AI for Safety

Turn this week's alerts into a toolbox talk

Do this: Paste in a regulator alert that's relevant to your work and get back a 5-minute toolbox talk with questions for the crew.

Why it helps: Alerts are written for everyone. A short talk aimed at your own crew turns one into a conversation on site.

Extra tools: Safety This Month alerts work well as the source.

Think first: Before opening AI, read the alert and write the one point you want your crew to leave with.

Prompt:

Here is a WHS safety alert from an Australian regulator: [paste alert text and link]. Write a 5-minute toolbox talk for a small [industry] crew. Start with the one thing to check this week. Then explain what happened in 3 short sentences, list 3 questions to ask the crew about our own site, and end with an action we agree on. Plain English, no jargon. Do not add facts that are not in the alert.

Challenge it: Ask the AI:

• Did you add anything that isn't in the alert?
• Which part of this alert doesn't apply to a crew like ours?
• What question would a sceptical worker ask that this talk doesn't answer?

You decide: Compare the talk with the original alert and make sure no detail has been changed or invented. Write down who attended and what actions came out of it.

Reference: Model Code of Practice: Work health and safety consultation, cooperation and coordination: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/doc/model-code-practice-work-health-and-safety-consultation-cooperation-and-coordination

Summarise an incident report and list root-cause questions

Do this: Give AI the facts of an incident with the names taken out, and ask for a short summary and a list of "why" questions for the investigation.

Why it helps: It helps you look past "worker wasn't careful" to the system causes, such as the task, the equipment, training, supervision and human factors.

Extra tools: If you already use SafetyCulture or similar incident software, keep the record in that system.

Think first: Before opening AI, write down what you think the top 3 causes were, looking past the worker to the task, equipment and system.

Prompt:

Here are the facts of a workplace incident with names removed: [paste facts]. Write a neutral, factual summary in 5 lines or fewer. Then list 10 questions that would help find the root causes, covering the task, equipment, environment, training, supervision, procedures, and human factors such as attention, fatigue and habits, without blame. Do not assign blame or reach conclusions.

Challenge it: Ask the AI:

• What did you assume that isn't in the facts?
• Which possible causes have you not asked about?
• What evidence would contradict the most obvious explanation?

You decide: Answering the questions and deciding on the causes and fixes is the job of a competent person. Before using AI, check whether the incident is notifiable to your regulator and whether the site has to be preserved. AI will not tell you this reliably. For serious incidents, talk to your lawyer before putting anything into an AI tool, because what you paste creates a record that may not be protected by legal privilege.

Privacy: Take out names, health details and anything else that identifies people before you paste. Injury details are health information. Treat it as sensitive whether or not the Privacy Act applies to your business. Many small businesses and many employee records are exempt, but that doesn't make it safe to paste into an AI tool.

Reference: Safe Work Australia, incident reporting: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/safety-topic/managing-health-and-safety/incident-reporting. OAIC, privacy and commercially available AI products: https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-guidance-for-organisations-and-government-agencies/guidance-on-privacy-and-the-use-of-commercially-available-ai-products. OAIC, who the Privacy Act covers: https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-legislation/the-privacy-act/rights-and-responsibilities

Get a second pair of eyes on site photos

Do this: Upload a photo of a work area and ask AI to list any hazards it can see, as a prompt for your own walk-around.

Why it helps: A fresh look can pick up things you've stopped noticing, like blocked exits, trailing leads or missing edge protection.

Extra tools: You need a version that accepts images. SafetyCulture if you already do inspections in it.

Think first: Before opening AI, walk the area or study the photo yourself and list the top 3 hazards you see.

Prompt:

This is a photo of [area, e.g. our workshop floor]. List any possible WHS hazards you can see, such as trip hazards, blocked exits, unguarded machinery, working at height, electrical leads or chemical storage. For each one, say what you can see and suggest a question I should check on site. Say clearly if something is unclear from the photo.

