Safety Management Systems

We provide comprehensive and effective Safety Management Systems. They are simple to access, purchase, prepare and use - and they are fully backed by email and phone support.  

Navigation Suggestions:

→ Read on to learn about BOTH OH&S ISO 45001 and WHS AS/NZS 4801 standards.
→ Click thru to see OH&S ISO 45001 or WHS AS/NZS 4801 Safety Management Systems.
→ Scroll down to see FULL listings of both Safety Management System collections. 

Call 1800 304 336 to access help.

Use this page to:

• Find affordable and effective safety management system resources.
• Quickly navigate to specialist pages if you are able.
• Understanding the differences between the OH&S and WHS standards. 
• Identify which standard you need or want.
• Access other helpful links.

Whether you are exploring a DIY solution or seeking a ready-to-implement pre-packaged solution, you're in the right place. 

How to Quickly Locate a Best-Fit System

A suggested method is:

1. Know what standard you should be looking under (more on this below),
2. If you don't know, tackle the learning curve (the info below will help)
3. Decide between using a universal solution or an industry pack.
4. Pick a product, then jump in and start the ride. 

Do You Know Your Preferred Standard  

If you already know what standard your safety management system should comply with, select that icon.

• For the newer OH&S AS/NZS ISO 45001:2018 standard, select the OH&S icon.
• For the older WHS AS/NZS 4801:2001 standard, choose the WHS icon.

If unsure, read on for more explanations, or give us a phone call.

Do You Feel a Bit Ignorant About These New Standards?

If you feel ignorant, you are in good company. In other words, if 'you know that you don't know about that', you're a member of a large and often frustrated club. We deal with these club members all the time. What's more, and perhaps we shouldn't admit this, but even with our great people, significant connections, quality systems, assurance and controls, even we shake our heads in disbelief at some of the things that happen in the safety management ecosphere - and we're in it 24/7. 

If this was simple, companies and safety junkies like us couldn't exist. So, it's okay not to know so long as you don't choose to stay in the unknown.

Here are three guiding questions to navigate the challenge:

1. Should you heed that 'just call them' voice?
2. What are Your Business and Market Realities?
3. Do you have to Choose a Standard? Should you?

Should You Heed That 'Call Them' Inner Voice?

In this situation, if at any time you think, "Should I…?", then you probably should. Of course, this rule doesn't apply to every area of life (e.g. "Should I pee on that electric fence?"), but when you're deciding on a safety management system, it does!

In such cases, we suggest you make the call (1800 304 336). 

The same people who design the solutions support you on the phones, and NONE of our people are sales reps, script readers or arm twisters. 

What are Your Business and Market Realities?

You should probably also call when your business:

• Has unique service delivery features, 
• Is active across multiple industries, 
• Deals with pedantic and "You've gotta be f-ing kidding!" tendering processes, or
• You break the mould in some other way.  

Our founder (Andrew Watters) has been working in construction safety for 15 years, and this company has been designing safety systems, and supporting people like you, since 2010. That means many phone calls and countless hours of problem-solving and innovation have occurred. So here's the offer and the potential synergy. 

You know your business. We know the safety legislation, regulations and how to make them work for you. So if in doubt, bring what you've got, and so will we.

Do you have to Choose a Standard? Should you?

The answer to these questions is not a straightforward 'Yes' because not knowing your business or specifics makes that impossible. In a practical sense, however, the answer is 'Yes'. If you want to do business in a safe, ethical and legal manner, and you want to still be in business in the coming years, in our opinion, the answer to the more significant question (the second question) is 'Yes, you should choose a standard!'

That's our informed opinion based on a solid rationale and experience, but you need to factor in your unique business issues and environment (as we said above).

Stay with the old WHS system or go with the newer OH&S one; the choice is yours. But if you decide to get ahead of the lawmakers by implementing the newer one (before they make you), you'll likely decide it's a much better system.

We're probably going there anyway, so it makes sense to embrace the change now if you can. 

What Happened? Explain this New Standards Situation.

Here are ten significant facts that are worth knowing:

Fact 1: OH&S and WHS fundamentally mean the same thing. 

Fact 2: Some form of safety system is legally required. 

Fact 3: Safety management is relatively standardised. 

Fact 4: Safety management is backed by law, regulation and enforcement. 

Fact 5: The advice of external organisations is considered.

Fact 6: The lead influencing organisation, in our case, is the ISO.

