Regulatory Safety Requirements

There are regulations in most countries specifying the safety measures and standards that must apply in construction sites. In Australia, the national model code of practice was developed by Safe Work Australia under the harmonisation of national work health and safety legislation, and has been adopted by the various States and Territories.

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Regulatory Safety Requirements

Regulatory Safety Requirements

Regulatory Safety Requirements

Construction sites are dangerous places to work. There are specific industry hazards that arise and continually change throughout the construction process. Safety management is the responsibility of everyone on the site, however, every construction site must have an adequate Work Health & Safety (WHS) plan in place.

There are regulations in most countries specifying the safety measures and standards that must apply in construction sites. In Australia, the national model code of practice was developed by Safe Work Australia under the harmonisation of national work health and safety legislation, and has been adopted by the various States and Territories.

In New South Wales, the Work Health & Safety (Construction Work) Code of Practice 2015 is the best place to look and understand what safety management plans and processes you must have in place for construction projects above a certain size. You can download a copy of the legislation here.

If a serious injury does occur on your site, your paperwork will be the first item that a governing body such as WorkCover will ask for. This section provides a summary of the Code that outlines its key points.

What is a WHS management plan?

What is a WHS management plan?

A WHS management plan is a written set of guides for managing site health and safety matters. The plan should outline the risks associated with the project and the various procedures that are in place to ensure that the site is kept as safe as possible (e.g. safety inspections, contractor SWMS approval, evacuation procedures, project risk matrix).

Regulation 309 states that all projects with a construction value of $250,000 or more must have a written WHS management plan prepared by the principal contractor before work commences. It is important that the safety plan is understood by every worker on the site and be made available at all times.

According to Regulation 310, “The principal contractor must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that all persons who are to carry out construction work on the construction project are made aware of the content of the WHS plan in respect to their work and their right to inspect the plan.”

The WHS management plan (including any revisions of it) must be kept and made available to any person engaged to carry out the construction work, and for inspection until the construction project is completed and for at least 2 years after a notifiable incident occurs.

A project’s WHS plan must stay relevant to the site and to every stage of the construction. Regulation 311 outlines that “The principal contractor must review and, as necessary, revise the WHS management plan to ensure it remains up-to-date and relevant for the construction project.”

Components of WHS Management Plan

Components of WHS Management Plan

The WHS Management Plan must contain:

– names of persons at the workplace whose positions or roles involve specific health and safety responsibilities, for example, site supervisors, project managers, first aid officers.

– arrangements for consultation, cooperation and coordination.

– arrangements for managing incidents.

– site-specific health and safety rules and how people will be informed of the rules.

– arrangements to collect and assess, monitor and review SWMS.

It may also include information on:

– the provision and maintenance of a hazardous chemicals register, safety data sheets and hazardous chemicals storage.

– the safe use and storage of plant.

– the development of a construction project traffic management plan.

– obtaining and providing essential services information.

– workplace security and public safety.

– ensuring workers have appropriate licences and training to undertake the construction work.

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