Prohibition notice
A prohibition notice is a WHS inspector direction to stop a specific activity immediately due to serious risk. Work cannot resume until the risk is controlled.
Ask Chalkline about this →Prohibition notice
A formal written direction issued by a WHS inspector to stop a specific activity or use of plant, equipment, or a substance immediately, where the inspector reasonably believes the activity involves or will involve a serious risk to a person’s health or safety. Work on the prohibited activity cannot resume until the risk is controlled and the notice is cleared.
Also known as: stop-work notice (informal usage only; not the statutory term).
Category: WHS enforcement.
A prohibition notice is the harshest enforcement tool short of prosecution. It acts immediately: if an inspector issues one on your site, the specific activity stops then and there. Common triggers on residential construction sites include unguarded excavations, work at height without fall protection, and operation of plant with known safety defects. Once issued, you must remediate the identified risk and satisfy the inspector before the prohibited work can restart. Defying a prohibition notice is a criminal offence under the WHS Act.
Related
- WorkSafe Queensland: what builders need to know, full overview of WHSQ enforcement options including prohibition notices, improvement notices, and infringement fines
See also
- Improvement notice, the notice type used for contraventions that don’t create immediate serious risk
- SWMS: when it’s required and how to write one
- High-risk construction work list
Last updated: 2026-05-10. Verified: 2026-05-10.