Challenge it: Ask the AI:

• What can't you see or judge from this photo?
• Which hazards are you unsure about, and why?
• What would you expect to find out of frame?

You decide: A photo shows one angle at one moment. AI misses hazards and gets some wrong, so use the list as a prompt and still do a proper inspection in person.

Privacy: Crop out or avoid workers' faces, number plates, client signage and anything that shows a client's confidential site, or get permission first.

Reference: Model Code of Practice: How to manage work health and safety risks: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/doc/model-code-practice-how-manage-work-health-and-safety-risks

Check a contractor's documents against your checklist

Do this: Paste in your contractor checklist and the documents they've sent, and ask AI which items are missing, out of date or unclear.

Why it helps: It speeds up the first sort of insurances, licences, tickets and SWMS so you know what to chase.

Think first: Before opening AI, skim the documents yourself and note what looks missing, expired or odd.

Prompt:

Here is my contractor onboarding checklist: [paste]. Here is the text of the documents the contractor provided: [paste]. For each checklist item, say "Provided", "Missing" or "Unclear", and note any expiry dates. Do not guess. If something is not in the text, mark it "Missing".

Challenge it: Ask the AI:

• Which items did you mark Provided without clear evidence?
• Which expiry dates fall within the length of our job?
• What would make you doubt a document is genuine?

You decide: AI can't tell whether a licence or ticket is genuine. Check licences on the regulator's or licensing body's register and confirm tickets with the training provider. WorkSafe Victoria recently warned employers about allegedly fraudulent qualification certificates. You still have a duty to consult, cooperate and coordinate with contractors.

Privacy: Contractor documents include personal information, so share only what's needed. Treat it as sensitive whether or not the Privacy Act applies to your business. Many small businesses and many employee records are exempt, but that doesn't make it safe to paste into an AI tool.

Reference: Model Code of Practice: Work health and safety consultation, cooperation and coordination: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/doc/model-code-practice-work-health-and-safety-consultation-cooperation-and-coordination. WorkSafe Victoria, verifying employee qualifications: https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/safety-alerts/verifying-employee-qualifications

Translate safety information for workers who speak another language

Do this: Have AI draft a translation of a short safety instruction in the worker's language, then have someone fluent check it.

Why it helps: Workers have to understand the information, instruction and training you give them, and that may not be in English.

Extra tools: A translation tool such as Google Translate also works.

Think first: Before opening AI, write down the key safety message in short, simple English and the words that must not change.

Prompt:

Translate this workplace safety instruction into [language], keeping it short and simple for a worker reading on a phone: [paste instruction]. Keep all numbers, warnings and equipment names exactly as written. After the translation, list any words that may not translate clearly.

Challenge it: Ask the AI:

• Which words or phrases did you have to guess at?
• Where could the meaning change from the English?
• Which warnings or numbers should a fluent speaker check first?

You decide: Get a fluent speaker, or a professional translator for anything critical, to check the translation. Then confirm understanding with the worker directly, for example by asking them to show you the task. A wrong translation of a safety instruction can do real harm.

Reference: WHS Act (model), s 19, duty to provide information, training, instruction and supervision: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/law-and-regulation/model-whs-laws

Draft questions for a psychosocial hazard check-in

Do this: Ask AI to draft a short set of check-in questions based on the psychosocial hazards listed in the Code, to use in a survey or a conversation with your workers.

Why it helps: Many small businesses don't know where to begin with psychosocial risk. Asking workers is the first step, and SafeWork NSW recently announced its largest-ever compliance operation focused on psychosocial hazards.

Extra tools: A free form tool such as Microsoft Forms or Google Forms if you run it as a survey.

Think first: Before opening AI, write down the top 3 psychosocial hazards you think are present in your workplace and why.

