Introduction to OHSE Law

• • Finding legislation and reading case law
  • The Australian legal system
  • Maintaining currency with OHSE law
  • Overview of WHS Act and regulation and environmental legal framework
  • Recognise health and safety and environment duties
  • Demonstrate the duty to consult and provide training
  • Health and safety representatives and designated work groups
  • Authorisations and licensing
  • Offences, penalties, and workers’ rights
  • Regulation and enforcement
  • Jurisdictional issues (other relevant jurisdictions for OHSE practice (electrical safety, mining safety, maritime safety, explosives, etc)
  • Interface with workers’ compensation and rehabilitation law as it applies to OHS practice
  • Interface with public safety, EEO and discrimination law as it applies to OHSE practice.

Equivalent subjects

You should not enrol in this subject if you have successfully completed any of the following subject(s) because they are considered academically equivalent:

• ACU-OHS331 (Not currently available)

You must have successfully completed the following subject(s) before starting this subject:

• ACU-OHSE201-Introduction to OHS (No longer available)
• ACU-OHS201 (Not currently available)

Additional requirements

No additional requirements

This subject covers an introduction to the Australian legal system, including concepts of common law, the doctrine of judicial precedent, and the court systems. Specific legislation regulating work health and safety, (with a focus on the national model laws), and protection of the environment, in so far as it relates to a workplace will be considered. This subject aims to provide students with the knowledge and skills to identify and advise decision makers on OHSE compliance, based on national and international legislative frameworks, so they can contribute to organisational health and safety best practice. 

Three assessment items are required in this Unit. The first, based around a weekly online discussion topic/question/scenario, requires students to combine their knowledge and understanding of OHSE law (including researching the law) with their own views and experiences. The second is report of a court case with a significant OHSE legal content and requires students to succinctly write a case report. he third task is designed to combine all the elements of the unit and demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the law and apply the relevant law to a fact or scenario. In order to pass this unit, students are required to achieve an overall mark of at least 50% and make an attempt at each piece of assessment. The assessment tasks for this unit are designed for students to demonstrate their achievement of each learning outcome.

• Assessment (100%)