Work Health and Safety Manager

A Work Health and Safety Manager develops, implements, and monitors health and safety policies and programmes within an organisation to ensure compliance with the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and Safe Work Australia standards. They conduct risk assessments, investigate incidents, manage safety training programmes, and report on safety performance to senior management and regulatory bodies. This role operates across all Australian industry sectors, from construction and manufacturing to healthcare and corporate offices.

Develop and implement workplace health and safety policies aligned with WHS Act 2011 requirements and relevant Australian Standards (e.g. AS/NZS ISO 45001 for occupational health and safety management systems). Conduct systematic hazard identification and risk assessments using recognised frameworks and document findings in risk registers. Investigate workplace incidents and near-misses, determine root causes, and recommend corrective and preventive actions (CAPA). Prepare and lodge incident reports with relevant state/territory regulators (e.g. SafeWork NSW, Worksafe Victoria) where notifiable events occur. Design and deliver WHS induction and training programmes for employees at all levels, including role-specific safety competency training. Manage workers' compensation claims and coordinate rehabilitation programmes in accordance with relevant state legislation. Conduct safety audits and inspections of facilities, equipment, and work practices using checklists and audit tools. Monitor and analyse WHS performance metrics (e.g. lost time injury frequency rate, total recordable incident rate) and prepare reports for management review.

The standard entry pathway requires a bachelor degree or higher (ABS Skill Level 1). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

You'll spend a lot of time documenting and justifying decisions, and companies often see safety as a cost centre rather than an investment. If an incident happens on your watch, you'll face scrutiny from regulators, management, and sometimes legal action. The role can feel thankless because when safety systems work, nothing bad happens and people think it was unnecessary. Pay growth plateaus once you reach mid-level management.

Mining, construction, and manufacturing sites in regional areas have steady demand. Healthcare and logistics hubs concentrate in capital cities. In practice, large organisations with complex operations or high-risk work need these roles most.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 1323, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• icare Claims Management Portalcore
• Incident Reportingcore
• Negotiationcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Policy Interpretationcore
• Problem Solvingcore
• Process Improvement Identificationcore
• Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
• Report Writingcore
• Risk Identificationcore
• Stakeholder Communicationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• WorkCover Administrationcore
• Written Communicationcore
• Attention to Detail
• Comcare Online Services
• Conflict Resolution
• Continuous Learning and Upskilling
• Microsoft Office Suite Proficiency
• Process Documentation
• Quality Assurance Monitoring
• Record Management
• Reporting and Analytics
• Research and Analysis

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

What Work Health and Safety Manager workers move into, from ten years of tax records.

Last updated: 30 October 2026