What the new SafeWork NSW key priority areas for 2026-2027 mean for your business.

On 1 July, SafeWork NSW released its four key priority areas for the new 2026–2027 Regulatory Statement. This year’s focus areas are falls from heights, psychosocial risks, hazardous substances, and mobile plant, vehicles and fixed machinery.

SafeWork NSW has addressed these priorities swiftly. Since the release, six of the seven workplace fines publicised by SafeWork NSW have fallen within one of the new focus areas.

In total, fines reaching $110,000 have been issued for falls from heights, $420,000 for hazardous substance exposure, and $60,000 for heavy machinery-related injuries.

SafeWork Commissioner Janet Schorer urged businesses “in those key priority areas to think really seriously about their work health and safety in terms of what is working well and what needs to be improved.”

While no fines for psychosocial non-compliance have been released by SafeWork NSW in July, the safety body’s commitment to this increasingly scrutinised aspect of workplace health and safety is reflected in a $127.7 million funding boost from the NSW Government, aimed at better addressing workplace mental health risks.

How can your business prepare for the new WHS priorities?

Proper planning, controls and training are the bread and butter of strong workplace health and safety (WHS) practices. Here’s what this means for SafeWork’s key priority areas.

Working at heights

Falls from height remain the leading cause of fatalities in the construction industry. These incidents often occur from workers falling from scaffolding, ladders, roofs, and platforms. Under the WHS Act 2011, employers (PCBUs) must ensure adequate fall prevention measures are in place for any work conducted higher than two metres in the air.

How to address this hazard:

• Develop and implement Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS) for all high-risk work.
• Use fall prevention systems such as guardrails, harnesses, and fall arrest systems.
• Conduct regular inspections of scaffolds and elevated platforms.
• Provide workers with comprehensive training on working at heights and equipment use.
• Keep detailed documentation, including signed SWMS, training records, and toolbox talks.

Vehicle and machinery

Incidents involving machinery, such as forklifts, cranes, and earth-moving equipment, are a primary cause of workplace fatalities. These machines can cause workers to get struck, caught, or crushed, so ensuring compliance is essential. Australian WHS regulations require PCBUs to conduct risk assessments and provide proper training to address these dangers.

How to address this hazard:

• Develop and enforce a traffic management plan to separate vehicles and workers.
• Ensure machinery operators are properly trained and licensed.
• Conduct regular inspections and maintenance of equipment.
• Use spotters to improve safety in high-risk areas.
• Provide workers with PPE, including high-visibility clothing and helmets.

Psychosocial risks

To create a psychologically healthy and safe workplace, adopt a risk-based approach: identify potential harms, consult with workers, implement control measures, monitor safety, and regularly review work design.

How to address this hazard:

• Identify psychosocial risks: begin by identifying potential psychosocial hazards in the workplace.
• Assess the risks: understand the nature and severity of each identified risk.
• Consult with workers: engage with employees to gain their insights and feedback on the identified risks and proposed control measures.
• Implement control measures: develop and implement measures to control these risks.
• Monitor and review: continuously monitor the effectiveness of these control measures and review them regularly to ensure they remain effective.

Proactively identifying and managing psychological risks helps address issues before they escalate. Engaging with workers ensures measures are practical and effective, allowing businesses to avoid recognising risks only after harm occurs. Tackling these risks can save money, boost employee wellbeing, and enhance organisational performance and productivity.

Hazardous chemicals

Many businesses – about one in three – store hazardous chemicals on-site: restaurants, cleaning businesses, construction, gardening, hardware stores, fuel stations, and painters, to name a few.

How to address this hazard:

• Create a risk register or inventory;
• Have Safety Data Sheets available for every hazardous substance; and
• Assess and manage the risks associated with a chemical substance, including its storage and use.

Businesses can manage the risk of injury and ill-health through exposure or immediate harm – such as through explosions or fire – via the hierarchy of controls.

How Citation Group can help

Navigating these four priority areas at once is a lot to manage on top of running a business. Citation Safety gives businesses the tools, advice and support to build genuine, demonstrable safety practices – not just paperwork that looks good until an inspector arrives.

From WHS audits and gap assessments through to our digital WHS Software platform and around-the-clock Safety Advice Line, we help businesses identify where they stand against SafeWork NSW’s priorities before a regulator does it for them.

If your business operates in a high-risk sector, or you’re simply not sure where the gaps are, get in touch with our team for a confidential conversation about what needs to happen next.