Skip links and keyboard navigation

Workplace conditions, health and safety

The working conditions of many jobs are governed by modern awards and the National Employment Standards, which set out minimum employment standards.

Before accepting a job, you should first check the working conditions, including:

Other conditions you can discuss with your employer include access to training, regular performance reviews, and flexible working arrangements.

Health and safety at work

Work health and safety aims to protect the health, safety and welfare of workers at work, and other people affected by the work (e.g. visitors, the general public). Work health and safety covers topics like:

  • manual or repetitive tasks
  • safety while working with machinery, or working at heights
  • working with hazardous substances
  • occupational stress.

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ) provide information on work health and safety laws and useful safety guides. Find out more by:

Workplace harassment

Workplace harassment or bullying is where a person is subjected to behaviour, other than sexual harassment, that:

  • is repeated, unwelcome and unsolicited
  • the person considers to be offensive, intimidating, humiliating or threatening
  • a reasonable person would consider to be offensive, humiliating, intimidating or threatening.

Workplace harassment does not include reasonable management action carried out in a fair way.

Read more about:

Returning to work

Find out what to do when re-entering the workforce if you haven’t worked for an extended period of time.

Related links

Work health and safety for businesses

If you’re a business owner or manager, check how you can improve workplace health and safety in your business.

Workplace complaints

Before making a complaint you should try to talk to your employer about your concerns. They may have made a mistake, or not know you were worried about something.

If you would like to make a complaint about your employer, the Fair Work Ombudsman may be able to help you. They investigate many different types of complaints, including making sure:

  • you’re being paid enough
  • your working conditions, including leave entitlements are right
  • you’re not being discriminated against.

International students

Get help understanding your rights in an Australian workplace. Read about your entitlements and things to be careful of, including information translated into:

Zero Harm at Work Leadership Program

The Zero Harm at Work Leadership Program aims to build a positive culture of safety in Queensland workplaces to help reduce the number and severity of workplace health and safety incidents in Queensland. The concept of zero harm means no harm to anyone, anytime while at work.

Licence
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY 3.0)
Last updated
26 April 2013

Page feedback

Your privacy

Information collected through this form is used to improve this website.

Any information you submit that could identify you (e.g. name, email address) will be stored securely, and destroyed after we process your feedback.

  1. This page was

  2. We want this information to be the best it can be and we know we can’t do it without you. Let us know what you thought of this page and what other information you would like to see.

    We do not reply to feedback. Contact us if you need a response.

  4. Contact (optional)