Fact 7: Standards Australia has adopted the standard for use in Australia. 

Fact 8: The prior standard (AS/NZS 4801) is hanging around - for a while. 

Fact 9: AS/NZS 4801 certified businesses must make the change. 

Fact 10: The tendering questions remain almost the same. 

Will my Safety Management System Change Significantly?

Yes! The change is both structurally and procedurally significant, as you might expect from something that involved years of professional collaboration and development. We also addressed this question in our October '22 blog article. 

The reality is that the OH&S AS/NZS ISO 45001 standard, and the system it spawned, are complex. But, and this is a big but (no, not that sort of butt): it is an integrated management system (IMS) that uses a common structure across industries. This is great for the big sharks in the construction ocean; it's not so great for the middle and smaller feeders. 

If you have a small to medium-sized business, the change will likely tax your resources for a season, and it will probably require you to change your:

• Context analysis, 
• Training methods, 
• Managing change, 
• Leadership systems, 
• Objectives and targets, 
• Personnel management, and 
• Corrective action processes. 

Three guiding themes are evident:

• Being process-based is better than being activity based.
• Holistic views (or perspectives) are better than segmented or independent ones.
• Liabilities, and hence responsibilities, should be diversely distributed.

The OH&S standard is different!

Comparing Safety Management Systems

Two things are worth remembering as you compare and contrast the two systems. 

• Firstly, it's hard to compare apples with oranges, even though they're both fruits. The two systems are fundamentally different. 
• Secondly, size isn't everything, and bigger isn't always better - but this time, we think it is.

Our older WHS safety management system is structured around five categories and contains 101 resources (at the time of this page's publication). These include:

1. Core policies and management (with 4 resources).
2. Training, induction and supervision (9 resources).
3. Risk management (67 resources)
4. Incident and Injury Management (14 resources)
5. Recording, reviewing and improving (16 resources)

By comparison, the newer OH&S AS/NZS ISO 45001 system reflects the more complex standard, utilising ten categories (or parts) and containing almost 140 resources:

1. Scope (for reference purposes only).
2. Normative references (for reference purposes only).
3. Terms and references defined (for reference purposes only).
4. Organisational context (1 resource).
5. Leadership and worker participation (4 resources)
6. Planning (11 resources)
7. Support (21 resources)
8. Operation (76 resources)
9. Performance (11 resources)
10. Improvement (17 resources)

We've also created a System Comparison Chart for you, and there are four relevant blog articles you can read if you'd like a deeper dive. These articles were:

1. Understanding ISO 45001 and How WHS Procedures Will Change
2. Those ISO 45001 Headlights are Approaching
3. Should you Review Your Safety Management System During This 'Quiet' January?
4. Here's two ISO 45001 Sure-Thing Must-Haves

A Quick Plug on Subscribing to the Blog

When you subscribe to the email or are an existing customer, you'll receive emails from time to time when we feel it is helpful. We email you when we find relevant and important information for you. You might say, "we doeth unto your inbox as we'd like doethed unto ours." :) 

So, to stay on top of the safety action, either become a customer or subscribe. 

The form is in the footer and needs about 15 seconds. Why not scroll down and do it now? 

What Now?

These conclusions and reminders are relevant.

In making your decision, keep in mind that:

1. We've made the changes as straightforward as possible
2. Reminding yourself that both systems focus on identifying, mitigating or removing hazards and risk is helpful. 
3. We think the new standard is better than the old. But that's based on our broad client base perspective.
4. There's a reasonable likelihood that everyone will be forced onto the OH&S standard in the future.

About investing in our safety management resources, please remember that all our resources are:

• Thoroughly and rigorously pre-prepared. You only add the variables.
• Across-Enterprise licensed for reproduction at multiple locations.
• Customisable to unlimited projects, suppliers and tenders.
• Fully compliant with the relevant Australian adopted standards,
• Pay-once resources. There are no ongoing fees.
• Business brandable: Add your logo and more.
• Supported by discounts when updates occur.
• Supported by 'how to' documentation.
• Backed by proven telephone support.
• Downloadable immediately.
• Editable via Microsoft Word.

Whatever standard you choose, whatever resources you invest in, and whether you pursue a global solution or an industry specialised package, you'll find almost without exception, that our system packages provide a specialised, complete (and almost) plug-and-play solution. 

You should find that a single purchase thoroughly and exhaustively meets your needs - and your reasonable wants!