If you are responsible for safety, wellbeing or people and culture, a clear work health safety (WHS) policy is one of the most important documents you will ever publish. You might be searching for an example of WHS policy you can trust, or trying to make sense of what to include and how to align it with Australian laws. The good news is that with the right structure, plain language and a practical action plan, you can create a policy that keeps people safe and lifts performance. In this guide we walk you through how to create a WHS policy, show you an example of WHS policy you can adapt, and explain how to bring it to life across your organisation.

What is A WHS Policy?

A WHS policy sets your organisation’s commitment and approach to keeping workers healthy and safe. It outlines responsibilities, risk management, consultation and the way you monitor and improve safety. In Australia, WHS duties are set by the model WHS laws overseen by Safe Work Australia and adopted by states and territories through their regulators. Your policy should reflect these duties in clear, practical terms that your people can understand. Good policies cover both physical and psychological health. That includes safe equipment and environments, and also workload, culture and the way work is designed.

Why it Matters

A well written WHS policy is more than compliance. It sets expectations, builds trust and reduces risk. When people understand how risks are identified and controlled, they are more likely to speak up early and take shared responsibility. Strong safety culture is linked with fewer incidents, better engagement and sustained performance. Australian guidance makes the case clear. Safe Work Australia outlines duties for persons conducting a business or undertaking and officers, including consultation with workers and continuous improvement. Psychological health is a legal duty too, supported by national codes of practice and guidance on managing psychosocial hazards. You can learn more from Safe Work Australia and state regulators. Mental health risks are rising in workplaces across Australia too. Claims and costs are increasing, which is why prevention, early support and leadership capability are essential. For a practical overview of the trend and what to do, see our article Workplace mental health claims set to double by 2030.

Common Barriers

  • Lack of clarity on legal duties and who is responsible for what
  • Policies that are long, technical and hard to apply day to day
  • Poor consultation and low buy in from leaders and teams
  • Limited follow through on risk controls and reviews

How To Create A WHS Policy

Step 1: Clarify Legal Duties And Scope

Define whose health and safety you are responsible for, including employees, contractors and visitors. Confirm officer due diligence and consultation duties. Align with relevant state or territory legislation. Use trusted guidance such as Safe Work Australia law and regulation.

Step 2: Write A Clear Commitment Statement

Open with why safety matters for your organisation and your commitment to prevention, early reporting and continuous improvement. Keep it short and human. Leaders should sign and date it.

Step 3: Define Roles And Responsibilities

Spell out what officers, managers, health and safety representatives, workers and contractors must do. Make it specific and measurable where possible so that people know how to act.

Step 4: Describe Your Risk Management Approach

Explain how you identify hazards, assess risks, implement controls and review effectiveness. Include both physical and psychosocial hazards such as workload, role clarity and remote work. For practical steps on building psychological safety, see Building psychological safety through leadership.

Step 5: Set Consultation And Issue Resolution

Show how you will engage workers, HSRs and committees. Outline how concerns are raised and resolved, and how decisions are communicated back to teams.

Step 6: Outline Training Communication And Reporting

List mandatory inductions, refresher training and leader capability. Explain how incidents and hazards are reported and investigated, and how lessons are shared. Consider right to disconnect policies that support recovery and psychological health. Our overview on this topic is here Right to disconnect and wellbeing.

Step 7: Commit To Wellbeing And Early Support

Connect safety with wellbeing. Include access to mental health support, early intervention and reasonable adjustments. Read how safety and wellbeing intersect in Safe at work.

Step 8: Review Measure And Improve

Set review timelines and metrics. Track lead indicators such as hazard reports, training completion and pulse survey insights. Establish how leaders will review data and act.

Example Of WHS Policy Template

Use this example of WHS policy as a starting point and adapt it to your context. Keep names, roles and processes specific to your organisation. Title: Workplace Health And Safety Policy Purpose: This policy sets out our commitment and approach to providing a healthy and safe workplace for workers, contractors, visitors and others affected by our work. Our Commitment: We are committed to preventing injury and illness, including psychological harm, by eliminating or minimising risks so far as is reasonably practicable. We will consult with our people, provide training and resources, and continuously improve our systems. Scope: This policy applies to all workers, contractors and visitors across all locations and work activities including remote and client sites. Roles And Responsibilities:
  • Officers demonstrate due diligence by ensuring resources, risk processes and verification of controls
  • Managers implement risk controls, consult with teams and act on incidents and hazards
  • Workers take reasonable care of health and safety, follow procedures and report hazards early
  • Contractors comply with our procedures and cooperate with site requirements
  • HSRs and committees represent workers, support consultation and help resolve issues
Risk Management: We identify hazards, assess risks and implement controls using the hierarchy of control. This includes physical risks such as machinery and manual tasks, and psychosocial risks such as high job demands, low role clarity and poor support. We verify controls and review after incidents or changes. Consultation And Communication: We consult with workers and HSRs on matters that affect their health and safety. We use meetings, safety walks and digital channels to share decisions, learnings and performance updates. Training And Competency: We provide inductions, job specific training and refresher learning. Leaders receive training in risk management and psychological safety. Incident And Hazard Reporting: We require prompt reporting of incidents, near misses and hazards. We investigate to find root causes and share actions and outcomes transparently. Wellbeing And Early Support: We support mental and physical health through workload design, flexible work practices, access to support services and early intervention. We promote recovery and return to work plans. Monitoring And Review: We track leading and lagging indicators, audit our systems and review this policy at least annually or after significant changes. The Managing Director endorses and signs this policy. Signed, Name, Title Date

What Employers Can Do?

  • Set the tone at the top: Have officers sign the policy and discuss it with teams
  • Make it visible: Host it on your intranet, onboarding portal and site noticeboards
  • Embed into rhythms: Start meetings with a quick safety share and progress on actions
  • Invest in leader skills: Train leaders to recognise psychosocial risks and respond early. A helpful primer is our article on building psychological safety
  • Empower champions: Create a network of wellbeing and safety ambassadors. Learn how in Wellbeing ambassadors for safety professionals
  • Measure what matters: Track hazards reported, actions closed, training completion and pulse surveys. See our approach to measurement in how to measure your employee wellbeing program

Key Takeaways

  • A WHS policy should be clear, practical and aligned with Australian guidance
  • Include responsibilities, risk management, consultation, training and review
  • Cover both physical and psychological health with early support pathways
  • Use the example of WHS policy above as a base and tailor it to your risks
  • Embed the policy through leadership behaviours, champions and regular measurement
For more on safety and wellbeing in practice, you might also like our articles on creating safer workplaces and an Australian safety case study. You can also explore national guidance at Safe Work Australia.

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