Australian Standards set out the safety requirements and provide guidance for persons working in specific areas or who deal with particular equipment. These Standards only become legally binding when they are incorporated into legislation.
Under NSW law, a variety of systems, equipment, products and materials must meet Australian Standards.
Standards are established to ensure that certain requirements are addressed. They outline requirements such as:
- quality
- performance
- construction design
- endurance
- time specificity
- systems or processes
- certain hazards and controls.
Standards are also developed from:
- commonly adopted practices in certain industries
- agreement between management and workers
- as a result of recommendations from advisory bodies.
Standards that are part of NSW occupational health and safety laws include:
- AS/NZS 4360: 1999 - Risk Management
- AS/NZS 1269.0: 1998 - Occupational Noise Management
- AS/NZS 4804: 1997 - OHS Management Systems - General guidelines on principles, systems and supporting techniques.