Safety News, Alerts & Changes
Current safety updates and information relevant to schools 

🔗MISUSE OF SCHOOL IMAGES to AI-generate fake media harmful to staff, students and school

eSafety has issued an alert about the MISUSE OF IMAGES OF SCHOOL STAFF AND STUDENTS TO CREATE AND DISTRIBUTE HARMFUL, AI-GENERATED MEDIA. In the three months between January and March 2026, eSafety and received more than 100 reports of anonymous accounts targeting schools, students, and school staff. Almost all instances involving staff used imagery harvested from school websites or social media accounts, and publicly circulated the damaging content through anonymous social media accounts. Many incidents were considered seriously harmful to those targeted. 

🔗SafeWork NSW REGULATORY PRIORITIES 2026-2027 released

SafeWork NSW has released its Regulatory Statement and REGULATORY PRIORITIES for 2026-2027: falls from heights, psychosocial risks, hazardous substances, and mobile plant, vehicles and fixed machinery. Across all priorities, SafeWork will also focus on worker consultation, higher-risk worker groups, and employers' compliance with now-enforceable Codes of Practice. Its approach will preference collaboration, but alsdo include compliance checks, investigations, audits and prosecutions. 

🔗New AI & DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES safety guidance

SafeWork Australia has developed and released ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES SAFETY GUIDANCE to help PCBU's, workers and other duty holders understand the work health and safety implications of introducing or changing artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies in the workplace. The new Guidance addresses AI and digital hazards, opportunities and risks, and WHS and risk management duties  

🔗New HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS Information System (HCIS) available

Safe Work Australia has released a new HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL INFORMATION SYSTEM (HCIS) to support the transition to new Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs) to come into effect on 1 December. The HCIS is a searchable, multi-device compatibile guidance tool that can help employers and users of chemicals to find and check particular chemicals' identification, GHS hazard classification, label and exposure limit information. 

🔗New NSW Code of Practice - Managing the Risks of BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS at Work

From 10 July, NSW has adopted a CODE OF PRACTICE for MANAGING BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS AT WORK, based on the Model Code. The Code defines biological hazards as any substance or agent of biological origin that poses a risk to human health. Whether of human, animal or plant origin, biological hazards can be viruses, bacteria, parasites, prions, certain types of fungi and mould; and they can include allergens, irritants and toxins such as organic dust, sap and venom. 

🔗COMPLIANCE WITH NSW CODES of Practice now mandatory

From 1 July, under S26A of the NSW WHS Act, PCBU's including schools and school systems in NSW have a NEW DUTY TO COMPLY WITH APPROVED CODES OF PRACTICE, or if managing hazards and risks in ways that differ from the Codes, to make sure those ways provide an equivalent or higher standard of health and safety than the relevant Code provides for.