News & Alerts
Current safety alerts and information relevant to schools 

► NEWS: SOCIAL MEDIA AGE RESTRICTIONS INFO HUB launched

The Australian Government and eSafety have launched a SOCIAL MEDIA AGE RESTRICTIONS HUB to help parents, educators, young people and all Australians understand and prepare for the changes that are taking effect on December 10 to protect young Australians from exposure to harmful online materials by requiring social media platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent Australians under the age of 16 from creating or keeping an account on their platforms.  

► ALERT: Review of EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS in Emergency Procedures urged

Following the recent Optus emergency communication system catastrophic failure, the National Safety Council of Australia (NSCA) is urging all workplaces to REASSESS THE COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES IN THEIR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLANS & PROCEDURES and include redundancy in critical communication systems, since in light of repeated recent telecommunications failures, relying solely on mobile phones for emergency contact may not be sufficient to obtain emergency assistance when and where needed. 

► ALERT: CHILDREN and YOUNG PEOPLE at risk from online EXPOSURE TO EXTREME VIOLENCE

EXTREME VIOLENCE MATERIAL IS PROLIFERATING ONLINE, including footage of recent assassinations, brutal murders, and mass casualty events. eSafety has issued an urgent warning that this material is increasingly surfacing, unasked for, on young people’s devices; is circulating across mainstream social media platforms, and can be shared directly via messaging and chats. eSafety's latest research shows 22% of children aged 10-17 yrs have been exposed online to such extreme real-life violence and gore.

► ALERT: Q-FEVER risk expected to INCREASE through spring and summer

SafeWork SA has issued an alert warning organisations in which people work with or near livestock of the dangers of Q-fever ahead of the EXPECTED SPRING AND SUMMER PEAK OF INFECTION RISK. The alert is relevant to schools with agricultural programs involving livestock, and provides risk reduction and infection prevention recommendations. 

► ALERT: ENTRAPMENT HAZARDS in playgrounds

Following the SERIOUS INJURY OF A YOUNG CHILD on a playground carousel, WorkSafe and KidSafe WA have issued a safety bulletin reminding those accountable for operating playgrounds about the risk of entrapment in play equipment with openings and gaps, and particularly in equipment with moving parts. The bulletin outlines contributing factors to entrapment injures and recommended actions to prevent or reduce the risk of entrapment injuries.

► ALERT: NOT CONSULTING was a direct cause of a worker's back injury

Following a worker's BACK INJURY TO WHICH LACK OF WHS CONSULTATION CONTRIBUTED DIRECTLY, WorkSafe ACT has issued an alert to remind organisations that WHS consultation is mandatory and essential to workers' safety. The worker suffered a back injury while handling heavy boxes during an office relocation before which there was no WHS consultation, risk assessment or provision of equipment. Had WHS consultation taken place beforehand, the injury is unlikely to have occurred.  

► CASE: SA Education Department convicted for SWING FAILURE and STUDENT INJURY

SA's Department for Education has been convicted and fined $225,000 after A DISABLED STUDENT WAS FLUNG FROM A FAILED PLAYGROUND SWING and received serious head injuries. The swing's severly worn shackle bolt supporting the swing’s chains gave way. On inspection, the wear damage to the bolt and parts was readily identifiable. The playground equipment had not been comprehensively inspected since 2012, nor had load-bearing moving parts been checked as required by Australian Standards. The cause of the incident was identified and prosecuted as a failure at school system level (Oct 2025) 

► CASE: NZ School ENFORCEABLE UNDERTAKING after excursion risk exposure

SafeWork NZ has accepted an Enforceable Undertaking from the board of a NZ Maori school (kura) after a RIVER EXCURSION INCIDENT INVOLVING PRIMARY STUDENTS (tamariki). The school took students floating down the Waikato River using pool noodles and floatie toys but most were not wearing life jackets. Strong currents put them all at risk of life-threatening injuries before they were rescued. WorkSafe found the school had inadequate policies, planning, supervision, and emergency procedures in place and should not have let the activity go ahead.  

► CASE: Student INJURED by school neighbour's FALLING OBJECT

A falling LEAD PIPE FROM A CONSTRUCTION PROJECT metres from a school gate struck a 5-year-old primary student walking by and fractured his skull. Although there is no suggestion that the school shared any liability or responsibility, the case illustrates the wisdom of schools taking notice of hazardous activities close to their perimeters and access ways. If unsafe work is being undertaken nearby, and the PCBU doing the work is not amenable to making the work safe, safety regulators can be notified and asked to intervene.  

► CHANGE: AMENDED WHS REGULATION 2025 in force

The amended NSW WHS Regulation 2025 came into force on 22 August, establishing a duty to CONTROL PSYCHOSOCIAL RISKS. The NSW WHS Act has also redefined work 'health' to include psychological health. Under the new Regulation, psychosocial risks must be controlled in accordance with the hierarchy of risk control measures. The changes bring NSW into alignment with changes already adopted in QLD, ACT, NT and Comcare jurisdictions.