Six checks, one for each guide. Every guide answers its question in its opening lines, says which state’s rule it is describing, and lists the official pages it was checked against at its foot.
Six questions about inspectors, answered from the source
- Check 01 · WorkplacesWhat a WHS inspector can do
Enter without notice, ask, test and seize, then issue improvement, prohibition or non-disturbance notices.
- Check 02 · Queensland poolsPool safety inspections in Queensland
A certificate or a Form 26 notice, then three months to fix and re-inspect.
- Check 03 · ElectricityElectrical safety inspections
Audits of certified work in Victoria, and what to do after a shock in Queensland and Western Australia.
- Check 04 · GasGas safety, and who checks gas work
Two regulators in Victoria; a Notice of Completion and a duty to report every incident in Western Australia.
- Check 05 · Queensland buildingBuilding inspections by certifiers
The papers and extra inspections an owner can ask for, enforcement notices, and audits of the certifiers themselves.
- Check 06 · Speaking upReporting a safety concern
Which body takes which concern, from workplace hazards to pool barriers, and what each one can and cannot do for you.
Four inspectors, four kinds of power
The word “inspector” covers people with very different standing. Here are four from this guide, side by side, each from its own regulator’s page.
| Inspector | Who they work for | What they can make happen | Your say |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work health and safety inspector (model-law jurisdictions) | Appointed by the regulator, which gives them an identity card (sections 156 and 157 of the Commonwealth’s version of the model laws). | Improvement, prohibition and non-disturbance notices, and in some places on-the-spot fines. | Entry needs no consent, and obstructing an inspector is an offence. |
| Pool safety inspector (Queensland) | Licensed by the QBCC but not a government representative; usually self-employed or subcontracted. | A pool safety certificate, or a Form 26 non-conformity notice; if the pool is not re-inspected within three months, a report to the council. | The owner chooses and pays one, and the QBCC suggests getting a few quotes. |
| Building certifier (Queensland) | Licensed by the QBCC, in local government or private practice, and bound to act in the public interest. | Stage certificates, a final certificate, and enforcement notices where needed. | In most cases the builder engages the certifier on the owner’s behalf, though the owner can appoint one directly. |
| Electrical safety auditor (Victoria) | Engaged by Energy Safe Victoria to audit work on a Certificate of Electrical Safety. | A notice to the contractor or electrician, who must come back and fix the non-compliant work at no cost to you. | The audit is free and optional, and you can ask the auditor to leave at any time. |
How to check who is at the door
- A work health and safety inspector must produce their identity card when asked while using their compliance powers, under the Commonwealth’s version of the model laws (section 157).
- A Victorian electrical auditor must carry a personal identification card, visible and available for you to see on request.
- A Queensland pool safety inspector appears on the QBCC’s register of licensed inspectors, with their contact details.
- A Queensland building certifier appears on the QBCC’s public register of certifiers, with any conditions, demerit points or misconduct decisions.
Where the official answers are
Work health and safety is enforced by a regulator in each state and territory, and by Comcare as the national regulator under the Commonwealth’s Act. Safe Work Australia’s list of regulators names each one, with the electrical safety bodies beside them. Every jurisdiction except Victoria has adopted the model work health and safety laws; WorkSafe Victoria enforces Victoria’s own occupational health and safety laws.
Rules change, and these guides were checked against their sources on 8 October 2026. Before relying on any of them, read the regulator’s own page, linked at the foot of each guide.