This year marks 20 years since the establishment of the Office of the Federal Safety Commissioner (OFSC) and the Work Health and Safety Accreditation Scheme (the Scheme). This is an important milestone in the ongoing effort to improve safety performance across Australia’s building and construction industry.  

The Scheme began in 2006 with just 2 accredited builders. Today, nearly 700 builders across Australia hold accreditation. This reflects the Scheme’s growth into an enduring and influential safety initiative within the building and construction industry. 

Over the last 2 decades, accredited builders have delivered more than 3300 Scheme projects worth a combined $316 billion. These projects range from iconic nation-building projects like the National Broadband Network and the Bruce Highway, to community-focused projects such as Ngura Yadurirn, an Aboriginal Children's and Family Centre built in South Australia, or the Archaeology & Natural History Laboratory at the Australian National University. Regardless of size or location, every Scheme project is underpinned by strong safety leadership and commitment to putting safety first. 

The OFSC has undertaken 8350 audits since 2006. These audits help builders strengthen their safety systems, improve the implementation of safe work practices and reinforce leadership accountability for safety outcomes. Ongoing monitoring and compliance activities also help ensure high standards are maintained over time.  

The Scheme continues to grow. In 2025-26, 69 new builders were accredited, the highest number of builders accredited in any year since the Scheme began. Accredited builders vary in size, from small family businesses to the biggest players in the country. 

The Scheme has also expanded into new areas. There are currently 134 accredited builders with the capacity to perform residential building work, supporting the delivery of Australian Government social and affordable housing programs. At the same time, 8.4% of current accreditations include a First Nations company, highlighting the growing participation of First Nations businesses in nationally significant construction work. 

The results speak for themselves. Since 2016, Scheme accredited companies have maintained an average Serious Injury Frequency Rate around 90% lower than the construction industry average. This performance has been maintained even as Serious Injury Frequency Rates across the broader construction industry and the Australian workforce have increased.  

While the last 2 decades have shown strong and sustained improvements in work health and safety across the industry, there is still more work for us to do. We are yet to realise our shared goal of ensuring that every worker gets home safely every day. To help achieve this, the OFSC will: 

• Refine its audit and monitoring approaches to focus on critical risks 
• Review and modernise the FSC Audit Criteria to ensure they remain contemporary and effective 
• Strengthen its response to serious incidents to ensure the implementation of high-order controls which prevent reoccurrence, and  
• Promote the use of leading safety indicators to support more proactive risk management. 

Today, the Scheme covers countless builders, workers and subcontractors across Australia. Each worker benefits from stronger systems, better leadership, and a shared understanding that safety comes first.  

As we mark this 20-year milestone, the OFSC thanks the senior executives, safety professionals, supervisors and workers of accredited builders for their dedication to safer workplaces. Their commitment has helped transform the Scheme’s principles into practical outcomes on construction sites across the nation. It provides a strong foundation for continuing to lift WHS standards into the future.