Prompt:

Draft 14 short check-in questions for a small Australian [industry] business to identify psychosocial hazards at work. Cover the hazards in the model Code of Practice: job demands, low job control, poor support, lack of role clarity, poor organisational change management, inadequate reward and recognition, poor organisational justice, traumatic events or material, remote or isolated work, poor physical environment, violence and aggression, bullying, harassment including sexual and gender-based harassment, and conflict or poor workplace relationships. Use a 5-point scale plus one optional free-text question. Use plain, non-judgemental language.

Challenge it: Ask the AI:

• Could any question lead people toward an answer?
• Which hazards from the Code's list have you covered only weakly?
• What might stop people answering honestly?

You decide: In a team of only a few people, an "anonymous" survey isn't really anonymous, because answers are easy to trace. For very small teams, have a conversation instead, or use an outside facilitator. Either way, work out who will see the answers and what you'll do with them before you start. A check-in doesn't replace consultation, risk assessment or controls. If replies raise bullying, harassment or distress, get proper advice and support.

Privacy: Don't paste individual replies into an AI tool. Answers about mental health are health information. Treat it as sensitive whether or not the Privacy Act applies to your business. Many small businesses and many employee records are exempt, but that doesn't make it safe to paste into an AI tool.

Reference: Model Code of Practice: Managing psychosocial hazards at work: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/doc/model-code-practice-managing-psychosocial-hazards-work. SafeWork NSW, largest-ever compliance operation focused on psychosocial hazards: https://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/news/safework-media-releases/safework-nsw-to-conduct-largest-ever-compliance-operation-focused-on-psychosocial-hazards. Victoria: OHS (Psychological Health) Regulations 2025: https://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/in-force/statutory-rules/occupational-health-and-safety-psychological-health-regulations-2025

Rewrite a procedure in plain English

Do this: Paste in a long or technical procedure and get it back as short numbered steps your workers will actually read.

Why it helps: People only follow a procedure if they can read it. Shorter steps and simple words make that more likely.

Think first: Before opening AI, write down the steps you think are critical and must survive the rewrite.

Prompt:

Rewrite this work procedure in plain English for workers with mixed reading levels: [paste procedure]. Use short numbered steps, one action per step, and put warnings before the step they apply to. Keep every safety requirement, number and setting exactly as in the original. At the end, list anything you removed or changed.

Challenge it: Ask the AI:

• Which steps, settings or warnings did you drop or merge?
• Which step now assumes knowledge a new worker wouldn't have?
• Where could the short version be misread on the job?

You decide: Compare it line by line with the original, plus the manufacturer's instructions and any legal requirements. Make sure no safety step, setting or warning has gone missing. Test it with the workers who do the job.

Reference: Model Code of Practice: How to manage work health and safety risks: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/doc/model-code-practice-how-manage-work-health-and-safety-risks

Find the gaps in your emergency plan

Do this: Paste in your emergency plan and ask AI to check it against what the WHS Regulations say a plan must cover.

Why it helps: Plans get written once and then forgotten. A gap check shows what's missing, such as contacting emergency services, medical help, communication or testing.

Think first: Before opening AI, write down the emergencies you think are most likely on your site and how people would get out.

Prompt:

Here is our workplace emergency plan: [paste]. Check it against regulation 43 of the model WHS Regulations, which says an emergency plan must provide for emergency procedures (including an effective response, evacuation, notifying emergency services, medical treatment and assistance, and communication), testing of the procedures, and information, training and instruction for workers. List what is covered, what is missing and what is unclear. Also list workplace-specific questions we should consider, such as remote work, visitors, or hazardous chemicals on site.

Challenge it: Ask the AI:

• Which emergencies or site features did you assume?
• What does the plan not cover for people with extra needs or visitors?
• What would a drill most likely show is wrong?

You decide: A competent person has to confirm the plan suits your site, people and hazards, and that it has actually been tested with a drill. Higher-risk workplaces have extra requirements.

Reference: Safe Work Australia, emergency plans fact sheet: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/system/files/documents/1702/emergency_plans_fact_sheet.pdf

Make a training quiz from your SOP

Do this: Paste in a standard operating procedure and get a 10-question quiz to check workers have understood it.

