Everyone in the workplace has duties under work health and safety (WHS) laws.

Under the WHS laws, there are specific duties for:

• a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU)
• an officer
• a WHS service provider.

Workers also need to help keep their workplaces healthy and safe.

Who is a PCBU in farming?

A PCBU is a person that conducts a business or undertaking, whether for profit or not for profit, alone or with other PCBUs, at a single site or in multiple locations.  An example of this could be a farmer or farmer owner and includes:

• traditional employee-employer relationships
• an employer-contractor relationship
• a contractor-subcontractor relationship
• a volunteer-worker relationship.

Learn more about the work health and safety duties of a PCBU. 

Who is an officer under WHS?

Officers are people who make or participate in making decisions that affect the whole or substantial part of an organisation's activities.  Because of the power they have in making decisions that affect an organisation’s activities, officers have great influence over a workplace’s health and safety.

Examples of officers of a PCBU include chief executive officers, chief financial officers, corporate directors and corporate executives.  While they might not own the company, the officer’s role in the PCBU’s hierarchy gives them the power to make important decisions that affect how the business runs.

Find out more about work health and safety duties and responsibilities of an officer

What is a WHS service provider?

A WHS service provider provides services that relate to work health and safety including any products provided as part of those services.

A WHS service involves an activity that assists or enhances the ability of another PCBU to meet their WHS duties.

This WHS service could be providing any of the following that relate to work health and safety:

• recommendations or other advice
• testing or analysis
• information or documents such as a report, plan, program, strategy, guideline or manual
• training or educational course.

Learn more about WHS service providers and their responsibilities.

Who is considered a worker?

A worker is any person who carries out work for a PCBU, including work as:

• an employee
• contractor
• subcontractor
• self-employed person
• outworker
• apprentice or trainee
• work experience student
• employee of a labour hire company placed with a ‘host employer’ and
• volunteers.

Learn more about duties and responsibilities of workers and others at the workplace.

If you have volunteers working on your farm, read more about the responsibilities of volunteers and volunteer organisation at the workplace.