How to stay up to date without the stress

Am I across every update to every regulation, Code of Practice, or newly released guidance material? No. And honestly, I don’t know anyone who is. The truth is, it’s near impossible to keep up with every single change as it happens, and that’s okay. What matters isn’t being everywhere at once. It’s about building systems that have your back, so nothing slips through the cracks.

Recently, I was reminded just how vital these safeguards are. While onboarding a new client and doing my standard regulatory requirements scan, I discovered that several Codes of Practice had been updated in November 2024 and ratified in Tasmania in April 2025. I hadn’t received any notifications from my local regulator, no emails, no alerts, nothing. If I’d relied solely on notifications or just assumed I already knew the current requirements, I would have missed the fact that things had changed.

But I didn’t miss it. Why? Because I don’t rely on what I think I know. I make systematic review of relevant codes and regulations part of my ways of working.

Don’t trust your memory – trust the source

It’s easy to fall into the habit of thinking you know what the Codes of Practice and regulations require, especially if you’ve been working in WHS for a long time. But Codes, laws and other guidance material can change quietly, without fanfare or notification.

I’ve worked with colleagues in the past who have spouted regulation and “rules” like they are a walking Encyclopedia Brittanica of WHS, and I’ve seen them get stung when what they’re saying is in fact, wrong. It’s a sure fire way to undermine your credibility.

That’s why it’s essential to make it a habit to refer to the Codes and regulations regularly, rather than relying on memory or old notes.

A word of warning: don’t save static copies

One common pitfall I see is when businesses print or save regulatory information in their own files or internal libraries. While this might seem convenient, it’s risky. Static copies can become outdated without you even realising. A client I worked with recently learned this the hard way, getting stung in an external audit because they’d missed updates to WHS laws. All the changes which had been missed led to their audit score being below the expectations of a major business partner – a massive commercial risk, not just a safety one.

If you want to maintain a library for easy reference, the best approach is to keep a collection of links to the official sources, such as your local regulator’s website, or to Safe Work Australia that publishes the codes. This way, whenever you need to check a requirement, you’re always looking at the most current version. Note – don’t just save the PDF link, make sure you save the link to the website so you can check the current version.

Build compliance safeguards into your systems

The key takeaway here is that you don’t need to be reactive, or a regulation scanning machine, reacting to every update as it happens. Instead, focus on being responsive by building safeguards into your systems. Of course it is best to be on top of regulatory changes as they happen, but we can all easily miss things. Make it a standard part of your annual process to review all relevant codes, standards, and legislation, at the source, to make sure you are working from the current version.

This week’s growth challenge: Implement systems to stay current

Here’s your challenge for the week: take a good look at your current compliance processes. Are you relying on memory, old notes, or static copies? Set aside some time to review your system. Make sure you’re not only across, but also tracking the current versions and dates of your key compliance documents—laws, regulations, and codes—and that you have links to the official sources, not just saved PDFs. If you don’t already have a recurring reminder to review these each year, set one up now. And when you do your annual review, don’t just note the date or version change, check out what’s actually changed if there’s an update.

A small tweak to your process today could save you a big headache tomorrow. You don’t have to be everywhere at once, and you don’t have to know everything the moment it changes. What matters is having processes that ensure you’ll catch key updates, even if you miss an announcement (or in my case, if there was no announcement at all).