Officers' due diligence duties under the WHS Act

Who should attend

Agency employees who have, or are expected to take on, duties as officers under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011.

Outline and objective

The Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (WHS Act) imposes specific duties on ‘officers’. Officers have a duty to exercise due diligence to ensure their agency complies with its duties under the WHS Act. An officer can be prosecuted for failing to exercise due diligence.

This 1 hour session briefs officers on what they need to do to meet their duties. Participants will leave with an understanding of roles and responsibilities under the WHS Act, how to manage WHS risks, and the practical steps officers need to take to exercise due diligence.  

Presenter

Catherine Mann is a Senior Executive Lawyer specialising in public sector employment and workplace relations law. She represents and advises Commonwealth agencies on the full range of employment and workplace relations issues, including complex and contentious matters relating to discrimination, dismissals, SES employment issues, public interest disclosures and enterprise agreements. Her experience also includes administrative law litigation in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, Federal Court, Federal Circuit Court and workers’ compensation. She was solicitor on the record for the Minister for Workplace Relations in the Board of Bendigo TAFE v Barclay High Court appeal, and for the Commonwealth in the Ashby v Slipper litigation. She also worked on the fleet-grounding Qantas dispute.