Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU)
A PCBU (person conducting a business or undertaking) is the entity that holds the primary duty of care under Australian Work Health and Safety law. It must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers and others affected by its work.
A person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) is the legal concept used in Australian Work Health and Safety (WHS) law to identify who holds the primary duty of care for safety. A PCBU is usually a company, partnership, sole trader, or other organisation rather than an individual. It must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers and other people affected by its activities.
Why it matters
The PCBU concept defines who carries the main legal responsibility for workplace safety, including providing safe plant and equipment, safe systems of work, and adequate training and supervision. Multiple PCBUs can share duties on the same site, such as a principal contractor and subcontractors, and they must consult and coordinate. Understanding PCBU status is essential because the duty cannot be transferred or contracted away.
How MapTrack helps
MapTrack helps a PCBU meet its duty around plant and equipment by keeping inspection, maintenance, and compliance records that show equipment is safe and well maintained, providing evidence that reasonably practicable steps have been taken.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a PCBU and an employer?
The PCBU concept is broader than employer. While most employers are PCBUs, the term also captures arrangements that are not traditional employment, such as engaging contractors, volunteers, or labour hire. The intent of Australian WHS law is to place the primary safety duty on whoever conducts the business or undertaking, regardless of the exact employment relationship, so that gaps in responsibility are avoided.
Can there be more than one PCBU on a worksite?
Yes. It is common for several PCBUs to operate at the same workplace, for example a principal contractor and multiple subcontractors. Each holds its own duty of care, and where duties overlap they are required to consult, cooperate, and coordinate activities with one another so far as is reasonably practicable to manage shared risks effectively.
Related terms
Officer Due Diligence
Officer due diligence is the personal duty Australian Work Health and Safety law places on officers, such as directors and senior executives, to exercise care in ensuring their organisation meets its WHS obligations. It is a proactive duty: officers must take reasonable steps to acquire knowledge of safety matters, understand the operation and its hazards, and ensure the business has and uses appropriate resources and processes to manage risk.
Notifiable Incident
A notifiable incident is a serious workplace event that Australian Work Health and Safety law requires a PCBU to report to the relevant WHS regulator. The categories are the death of a person, a serious injury or illness, and a dangerous incident that exposes people to a serious risk, even if no one is hurt. The PCBU must notify the regulator immediately on becoming aware that a notifiable incident has occurred.
Safety Management System (SMS)
A safety management system (SMS) is a structured framework of policies, procedures, responsibilities, and processes that an organisation uses to manage workplace health and safety risks. It typically includes hazard identification, risk assessment, incident reporting, emergency planning, training, auditing, and management review. In Australia, an SMS aligns with the WHS Act duties and may follow standards such as AS/NZS ISO 45001.
WHS compliance software
WHS compliance software is a digital platform that helps organisations meet Work Health and Safety obligations by managing inspections, incident reporting, risk assessments, corrective actions and audit trails. It replaces paper-based compliance registers with a single system of record that tracks what was checked, when, by whom and what evidence was attached.
Risk Assessment
A risk assessment is a systematic process of identifying hazards, evaluating the likelihood and severity of harm, and determining appropriate control measures to reduce risk to an acceptable level. It follows the hierarchy of controls (elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, PPE) and produces a documented record of identified risks and the measures taken to manage them.
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