Why it helps: Signing a sheet doesn't show someone understood. A quick quiz picks up gaps before they show up on the job.

Extra tools: Microsoft Forms or Google Forms to run the quiz.

Think first: Before opening AI, write down the 3 things a worker must know to do this task safely.

Prompt:

Here is our standard operating procedure: [paste SOP]. Write a 10-question quiz to check a worker understands it. Use only information in the SOP. Mix multiple choice and short answer, focus on the safety-critical steps, and give an answer key with the SOP step each answer comes from.

Challenge it: Ask the AI:

• Which questions could be answered by guessing?
• Which critical steps in the SOP have no question?
• Do any answers depend on information not in the SOP?

You decide: Check every answer against the SOP. A quiz backs up practical training and a competency check, it doesn't replace them. Keep records of the training.

Privacy: Quiz results are personal information. Store them securely and don't paste worker names and scores into AI tools. Treat it as sensitive whether or not the Privacy Act applies to your business. Many small businesses and many employee records are exempt, but that doesn't make it safe to paste into an AI tool.

Reference: WHS Act (model), s 19: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/law-and-regulation/model-whs-laws. OAIC, Australian Privacy Principles: https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/australian-privacy-principles

Build a hazardous chemicals register from your SDSs

Do this: Paste the key sections of the safety data sheets for the chemicals you keep and get AI to draft a simple register for you to check.

Why it helps: Many small workshops have chemicals on the shelf but no register. The legal minimum is a list of the hazardous chemicals used, handled or stored, plus the current SDS for each. A draft table gets you there faster, and the SDS stays the source of truth.

Extra tools: A spreadsheet for the register.

Think first: Before opening AI, list the chemicals you think are your highest risk and where they're kept.

Prompt:

Here are sections 1, 2, 7, 8 and 10 of the safety data sheets for the chemicals we store: [paste]. Draft a hazardous chemicals register as a table. Required columns: product name and SDS issue date (we keep the current SDS with the register). Good-practice columns: supplier, hazard statements, where it is stored, approximate quantity, exposure standards from section 8, PPE notes, and incompatible materials from section 10. Only use what is in the text. Mark anything missing as "CHECK". Flag any SDS older than 5 years.

Challenge it: Ask the AI:

• Which values did you read from the SDS, and which did you infer?
• Which products stored near each other are listed as incompatible in section 10?
• Which exposure standards in section 8 need air monitoring or a health check?

You decide: Check every row against the current SDS from the supplier. AI can misread hazard classes and quantities. A competent person should confirm storage, segregation and any extra requirements for larger quantities. Exposure standards are changing: from 1 December 2026 the Workplace Exposure Limits (WEL) replace the Workplace Exposure Standards (WES) under the model laws, so check which list your state applies.

Reference: WHS Regulations (model), reg 346, hazardous chemicals register. Model Code of Practice: Managing risks of hazardous chemicals in the workplace: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/doc/model-code-practice-managing-risks-hazardous-chemicals-workplace. Safe Work Australia, WES and WEL: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/safety-topic/managing-health-and-safety/airborne-contaminants/pcbus/wes-wel

Risk-check a hazardous manual task

Do this: Describe a lifting, pushing, carrying or repetitive task and ask AI for the risk factors and control ideas to discuss with the workers who do it.

Why it helps: Body stress injuries are common in small businesses. Breaking a task into force, posture, repetition and duration shows where to change the job, not just the lifting technique.

Think first: Before opening AI, watch the task and write down your own top 3 risk factors.

Prompt:

Here is a manual task at our workplace: [describe task, load weights, heights, distances, how often, for how long]. Using the hazardous manual tasks approach (repetitive or sustained force, high or sudden force, repetitive movement, sustained or awkward posture, vibration), list the risk factors you can see. Then suggest control ideas, starting with changing the task, workplace or equipment before training. Mark anything you are unsure about as "CHECK".

