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• Achieving compliance under a code
• Approved Codes of Practice in South Australia
• Model Code of Practice
• Compliance breaches

A Code of Practice provides practical guidance for people who have work health and safety duty of care in the circumstances described in the code. These codes do not replace the WHS laws but give guidance on:

• best practice controls for particular types of hazards
• how to achieve the standards required under the Act
• effective ways to identify and manage risks.

A code of practice may include:

• explanatory information
• recommendations for best practice or
• references to occupational safety and health laws.

Achieving compliance under a code

In most cases, following an approved Code of Practice would achieve compliance with the duty holder’s health and safety duties in the Act, in relation to the subject matter of the code.

While duty holders must comply with the underlying occupational safety and health laws, the preventative strategies outlined do not represent the only acceptable means of achieving a certain standard.

We recognise that equivalent or better ways of achieving the required work health and safety outcomes may be possible. For that reason compliance with codes of practice is not mandatory providing:

• you have an alternative policy or solution with the same or a better health and safety standard in your workplace, or
• you can show a recommended control is not ‘reasonably practicable’ for your particular situation.

Codes of Practice deal with particular issues and do not cover all hazards or risks which may arise. The health and safety duties require duty holders to consider all risks associated with work, not only those for which regulations and Codes of Practice exist.

Approved Codes of Practice in South Australia

The Codes of Practice listed below are the approved codes for South Australia. This includes Australian Standards that are approved Codes of Practice in South Australia.

Not all topics relating to work health and safety have an approved Code of Practice. Navigate our website for work health and safety advice on topics not covered below.

If you have a specific question or concern please contact us for advice.

Where an approved Code of Practice references Australian or Australian/New Zealand Standards, the risk controls specified in those standards must also be complied with. All Australian Standards provide examples on how to control particular risks and should be considered when determining a suitable control measure.

All Australian Standards (external site) (external site) (external site) referenced in the state’s WHS legislation, including the approved Codes of Practice below, are available for loan from the SafeWork SA Library (external site).

Model Codes of Practice

• Construction work (external site) (external site) (external site)
• How to manage the risks of respirable crystalline silica from engineered stone in the workplace (external site) (external site) (external site)
• Managing the risk of falls in housing construction (external site) (external site) (external site)
• Safe design of structures (external site) (external site) (external site)
• Model Code of Practice: Managing psychosocial hazards at work | Safe Work Australia (external site) (external site) (external site)
• Model Code of Practice Sexual and Gender Based Harassment

Addendums

Addendum to Demolition Work Code of Practice

Construction projects

In South Australia, a construction project is a project that involves construction work where the cost of the construction work is $450,000 or more.

Page 8 and page 18 of the Demolition Work Code of Practice states that a construction project is a project that involves construction work where the cost of the construction work is $250 000 or more. This is not the case in South Australia. A construction project is a project that involves construction work where the cost of the construction work is $450 000 or more.

High risk construction work

In South Australia, high risk construction work means construction work that involves a risk of a person falling more than 3 metres.

Page 21 and page 36 of the Demolition Work Code of Practice states that high risk construction work means construction work that involves a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres. This is not the case in South Australia. High risk construction work means construction work that involves a risk of a person falling more than 3 metres.

Addendum to Excavation Work Code of Practice

Construction projects

In South Australia, a construction project is a project that involves construction work where the cost of the construction work is $450 000 or more.

Page 7 and page 18 of the Excavation Work Code of Practice states that a construction project is a project that involves construction work where the cost of the construction work is $250 000 or more. This is not the case in South Australia. A construction project is a project that involves construction work where the cost of the construction work is $450 000 or more.

High risk construction work

In South Australia, high risk construction work means construction work that involves a risk of a person falling more than 3 metres.

Page 20, 39 and page 41 of the Excavation Work Code of Practice states that high risk construction work means construction work that involves a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres. This is not the case in South Australia. High risk construction work means construction work that involves a risk of a person falling more than 3 metres.

Addendum to the How to Safely Remove Asbestos Code of Practice

Air monitoring

In South Australia, air monitoring is required for the removal of both friable and non-friable asbestos.

Page 26 of the How to Safely Remove Asbestos Code of Practice states that air monitoring is not required when removing more than 10sq m of non‑friable asbestos. This is not the case in South Australia. Air monitoring is required when removing friable asbestos and designated quantities of non-friable asbestos.

The Code further states on page 27 that air monitoring may be carried out before and during Class B asbestos removal work. In South Australia, air monitoring is a mandatory requirement for both Class A and Class B asbestos removal work.

Also on page 27 the Code states a PCBU that commissions asbestos removal work at a workplace is only required to ensure air monitoring is undertaken for Class A licensed removals and to communicate the air monitoring results (as stated on page 28). In South Australia, PCBUs commissioning asbestos removal work at workplaces must ensure air monitoring is undertaken and the results communicated for both Class A and Class B licensed removals.

In summary, in South Australia:

• air monitoring is required for the removal of both friable and non-friable asbestos
• air monitoring is a mandatory requirement for both Class A and Class B asbestos removal work
• PCBUs commissioning asbestos removal work at workplaces must ensure air monitoring is undertaken and the results communicated for both Class A and Class B licensed removals.

Addendum to Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice

High risk construction work

In South Australia, high risk construction work means construction work that involves a risk of a person falling more than 3 metres.

Page 7, 28 and page 43 of the Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice states that high risk construction work means construction work that involves a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres. This is not the case in South Australia. High risk construction work means construction work that involves a risk of a person falling more than 3 metres.

Compliance breaches

An inspector can refer to a code of practice when issuing an improvement or prohibition notice.

Under the WHS Act, codes of practice are admissible in court proceedings.

Courts may regard a code of practice as evidence of what is known about a hazard, risk or control, and rely on it to determine what is 'reasonably practicable' in the circumstances to which the code relates.

Fair Work Act Codes

The Clothing Outworker Code of Practice (external site) (PDF) (external site) (PDF) has applied in South Australia since 1 March 2008.

This Code of Practice ensures:

• greater protection for clothing outworkers by creating greater transparency in the supply and production of clothing
• a fair system that supports the integrity of employers who act responsibly in the production and sale of clothing.

An outworker is someone engaged to work (e.g. given articles or materials to be made up, cleaned, altered, finished or repaired) at their own home or other location which would not normally be regarded as a place where business or commercial activity is conducted.

Clothing outworkers