Priority harm campaigns
A deep dive into ReturnToWorkSA claims and SafeWork SA notice data has provided invaluable insights to allow us to target operators with a history of non-compliance.
This has led to the development of a series of industry specific compliance campaigns targeting the priority industries of Agriculture, Construction, Manufacturing, Transport, Forestry and Healthcare.
From 1 July 2025, the 12-month campaigns include site visits and compliance audits to detect and deter unsafe workplace behaviour.
Noise induced hearing loss
Conducted over a nine-month period from February to November 2024, the campaign was triggered following ReturnToWorkSA data that showed noise induced hearing loss claims and pending claims had risen from 768 in 2018 to 1435 in the first nine months of 2023 – an increase of 90 per cent.
Construction, manufacturing and transport are the most significantly impacted industries.
The campaign involved conducting compliance audits with a focus on hazardous noise risk management, health monitoring systems and employee training on the risks and correct use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
SafeWork SA inspectors visited 80 businesses in the construction, manufacturing, transport, mining, dry cleaning, and lift servicing industries in metropolitan Adelaide and regional South Australia.
During the audits, SafeWork SA inspectors assessed how noise was being managed to prevent hearing loss among workers, in accordance with the work health and safety regulations.
A total of 32 statutory notices were issued where non-compliance was identified during the audits. Failure to conduct audiometric testing (14) and failure to manage the risk of noise exposure (11) were the main reasons for the issuing of the notices.
Recreational snorkelling and diving campaign
The campaign was initiated in response to Coroner Naomi Mary Kereru’s recommendations following the inquest into the 2017 death of Ardebby Oh Chua during a snorkelling tour. The inquest identified deficiencies in emergency preparedness and resuscitation procedures on tour vessels. The Coroner recommended that SafeWork SA (SWSA) audit tour operators in South Australia and provide findings to the Coroner’s Court.
The campaign ran from November 2024 to June 2025 and a total of 16 audits were conducted. Five audits were conducted in regional parts of South Australia and 11 in the Greater Adelaide area.
Twelve of the 16 operators audited were found to be non-compliant and were issued statutory notices. A total of 57 statutory notices were issued, requiring safety improvements to be made and then verified by SafeWork SA. Four expiation caution notices were also issued.
The most common non-compliance issues resulting in statutory notices during the audits were a lack of systems around instruction, training and supervision and inadequate first aid kits and training.
The campaign successfully addressed the Coroner’s recommendations and improved compliance awareness and emergency preparedness among snorkelling and diving tour operators in South Australia.
Aged care proactive compliance campaign
Manual handling of people continues to be a significant issue in the aged care industry.
From 2019 to 2023, ReturnToWork SA received an average of 733 claims per year within residential care services, in particular aged care residential services.
This prompted SafeWork SA to launch a campaign working with facilities so they can deliver long-term improvements to the way equipment is used to handle people.
The campaign ran from 1 March 2024 to 30 June 2025. During this time, 55 compliance audits were completed at 39 aged care sites in metropolitan Adelaide and 16 sites in regional areas.
It was divided into two key components: desktop audits and onsite inspections.
The desktop audits focused on 32 compliance areas required under the Regulations, resulting in 288 compliance items. A total of 17 statutory notices were issued during the campaign.
Alcohol distillers proactive compliance campaign
The Alcohol Distillers proactive campaign commenced on the week of 06 May 2024 and was completed in June 2025.
Distilleries produce and store highly flammable liquids, including ethanol, and create risks associated with explosive atmospheres, confined spaces, pressure vessels, electrical safety, chemicals, cylinder storage and pallet racking.
In 2021, an explosion at a Tasmanian distillery caused critical injuries to a worker and $2 million damage to the facility.
A dramatic rise in locally produced spirits has seen the number of distilleries in South Australia grow tenfold in the past decade.
A total of 51 compliance audits were undertaken at distilleries in metropolitan Adelaide in regional parts of South Australia. During these audits, a total of 108 statutory notices and one cautionary expiation notice were issued. The statutory notices included 104 improvement notices and four prohibition notices. The prohibition notices were all issued in relation to workers operating machinery without the appropriate high-risk work licence.
The Alcohol Distillers Proactive Campaign was successful and highlighted the need for engagement with stakeholders in the distilling industry. The statutory notices issued highlighted the need to engage with this emerging industry to assist with compliance and education around work health and safety and dangerous substances.
Dangerous goods transport compliance campaign
The transport of dangerous goods is a critical operation that supports many industries across South Australia from agriculture and mining to manufacturing and logistics.
In 2024, SafeWork SA received about 10 enquiries and complaints per week from workers within the dangerous goods transport industry.
This prompted the development of SafeWork SA’s first dangerous goods transport compliance campaign involving on-site inspections at transport company depots.
From April to June 2025, nine sites were visited and desktop audits conducted across 32 compliance areas. Of the 288 compliance items assessed in the desktop audits, 212 were compliant. Nine were non-compliant and a further nine required improvement.
All sites visited were compliant for licence documentation and vehicle safety and equipment. However, the site inspections resulted in three Section 33 Notices being issued under the Dangerous Substances Act 1979 while three improvement opportunities were identified.
The campaign report recommended SafeWork SA should run a broader campaign targeting a larger number of transport companies and unannounced inspections, continue roadside interventions and strengthen engagement with industry stakeholders.
Heat stress in retail proactive compliance campaign
Every summer in South Australia there is an uptick of complaints in the retail sector concerning workers exposed to working hot conditions.
The objective of the Heat Stress in Retail Proactive Compliance Campaign to ensure compliance and educate businesses in the retail sector on the implementation of safe systems of work to minimise the risk posed by dehydration, ultraviolet radiation and heat related fatigue during the hot weather months.
