Fatigue Management – New Approaches and Focus Areas

Last year in November 2025, Safe Work Australia released a new code of practice for managing fatigue risks.

This code mandates that employers proactively identify and control fatigue hazards and highlights creating work to minimise fatigue risks. Employers should review their current fatigue management policies against this new module code to ensure compliance.

New Fatigue Management Approach

In aged care, healthcare, and education settings, medical emergencies can involve vulnerable people such as residents, patients, children, and students. Whether it's a fall, choking incident, sudden illness, or an allergic reaction, the first few minutes are critical and can make a real difference to outcomes. 

This week looks at musculoskeletal injuries and how to effectively manage the risk of harm.

Both physical and psychosocial hazards can contribute to musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs). Research indicates that psychosocial hazards can increase the likelihood of workers developing MSIs in the workplace. These hazards may include excessive or insufficient work demands, a stressful work environment, and inadequate support within the workplace.

This week we're diving into one of the most crucial aspects of workplace safety which is the Risk Management Fundamentals.

Risk Management is all about proactively identifying hazards and implementing controls to eliminate or minimize them. The process involves four key steps, all underpinned by consultation:

Preventing psychological and physical harm at work are equally important. Encompassing World Mental Health Day, this week looks at how to identify and manage psychosocial hazards.

A psychosocial hazard is anything that can cause psychological harm. The most common Psychosocial Hazards are created by:

October is National Safe Work Month. This year's National Safe Work Month theme, Safety is everyone's business, calls on workplaces across the nation to make safety their business. This theme highlights the collective benefit of safe work practices to everyone in the workplace by reinforcing Work Health and Safety (WHS) as a fundamental principle and right. Trinity Insurance will focus on the Safe Work Month topics each week of October. Week 1 focuses on Work Health and Safety (WHS) Fundamentals.

Industrial manslaughter occurs when there is an unlawful killing of a worker by a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU), or an officer of the PCBU.  Employers in Australia have a duty of care to provide their workers with a safe working environment.

When a serious incident occurs in the workplace, you as the employer may be required to notify the incident to SafeWork NSW under WHS laws.

What is a notifiable incident?

Notifiable incidents are serious incidents that results or could have resulted in a serious injury. These incidents could involve an employee, but may also involve contractors, volunteers, customers, patrons, visitors or guests.

Under WHS legislation, a ‘notifiable incident’ includes:

It is a requirement of the Workers Compensation legislation that all employers must have a RTW Program describing their Workers Compensation Management processes.

SIRA have specific criteria that they need to see included in these RTW programs, so Trinity Insurance have created templates for our policy holders to make this process as simple as possible.  Please see the Employer RTW Toolkit located on trinityinsurance.au site under Useful Resources.

When a medical emergency or injury takes place, whether it is to an employee or a patron, knowing what to do and being able to react quickly can limit the severity of the health scare or injury - or even prevent a death.

What are the requirements?

Your workplace must provide first aid equipment, first aid facilities and a trained first aid officer to respond rapidly and appropriately in the event a person/s requires first aid intervention.