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Safety Management Systems

We provide comprehensive and effective Safety Management Systems designed to save you thousands of hours in research and development. They are simple to access, purchase, prepare and use - and they are fully backed by phone and email support.  

Navigation Suggestions:

→ Read on to learn about BOTH AS/NZS ISO 45001:2018 Standard and the superseded AS/NZS 4801:2001 Standard, and the differences.
→ Click thru to see our WHS Management Systems or OH&S Management Systems (both AS/NZS ISO 45001 compliant).
→ 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 compliant Safety Management System resources.
  • Understand the differences between the AS/NZS ISO 45001:2018 Standard and the superseded AS/NZS 4801:2001 Standard. 
  • Identify if the WHS Management Systems or OH&S Management Systems (both AS/NZS ISO 45001 compliant) are best suited to your business needs.
  • Access other helpful links and specialist pages.

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

Do You Know Your Preferred System?  

If you already know which Safety Management System you need, select that image below. Both systems are in accordance with AS/NZS ISO 45001, the prefix WHS or OH&S varies.

  • For WHS Management Systems in accordance with the AS/NZS ISO 45001:2018 standard, select the WHS Management Systems image below.
  • For OH&S Management Systems in accordance with the AS/NZS ISO 45001:2018 standard, select the OH&S Management Systems image below.

If unsure, read on for more explanations, or give us a call on 1800 304 336.

WHS Management Systems

 WHS Management Systems
OH&S Management Systems

 OH&S Management Systems

Both our OH&S and WHS Management Systems assist with managing your duty of care under the Work Health and Safety (WHS) Act and Regulations.

How to Quickly Locate a Best-Fit System

A suggested three-step method is:

  1. Choose your system: Choose between our WHS Management Systems or OH&S Management Systems. Both systems are in accordance with AS/NZS ISO 45001, the prefix WHS or OH&S varies.
  2. Decide between package types: Do you need just just a WHS or OH&S Management System, or a WHS or OH&S Industry Pack (including the WHS or OH&S Management System plus SWMS)?
  3. Pick a product, and start using our Safety Management Systems to demonstrate compliance, keep your team safe and win more work!

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.

What Happened? Explain this New Standards Situation.

Here are ten significant facts that are worth knowing:

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

WHS and OH&S are terms often used interchangeably. They both refer to a field of knowledge and practice that looks after the health and welfare of people who work in or at a workplace and those who are on-site for some other reason.

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

Having some form of safety management system is a legal obligation for all employers to manage the duty of care for workers and others, but having a specific and standardised system is only required within certain industries, fields and jurisdictions. 

Fact 3: Safety management is relatively standardised. 

Safety systems typically pursue five repeating goals: identify hazards, assess risks, control those risks, review your control measures, and then repeat the cycle.

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

Most Australian jurisdictions (states or territories) must comply with National Work Health and Safety (WHS) legislation, called an 'Act'. This is then used to compel the development of 'Regulations' and 'Codes of Practice', which are, in turn, then enforced by state or territory regulators. 

Fact 5: The advice of external organisations is considered.

These laws, regulations and codes of practice are typically compliant with or guided by, the advice of non-governmental advisory bodies. 

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

The relevant body, in our case, is the International Organisation for Standardisation or ISO. They publish a range of standards, including the ISO 45001 standard. If it interests you, you can access their introductory brochure here and the complete standard here.

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

As we explained in our October '22 blog article, ISO 45001 has been approved for use by Standards Australia (our peak national standards organisation), and all Australian jurisdictions agree. Its new label is AS/NZS ISO 45001:2018. 

Fact 8: The prior standard (AS/NZS 4801) is marked 'available superseded' by Standards Australia.

The AS/NZS 4801:2001 Standard is currently marked 'available superseded' by Standards Australia, and has been superseded by AS/NZS ISO 45001. It is recommended to transition to AS/NZS ISO 45001 if you are still using AS/NZS 4801 aligned systems. You can view the current status of AS/NZS 4801 by clicking here.

Fact 9: AS/NZS 4801 certified businesses should have already made the change. 

If you were certified under the AS/NZS 4801 standard and want to remain certified, you should have transitioned before 13 July 2023.

Fact 10: The tendering questions remain almost the same. 

The pivotal tender questions will likely continue to be "Are you certified to AS/NZS ISO 45001?' and "Do you have a system compliant with AS/NZS ISO 45001?", Most businesses aren't certified due to cost, time and resources, and that's OK. But you still need to be compliant!

Will my existing AS/NZS 4801 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 AS/NZS ISO 45001 standard, and the system it spawned, are complex. But, and this is a big but: it allows for an integrated management system (IMS) that uses a common structure across WHS/OH&S, Environmental and Quality. 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 and decide to do it on your own, 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 AS/NZS ISO 45001 standard is different! However we have already done most of the hard work and supply a system that you can implement and manage with just knowledge of your own business.

Comparing Safety Management System Standards

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 Standards are fundamentally different. 
  • Secondly, size isn't everything, and bigger isn't always better - but this time, we think it is.

Our older AS/NZS 4801 safety management system was structured around five categories and contained 101 resources (at the time of this page's publication). These included:

  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 AS/NZS ISO 45001 safety management systems reflects the more complex standard, utilising ten categories (or parts) and containing over 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 (2 resources).
  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 only 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 create an account from the LOGIN button in the header. 

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 AS/NZS ISO 45001 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 business 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 and email support.
  • Downloadable immediately.
  • Fully 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! 

Selecting a safety management system is indeed BIG in terms of effort and significance - and we're here to help. Dial 1800 304 336 to ask a question, or email us if you'd prefer. We value your call, your questions, your custom and your feedback.