Impacts of Work Health and Safety Harmonisation on Very Large Businesses

Abstract

The principal aims of the harmonised work health and safety (WHS) legislation were to reduce the regulatory burden for businesses and undertakings operating in more than one jurisdiction and to achieve significant and continual reductions in work-related deaths, injuries and disease. Through interviews with chief WHS officers in 37 companies, this article examines the impact of the harmonised WHS legislation on very large companies with interstate operations. Overall the harmonised WHS legislation received a positive assessment from the substantial majority of respondents both in terms of how it impacted on compliance and regulatory burdens and in its capacity to achieve significant reductions in work-related death, injury and disease.

Keywords: Work Health and Safety, Regulation, Harmonisation, Compliance, Regulatory Burden

JEL Classification: I18