Challenge it: Ask the AI:

• Which weights, distances or frequencies did you estimate rather than take from my description?
• Which risk factors might be missing?
• Which control ideas rely on behaviour rather than changing the task?

You decide: Watch the task being done and talk to the workers before deciding on controls. A competent person should review it, and lifting technique training alone is not an adequate control.

Reference: Model Code of Practice: Hazardous manual tasks: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/doc/model-code-practice-hazardous-manual-tasks

Draft a new worker induction checklist

Do this: Tell AI what your business does and get a first-day induction checklist you can fix up for your own site.

Why it helps: New workers are more likely to get hurt early on. A checklist makes sure the basics, like emergency exits, first aid, reporting and who to ask, are covered every time.

Extra tools: A form or printed sheet for sign-off.

Think first: Before opening AI, write down the 5 things a new worker on your site must know on day one.

Prompt:

Draft a first-day WHS induction checklist for a new worker at a small Australian [type of business] with [number] workers. Cover: emergency procedures and exits, first aid and who the first aiders are, how to report hazards and incidents, the main hazards in our work, PPE, who to ask for help, consultation and how to raise safety issues, and any licences or tickets the role needs. Add a column for the supervisor and worker to tick and date each item. Plain English.

Challenge it: Ask the AI:

• Which items are generic and need our site's details added?
• What might a new or young worker need that isn't here?
• Which items should be shown in person rather than told?

You decide: A competent person needs to tailor the checklist to your actual hazards, and the induction must be delivered in person, not just handed over. Young and inexperienced workers need closer supervision afterwards.

Privacy: Signed induction records are personal information. Store them securely and don't paste workers' details into AI tools. Treat it as sensitive whether or not the Privacy Act applies to your business. Many small businesses and many employee records are exempt, but that doesn't make it safe to paste into an AI tool.

Reference: WHS Act (model), s 19, duty to provide information, training, instruction and supervision: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/law-and-regulation/model-whs-laws

Turn a plant manual into a pre-start checklist

Do this: Paste the safety and daily check sections of the manufacturer's manual and get a one-page pre-start checklist for that machine.

Why it helps: Manuals are long and sit in a drawer. A short checklist on the machine gets the manufacturer's checks done before every use.

Extra tools: Some tools accept the manual as a PDF upload.

Think first: Before opening AI, write down the checks you think matter most on this machine.

Prompt:

Here are the safety and daily inspection sections of the manufacturer's manual for our [machine, make and model]: [paste]. Turn them into a one-page pre-start checklist an operator can tick in 5 minutes. Include guards, emergency stops, controls, leaks, warning devices and anything else the manual lists. Keep every setting and limit exactly as in the manual. Add a line for 'Fault found? Tag out and report to:'.

Challenge it: Ask the AI:

• Which checks did you add that aren't in the manual?
• What manufacturer checks might be missing?
• What would an operator be likely to skip, and why?

You decide: Check the list against the full manual. Nothing the manufacturer requires should be missing. A competent person should confirm it also covers your own risk assessment and any registration or licence requirements for that plant.

Reference: Model Code of Practice: Managing the risks of plant in the workplace: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/doc/model-code-practice-managing-risks-plant-workplace

Strip the generic out of an existing SWMS or procedure

Do this: Paste in a SWMS or procedure you already use and ask AI to flag every line that could apply to any site, so you can replace it with what actually happens on yours.

Why it helps: A document full of lines like "use appropriate PPE" or "take care" gets signed and not read. Generic wording is a sign the document wasn't written for the job, and it gives no real control.

Think first: Before opening AI, read the document and mark the 3 lines you think a worker would skip because they say nothing specific.

Prompt:

Here is a SWMS or procedure we use: [paste, with business, client and worker names removed]. Go through it line by line. Flag every hazard, control or instruction that is generic, meaning it could apply to almost any site or task (for example "use appropriate PPE", "be aware of surroundings", "take care"). For each one, explain why it is generic and write 2 or 3 questions I would need to answer to make it specific to our site, plant and people. Do not invent site details.