Examples of retail businesses potentially exposed to heat stress include workers at markets, garden centres, drive-through bottle shops, food vendors at events and other outdoor retailers.
An audit tool was developed, and 72 audits were conducted across 111 worksite visits.
A total of 18 WHS improvement notices and one cautionary expiation notice was issued, with the most common reasons for notices being inadequate heat-related control measures, inadequate control measures for staff working alone and a lack of trained first aiders and first aid kits.
The majority of workplaces were complaint for their control measures to manage heat stress in the retail industry.
High risk work licences – forklifts and emergency preparedness
This campaign highlights the importance of workers being properly licensed, which leads to minimising serious incidents in the workplace through the competent use of forklifts.
SafeWork SA’s Wholesale, Transport and Retail (WTR) team conducted audits from October 2024 in workplaces with forklift operations.
The audits also monitored compliance with Regulation 43 of the Work Health and Safety Regulations 2012, which requires a workplace emergency plan to be prepared, maintained, and implemented.
As at 30 June 2025, 1156 audits and licence checks had been completed, resulting in 170 statutory notices.
These consisted of 166 WHS improvement notices and 4 WHS prohibition notices. Six expiation cautions were also issued.
The most common reasons for issuing a notice were: no emergency plan, no register of high-risk work licences and no pre-operational checks on forklifts.
Proactive construction campaign – regional
From 1 February 2024 to 30 November 2024, inspectors from SafeWork SA’s Construction and Regional teams visited eight regional areas and performed a total of 39 compliance in the construction industry.
The audits related to the residential (30), commercial (7), civil (1) and utilities (1) sectors of the construction industry.
A total of 134 statutory notices were issued, consisting of 42 WHS prohibition notices, 69 WHS improvement, 2 expiation notices and 21 cautionary expiation notices.
The most common reasons for issuing a notice were: failure to manage risk of falls, electrical inspection and testing, and inadequate or out of date first aid kits and training.
The campaign provided additional knowledge, practical experience and audit tools to the regional team inspectors to manage construction activities in their respective regional areas of operation.
Proactive construction compliance campaign 2024
Run in parallel to the regional campaign from 1 February 2024 to 30 November 2024 across the greater Adelaide area, inspectors from the Construction and Utilities team performed a total of 213 compliance audits and issued 885 statutory notices.
The audits were conducted across the residential (134), commercial (68) and civil (11) sectors of the construction industry.
In total, 543 improvement notices, 235 prohibition notices, 102 cautionary expiations and 5 expiation notices were issued.
The most common reasons for issuing a notice were: failure to manage risk of falls, lack of or inadequate facilities and lack of principal contractor signage.
The Construction and Utilities Team significantly exceeded the targeted number of audits for the campaign, which was initially set at 100.
Asbestos removalist and assessor proactive compliance campaign
The campaign set out to achieve 100 audits between February and November 2024, a target which was eclipsed.
Inspectors performed a total of 101 compliance audits – 55 licensed asbestos removalists and 46 licensed asbestos assessors.
In all, 68 statutory notices were issued consisting of 43 improvement notices, 14 prohibition notices and 11 cautionary expiation notices.
Compliance action during the campaign also included:
- 3 letters of warning and reminder of legal obligations
- 2 show cause letters issued to licenced asbestos removalists
- 1 immediate suspension of a licenced asbestos removalists.
The most common reasons for issuing a notice during the campaign were:
Lack of or de-inadequate contamination facilities, lack of or inadequate health monitoring, workers not being clean shaven for respiratory mask fit and inadequate or out of date electrical inspection and testing.
Accredited assessor tool regional compliance campaign
The National Assessment Instrument (NAI) is a key component of the Work Health and Safety (WHS) Regulations in Australia.
It is used to assess the competency of individuals in performing high-risk work safely and to the expected standard in the workplace.
From January to November 2024, 21 in-person audits of accredited assessors were completed in regional parts of South Australia.
A further 15 WHS and NAI infrastructure audits were also conducted of seven Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) in regional areas.
The proactive compliance campaign resulted in:
- 1 proposal to suspend an assessor accreditation class, resulting in voluntary surrender of the class from accreditation
- 21 Prohibition notices
- 1 to an accredited assessor
- 20 to RTOs
- 81 Improvement notices
- 23 to accredited assessors;
- 68 to RTOs
- 10 expiation (caution) notices
- 8 to RTOs
- 1 to an accredited assessor
- 1 to a HRW licence holder
Inspectors issued on average at least one improvement notice per Accredited Assessor face-to-face conducted.
Compliance action from the WHS & NAI Infrastructure audits conducted identified one RTO as stand out poor performer.
2024 Royal Adelaide Show
The 2024 Royal Adelaide Show was held between 31 August and 8 September and attracted almost 400,000 visitors, which was a noticeable increase after several years impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
SafeWork SA’s primary focus at the event is the audit of amusement devices. This began in June when logbook documentation was requested from 49 amusement device owners intending to operate at the Show.
On-site visual audits of 50 amusement devices were conducted between 26 and 30 August. No notices were issued during this time, as all Amusement Device owners rectified any issues identified in a timely manner.
SafeWork SA Inspectors also had a presence during the event, undertaking morning and afternoon 'patrols' at the showgrounds. The inspectors addressed compliance matters identified and issued one WHS Improvement Notice.
Inspectors attended daily emergency services meetings facilitated as part of the Show’s proactive due diligence to maintain a presence, communication and cooperation between all parties and agencies.
Throughout the proactive campaign bump-in week and the event, our Inspectors attended 175 worksite visits.