What is a Workplace?

The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA) defines a Workplace as:

A place where work is being carried out, or is customarily carried out, for a business or undertaking. Includes any place where a worker goes, or is likely to be, while at work.
A “place” can also include:

• a vehicle, vessel, aircraft, ship, or other mobile structure; and
• any waters and any installation on land, on the bed of any waters, or floating on any waters.

Who is responsible for the Workplace?

The HSWA places duties on the PCBU. These are:

A PCBU who manages or controls a workplace must ensure that, so far as is reasonably practicable, the workplace, the means of entering and exiting the workplace, and anything else arising from the workplace are without health and safety risks to any person.

A ‘workplace’ is any place where a worker goes or is likely to be while at work, or where work is being carried out or is customarily carried out. 

This workplace duty recognises that a workplace may not permanently be a workplace for the PCBU.

​PCBUs who manage or control workplaces do not owe this duty to anyone who is at the workplace for an unlawful purpose.

EXAMPLE
A builder is making repairs to a commercial property. This property is only classed as the builder’s workplace while the builder is working there.

EXAMPLE
Lines workers are carrying out a one-off repair of a power pole. Once they complete the work and leave, it is no longer a workplace for the lines company PCBU as the workers are not usually at that location for work.