Challenge it: Ask the AI:

• Which lines did you flag that are actually specific enough?
• Which specific-looking lines still don't say who does what, with what?
• Which flagged line matters most for the highest-risk step?

You decide: Answer the questions with the workers who do the job, then rewrite the lines yourself. A competent person must check that the rewritten document matches how the work is really done. Only you and your crew know the site details AI asks about.

Reference: Model Code of Practice: How to manage work health and safety risks: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/doc/model-code-practice-how-manage-work-health-and-safety-risks. Safe Work Australia, SWMS for high-risk construction work: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/safety-topic/industry-and-business/construction/safe-work-method-statement-high-risk-construction-work

Draft a hot weather plan before summer

Do this: Describe your work and site and get AI to draft a simple plan for managing work in heat, ready to talk through with your workers.

Why it helps: Summer is coming. Outdoor crews, hot workshops and vehicles all carry heat risk, and a plan agreed before the first hot day is easier than deciding on the spot.

Think first: Before opening AI, write down the hottest tasks on your site and who is most at risk.

Prompt:

Draft a hot weather work plan for a small Australian [industry] business. Our work: [describe tasks, indoor or outdoor, PPE worn, shift times]. Include: how we will check the forecast, rescheduling heavy work to cooler times, shade, cool drinking water, rest breaks, acclimatising new workers, buddy checks, signs of heat illness, and what to do in an emergency. Plain English, one page.

Challenge it: Ask the AI:

• Which tasks in our work did you treat as lower heat risk, and why?
• Who might this plan miss, such as new or acclimatising workers?
• At what point does this plan say to stop work, and is that clear?

You decide: A competent person should check the plan against the regulator's heat guidance and your site, and consult workers before using it. Make sure people know heat illness first aid and when to call 000.

Reference: Safe Work Australia, working in heat: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/safety-topic/hazards/working-heat

Prepare a safety meeting agenda and notes

Do this: Give AI your recent hazards, incidents and actions and get a short agenda for a safety meeting with your workers.

Why it helps: Consultation is a legal duty, not a nice-to-have. A regular, short meeting with a clear agenda and actions written down makes it easier to do and to show.

Think first: Before opening AI, write down the 3 issues you think your workers most want to raise.

Prompt:

Draft a 20-minute WHS meeting agenda for a small Australian [industry] business. Here are this month's hazard reports, incidents (no names) and open actions: [paste]. Include: open actions from last time, new hazards, any changes to work or equipment coming up, a question for workers to raise issues, and an action list table with who and by when. If we have a health and safety representative or health and safety committee, include a slot for them. Keep it short and plain.

Challenge it: Ask the AI:

• What did you leave out from the information I gave you?
• What topics might workers raise that this agenda doesn't make room for?
• Which items are really decisions for management rather than discussion?

You decide: The agenda is a starting point. Workers need a real chance to raise issues and have their views taken into account. If your workers have a health and safety representative (HSR), the consultation must involve them, and if you have a health and safety committee, bring it in too. Record what was decided and follow up the actions.

Privacy: Use incident details without names or health information.

Reference: WHS Act (model), s 48, nature of consultation: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/law-and-regulation/model-whs-laws. Model Code of Practice: Work health and safety consultation, cooperation and coordination: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/doc/model-code-practice-work-health-and-safety-consultation-cooperation-and-coordination

Draft a risk assessment for a new or changed task

Do this: For any new job, new equipment or change to how work is done that isn't high-risk construction work (that's #1, the SWMS), describe it and get a first-draft risk assessment using the hierarchy of controls.

Why it helps: Change is when things go wrong. Thinking through hazards and controls before the change starts is the core of managing risk.

Think first: Before opening AI, write down what has changed and your own top 3 new hazards.

