Building & Construction
WHS Documents
The WHS documents tenders & clients ask for.

Under the WHS Regulations, a SWMS must be prepared before any high risk construction work starts. On a building site that includes work where someone could fall more than 2 metres, work in a trench or shaft deeper than 1.5 metres, demolition of load-bearing parts of a structure, work likely to disturb asbestos, tilt-up and precast concrete, and work near powered mobile plant, energised electrical installations or traffic. Each SWMS should be prepared and reviewed with the workers who do the task, and with your health and safety representatives if you have them.

Yes. Our SWMS are editable Word documents, so you can add your business details and site information, then save them as a PDF. That PDF can be uploaded to the builder and site platforms head contractors commonly use, such as HammerTech, BuildPass and SignOnSite. Before you upload, check the SWMS matches the work you’ll actually be doing on that site and get your workers to review and sign it. Each builder sets their own requirements, so if they ask for anything extra, such as a particular format or added site details, you can edit the document to suit.

If you cut, grind, drill or otherwise process materials that contain at least 1% crystalline silica, such as concrete, bricks, pavers, tiles and natural stone, you need to assess whether the work is high risk and record that assessment before you start. If it is high risk, the safety regulations require a silica risk control plan before the work starts (a crystalline silica hazard control statement in Victoria), plus accredited silica training for the workers involved. For high risk construction work, your SWMS can take the place of the plan, but only if it covers everything the plan has to.

On a construction project above your state's value threshold, the principal contractor must prepare a WHS management plan before work starts (a health and safety coordination plan in Victoria). Working under someone else's principal contractor, you'll usually be asked for a safety management plan showing how you'll manage your own crew. Both plans are available on their own, and both are included in the WHS Management System.

The WHS laws require you to manage risks, consult your workers, train and supervise them, and keep certain records. They don't require one particular document set for every business. In practice, tender panels, clients and prequalification platforms ask for a documented system, and principal contractors on larger projects must prepare a WHS management plan. A WHS management system puts all of that in one place.

They involve the same thinking: break the task into steps, identify the hazards and set the controls. The difference is legal status. A SWMS is legally required for high risk construction work. Outside that, many businesses use the SWMS format anyway because clients and head contractors ask for it by name.

Our customers use them for prequalification on Avetta, Cm3 and similar platforms. If a client, head contractor or platform asks for changes within 12 months of purchase, we'll revise your WHS manual or SWMS free until they're accepted.

Yes. The manual and management plans come in a WHS edition for all other states and territories and an OHS edition written for the Victorian OHS Act 2004 and OHS Regulations 2017. Each SWMS also comes with a list of the Acts, regulations and codes of practice for every state and territory, including Victoria, so you can insert the references that apply where you work.

No. The documents suit everyone from a builder with a handful of subcontractors to a full crew. Delete the procedures and SWMS that don't apply to your work and keep the rest.

Yes. Every document is a Microsoft Word file. Review each one and edit it to match how your business works, then consult your workers before you put it in place.

No. These are the documents that make up your WHS management system: the policies, procedures, forms and records you use day to day and show to clients, portals and inspectors. Certification, such as ISO 45001 certification, is a separate audit by an accredited body. The system follows the ISO 45001 structure, so it's a good starting point if you plan to go down that path.

The WHS laws name some documents in specific situations. These include a SWMS for high risk construction work, an emergency plan, first aid arrangements, a hazardous chemicals register, an asbestos register for older buildings, incident records and a WHS management plan for larger construction projects. The rest, such as WHS policies, risk registers, induction and toolbox talk records, is how you show you're meeting your duties, and it's what clients, tender panels and prequalification platforms ask to see.