Inspecting occupational health and safety process standards in Australia

Chapter 4 explained that in Australia the shift from OHS specification standards to performance and process standards began in the late 1970s, and intensified in the period 1983–91 by which time all Australian jurisdictions had introduced Robens-influenced general duties OHS legislation. Initially OHS inspectorates were slow to adapt to these changes, but in recent years significant reforms to structures, processes and procedures have been undertaken within the OHS inspectorates to implement more effectively the new-style OHS standards. Drawing on evidence from a detailed study of four Australian states, this chapter examines how inspectorates implemented process standards and the extent to which they sought to inculcate in OHS duty-holders a more systematic approach to OHS management (OHSM). The following section describes the study of OHS inspectorates that forms the empirical basis for this chapter. We then present the findings of this study, followed by a conclusion.