WHS Vs OHS: What Is The Difference

There are two primary differences between WHS and OHS . The first relates to the types of hazards that each is able to manage. WHS can manage environmental, biological, chemical, noise and ergonomic hazards; while OHS can only handle ergonomic hazards. 

Ergonomics has a slightly different meaning in industry than it does in the general population. In the workplace, ergonomics relates to the design of equipment and work tasks so that they are compatible with the abilities and limitations of workers.

The second main difference between WHS and OHS is their governing legislation. The Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (WHS Act) governs WHS in Australia. The Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (OHS Act) governs OHS in Victoria. There are some key similarities between the two Acts, but there are also some key differences.

The WHS Act is based on the ‘duty of care’ principle. This means that people who have control over work health and safety (such as the WHS policy owner, risk owners and duty holders) have a responsibility to take all reasonable steps to ensure that their activities do not harm other people. This applies not only to workers but also visitors, volunteers and contractors.

The OHS Act is based on the ‘duty of care’ principle as well as the ‘duty to prevent’ principle. This means that people who have control over work health and safety (such as the OHS policy owner, risk owners and duty holders) have a responsibility to take all reasonable steps to ensure that their activities do not harm other people. But it also means they must act if there is a hazard or potential hazard before any harm is caused.

The WHS Act focuses on preventing harm occurring to workers by setting standards for the work environment and specifying how activities should be managed. The OHS Act, however, goes further than this by also requiring safe systems of work, including worker participation in risk management. This includes the management of workplace violence under OHS.