South Australia’s work health and safety regulator

SafeWork SA plays a vital role in the lives of South Australia’s workers and employers.
This includes administering the state’s work health and safety legislation to build safer workplaces.

We do this by engaging with workers, employers, unions, businesses and other government agencies to provide advice, education and, when required, investigation and enforcement.

SafeWork SA is a branch of the Attorney General’s Department.

The Attorney General’s Department 2024-25 Annual Report can be accessed here.

Our Vision

Leading contemporary regulation to secure the health and safety of workers and workplaces.

Our Values

Professionalism, Respect, Integrity, Service.

These values influence how our staff work together to achieve our vision.

They were shaped with input from staff and are embedded everything we do.

ReturnToWorkSA partnership

SafeWork SA and ReturnToWorkSA share a collaborative partnership.

ReturnToWorkSA provides work injury insurance and regulates the South Australian Return to Work scheme.

ReturnToWorkSA’s insurance provides protection to South Australian businesses and their workers in the event of a work injury.

SafeWork SA works with ReturnToWorkSA to ensure our education focus and work, health and safety compliance campaigns are based on work injury claims and incident data.

This arrangement enables SafeWork SA to deliver high quality and professional services that promote safe and equitable workplaces and high standards of public safety for all South Australians.

The funds to support the costs of administering the Work Health and Safety Act 2012 are provided to SafeWork SA by ReturnToWorkSA.

South Australia’s work health and safety legislation prescribes the amount provided to SafeWork SA each financial year.

Strategic Plan

The SafeWork SA Strategic Plan 2023 - 2027 sets a clear direction for what we will do to make South Australian workplaces safe.

Our work will be trusted and respected and inspire workplaces to be safe through collaboration, education and compliance.

Under the plan, SafeWork SA will:

  • be the employer of choice for developing a contemporary workforce
  • promote the SafeWork SA brand as a trusted and intelligence-led Regulator who works collaboratively across industry
  • be a global leader in regulatory compliance theory and practice, and work with stakeholders to transfer knowledge into healthy and safe workplaces
  • create a mobile workforce and make it easy for people to interact with us.

The SafeWork SA Strategic Plan 2023 -2027 (external site) (external site) (external site) (external site) (external site) (external site) came into effect on 1 January 2023.

SafeWork SA Advisory Committee

The SafeWork SA Advisory Committee is established by the Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector, and is non-statutory advisory body.

The committee provides SafeWork SA with a high-level forum for stakeholder consultation, work health and safety matters and strategic direction.

It was formed by the South Australian Government in 2023 following recommendations from an Independent Review of SafeWork SA, which also prescribed the organisations and groups represented.

The objectives of the committee are to:

  • give practical effect to the tripartite mechanisms in the Work Health and Safety Act 2012 and build confidence in SafeWork SA through transparency
  • improve SafeWork SA’s strategic choices regarding targeted injuries, industries and employers, and to strengthen its capacity and confidence to use its regulatory powers
  • support the Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector, and the Attorney-General’s Department, in the delivery of the government’s agenda for workplace safety.

To achieve its objectives, the committee:

  • provides advice and recommendations about work health and safety matters to SafeWork SA, and the Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector
  • considers and advises ways to improve consultation and collaboration between SafeWork SA, ReturnToWork SA, associations representing employers and employees, industry associations, government agencies and other interested persons to improve work health and safety
  • considers and advises on compliance and education campaigns for targeted injuries and industries.

As at 30 June 2025, the following were members of the committee:

  • Erma Ranieri PSM (Chair) - Commissioner for Public Sector Employment
  • Caroline Mealor, Chief Executive, Attorney-General’s Department
  • Glenn Farrell,  Executive Director, SafeWork SA
  • the Hon Kyam Maher MLC, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector
  • Michael Francis, Chief Executive Officer, ReturnToWorkSA
  • Andrea Madeley, Voice of Industrial Death (VOID)
  • Chelsea Bishop, Shop Distributive & Allied Employees’ Association (SDA)
  • Dale Beasley, SA Unions
  • Estha van der Linden, AI Group
  • Karen van Gorp, South Australian Business Chamber
  • Mary Nizamis, Australian Institute of Health and Safety (AIHS)
  • Max Mawby, Communications, Electrical, Energy and Plumbing Union (CEPU)
  • Ronan O'Brien, Motor Trade Association (MTA) SA
  • Tanya Newell, Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation
  • Kym Morgan, Master Builders Association (MBA).

The SafeWork SA Advisory Committee met four times during the 2024-2025 financial year:

  • 21 August 2024
  • 21 November 2024
  • 12 February 2025
  • 21 May 2025.