether education or engagement is not considered to be an appropriate and proportionate response to address the alleged conduct.

Complaints Facilitation

People focus

People making complaints will be:

• listened to, treated with respect and actively involved in the complaint process where possible and appropriate, and
• provided with reasons for our decision/s if deemed appropriate.

Reporting anonymously

WorkSafe ACT accepts anonymous reports or complaints and will look into the issues raised if there is sufficient information provided to WorkSafe ACT to action any issues arising from the report or complaint.

Please be aware that without sufficient information, WorkSafe ACT may not be able to progress a compliance action in response to an anonymous report or complaint.

Contact us

Call us

13 22 81 Monday to Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm, Weekends & Public Holidays 9:00am - 4:30pm.

International callers please use +61 2 6207 5111. International call rates apply.

After hours, call us on 0419120028

If you require a translator or interpreter, you can contact us through the Translating and Interpreter Service (TIS)13 14 50.

If you are deaf, or have a hearing impairment or speech impairment, call 13 36 77 and then ask for 13 22 81 or visit www.relayservice.gov.au to make an internet relay or captioned relay call.

Speak and Listen users’ phone 1300 555 727 and then ask for 13 22 81.

Internet relay users connect to the NRS and then ask for 13 22 81.

Email us

General enquiries
Email: worksafe@worksafe.act.gov.au

Send us a letter

WorkSafe ACT
PO Box 158
CANBERRA ACT 2601