Prompt:

We are about to [describe the new task, equipment or change] at our small Australian [industry] business. Draft a simple risk assessment table: hazard, what could happen, existing controls, extra controls needed (using the hierarchy of controls, from elimination down to PPE), who is responsible, and review date. Ask me 5 questions about anything you need to know about our site. Mark anything uncertain as "CHECK".

Challenge it: Ask the AI:

• What did you assume about the change and the people doing it?
• Which knock-on effects on other tasks or people might be missing?
• Which controls are low on the hierarchy, and what higher one could work?

You decide: A competent person who knows the work must review and complete it, and workers affected by the change must be consulted. Check whether the task needs a SWMS, licence or permit.

Reference: Model Code of Practice: How to manage work health and safety risks: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/doc/model-code-practice-how-manage-work-health-and-safety-risks

Understand a notice or letter from the regulator

Do this: Paste the text of an improvement notice, prohibition notice or regulator letter and get a plain-English summary of what it asks, by when, and the questions to ask.

Why it helps: A notice can be stressful and hard to read. Knowing exactly what is required and the deadline helps you act quickly and get the right help.

Think first: Before opening AI, read the notice yourself and write down what you think it requires and by when.

Prompt:

Here is the text of a notice from a WHS regulator, with our business name and address removed: [paste]. In plain English, tell me: what type of notice it is, what it says we must do, the deadline, and any review or appeal information it mentions. List questions I should ask the inspector or an adviser. Do not tell me whether the notice is right or wrong.

Challenge it: Ask the AI:

• Is anything in your summary not stated in the notice?
• Which dates or requirements might you have missed or misread?
• What does the notice say about how and when to ask for a review?

You decide: Read the notice itself, not just the summary. Check the date on it straight away, because review windows are short: under the model WHS Act, internal review of an improvement notice must be sought within 14 days or the compliance period, whichever is shorter. The person issued with a notice must display a copy in a prominent place at or near the affected workplace. Meet the deadline, get competent WHS or legal advice if you are unsure, and contact the inspector named on the notice with questions.

Privacy: Remove names, addresses and any worker or injury details before pasting.

Reference: WHS Act (model), Part 10, Enforcement measures (improvement notices from s 191, prohibition notices from s 195, display of notices s 210), and Part 12, Review of decisions (internal review s 224, external review s 229): https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/law-and-regulation/model-whs-laws. Commonwealth WHS Act 2011 (mirrors the model Act section numbers): https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2011A00137/latest/text

Pressure-test the controls in an existing risk assessment

Do this: Paste in a risk assessment you already use and ask AI which controls don't actually fix the hazard, or sit lower on the hierarchy of controls than they need to.

Why it helps: Many risk assessments lean on signs, training and PPE because they're easy. The WHS Regulations set a hierarchy: eliminate the risk if you reasonably can, then substitute, isolate or use engineering controls, and only then administrative controls and PPE for what's left.

Think first: Before opening AI, pick the highest risk in the assessment and write down whether its control removes the hazard or just asks people to be careful.

Prompt:

Here is a risk assessment we use: [paste, with names removed]. For each hazard, classify each control as elimination, substitution, isolation, engineering, administrative or PPE. Flag controls that rely only on administrative controls or PPE, controls that don't address the hazard named, and controls that are vague ("be careful", "training"). For each flag, suggest a higher-order control to consider and the question I'd need to answer to know if it is reasonably practicable. Do not assume costs or site details.

Challenge it: Ask the AI:

• Which controls did you rate higher on the hierarchy than they really are?
• Which suggested controls would create a new hazard?
• Which controls on this list could fail without anyone noticing?

You decide: Whether a higher control is reasonably practicable is a judgement for you, with the workers affected, and a competent person. Check each control is actually in place and working on site, not just on paper. Update the assessment and tell the crew what has changed.

Reference: WHS Regulations (model), reg 36, hierarchy of control measures. Model Code of Practice: How to manage work health and safety risks: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/doc/model-code-practice-how-manage-work-health-and-safety-risks