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Provisional Improvement Notice (PIN)

A PIN is a Provisional Improvement Notice issued by an elected Health and Safety Representative under the WHS Act. Directs duty holders to address contraventions.

By Chalkline. Last updated 14 May 2026. Verified 14 May 2026.

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A Provisional Improvement Notice (PIN) is a notice issued by an elected Health and Safety Representative (HSR) at a workplace, under Part 5 Division 7 of the model Work Health and Safety Act 2011. The PIN directs a duty holder (PCBU, officer, or worker) to address a WHS contravention within a stated timeframe. PINs are an HSR-initiated regulatory mechanism, distinct from the improvement notice that an inspector issues.

What a PIN can require:

  • Cease activity until the contravention is remedied.
  • Specific action to remedy the contravention (e.g. install scaffold edge protection, ventilate confined space, provide PPE).
  • Notification of remedy to the HSR by a stated date.

Where PINs come from on a construction site:

  • A trained, elected HSR issues the PIN. An HSR can only issue PINs at the workplace they represent and after the relevant HSR training (typically 5-day course accredited by the state regulator).
  • HSRs are typically elected by workers in a workgroup; a builder with employees may have an HSR formally elected. On a site with multiple PCBUs (head contractor + sub-contractors), each PCBU’s workers may have their own HSR.
  • Without an elected and trained HSR, no one at the workplace can issue PINs. Inspectors issue improvement notices through a separate process.

How a builder should respond to a PIN:

  1. Don’t argue or refuse on the spot. Issuing the PIN is the HSR’s right; arguing escalates rather than resolves.
  2. Read the PIN carefully: it must state the contravention, the action required, the timeframe, and the HSR’s identity.
  3. Comply with the action by the stated timeframe, or
  4. Request internal review by the PCBU’s authorised person (typically the WHS officer, safety manager, or director).
  5. Apply to the state regulator for review if the PCBU disagrees. The regulator (WorkSafe Vic, SafeWork NSW, etc.) can confirm, vary, or cancel the PIN.
  6. Apply to the state tribunal/court if the regulator’s decision is also disputed (rare on a residential site; more common on a major project).

Strict timeframes apply. A PIN typically sets a remedy deadline of at least 8 days from issue (model WHS Act baseline). The duty holder has 7 days to apply for regulator review; failing to comply with the PIN by the deadline (and without a stay through review) is itself a WHS offence.

Common PIN scenarios on a residential site:

  • HSR identifies missing edge protection during scaffold work.
  • HSR notes that workers are entering a confined space without a permit.
  • HSR sees an apprentice using equipment they haven’t been trained on.
  • HSR observes a SWMS is absent for an HRCW task in progress.

For builders:

  1. Treat PINs seriously even if you disagree. The regulator’s review framework is fair, but ignoring a PIN is itself an offence.
  2. Engage your HSR constructively. A site with an active HSR and good builder-HSR communication rarely needs formal PINs because issues are raised informally first.
  3. Document the response. Keep a copy of the PIN, what was done in response, the remedy completion date, and any HSR sign-off.

Difference from inspector-issued improvement notices. A PIN comes from the workplace’s HSR; an improvement notice comes from a regulator’s inspector. Both direct remedy; both can escalate to prohibition notices and prosecution. PINs are less common on residential sites because residential builders often don’t have elected HSRs; they are common on commercial and government sites.

Also known as: PIN, HSR notice, rep notice.

Category: WHS / enforcement / notices.

See also

Last updated: 2026-05-14. Verified: 2026-05-14.

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