Choose your plan
Every plan is written to the laws where you operate, uses the same risk method and fits with the others, so your WHS system, psychosocial controls and day-to-day documents line up.
WHS management plans
The WHS Management Plan is the umbrella for your work health and safety management system. It sets who does what, how you consult, how hazards are found, assessed and controlled, how incidents and emergencies are handled, and how you check the system is working. It names your psychosocial plan as a sub-plan, so the two never contradict each other.What is in a WHS Management Plan?
- The plan and policy: the WHS Management Plan, a WHS Policy to adopt and sign, and a guide to roles, responsibilities and officers' due diligence.
- Consultation: a consultation and issue resolution procedure, consultation records and WHS committee templates.
- Risk: a risk management procedure using the hierarchy of control, a risk assessment template, hazard checklists, a workplace inspection checklist, a SWMS template, and Excel risk, hazardous chemicals and plant registers.
- People: an induction checklist and a training and competency matrix.
- Incidents and emergencies: incident reporting and investigation, a notifiable incidents guide for your regulator, an emergency plan and first aid arrangements.
- Monitor and review: WHS objectives and measures, an internal audit checklist, a management review template, document control and a corrective action register.
- Cross-references: to your state's WHS laws and codes of practice, and to AS/NZS ISO 45001 and ISO 31000.
Psychosocial risk management plans
A complete plan for managing psychosocial risk as a WHS risk: plan and policy, hazard identification and assessment tools, an Excel risk register, procedures for reports and incidents, and the measures and reviews that show the controls are working. Each is written to the laws and codes where you operate.For training, toolbox talks and guidance on psychosocial hazards, see our psychosocial risk page.
Contractor and change management plans
Contractor interfaces are one of the most consistent contributors to serious incidents, project failures and cost overruns. The Contractor Management Plan is a risk-based system for the whole contract, not only its WHS: every contract is tiered by its worst credible consequence across health and safety, operations, finance, reputation, environment and information, and the tier sets the controls at each stage.What is in the Contractor Management Plan?
- Plan the work: the plan and policy, a roles and accountabilities guide, a contractor risk tiering tool, a scope and risk brief, and a contract requirements checklist.
- Engage: a pre-qualification questionnaire and scoring matrix, a contractor safety management plan and SWMS review checklist, and a mobilisation and induction checklist.
- Deliver: an interface and coordination agreement for shared duties, a site monitoring and field verification checklist, a contract change risk check, and a stop-work and non-conformance procedure.
- Evaluate and close: a performance evaluation and KPI scorecard, a close-out and lessons learned review, an approved contractor register, and a governance dashboard and report.
What is in the Change Management Plan?
Change is where control breaks down: new plant, processes, technology and restructures bring risks that existing controls were not designed for. Every change is screened and tiered by its risk, and the tier sets the assessment, consultation, approval, readiness check and post-change review.
- Identify and assess: a change request and screening form, a change risk tiering tool, a change impact and risk assessment, a critical controls impact check, an organisational change and psychosocial risk assessment, and a technology and digital change checklist.
- Consult and approve: a consultation plan and record, and a change approval record.
- Implement: an implementation and communication plan, training and document update checklists, a go / no-go readiness check, and a temporary and urgent change form.
- Review: a post-change review, a lessons learned record, a change register, and a governance dashboard and report.
How the plans work together
- The WHS Management Plan is the umbrella. It sets the system: duties, consultation, the risk method, incidents, emergencies, audit and review.
- Risk-specific plans sit under it. The Psychosocial Risk Management Plan applies the same risk method to psychosocial hazards, and the Contractor and Change Management Plans apply it to every contract and every change. The WHS plan links to them all.
- Task documents put it into practice. Safe work instructions, pre-start checklists, VOC assessments and field verification checklists control the risk of each task.
- Audit and review close the loop. The internal audit and management review check the whole system is working, and the findings feed back into the risk assessments.
Don't know where to start?
| You need to | Start with |
|---|---|
| Set up a WHS management system | The WHS Management Plan for your state. |
| Manage psychosocial hazards | The Psychosocial Risk Management Plan for your state or territory, alongside your WHS plan. |
| Prepare for an ISO 45001 gap analysis or a client's prequalification | The WHS Management Plan. Its cross-reference maps each part of AS/NZS ISO 45001 to where the pack covers it. |
| Manage contractors and contracted work | The Contractor Management Plan, alongside your WHS plan. |
| Manage a restructure, new technology, plant or process | The Change Management Plan. |
| Control the risk of a task or piece of equipment | The documents and templates for that task. |
| Train your people to use the system | The training packages, or in-house training delivered by us. |
Aligned to international standards
Our management plans follow a plan, do, check, act cycle and are aligned to AS/NZS ISO 45001:2018 (occupational health and safety management systems) and ISO 31000:2018 (risk management). The WHS plan includes a cross-reference that maps each part of the standard to where the pack covers it. Being aligned to a standard is not certification: certification needs an audit by an accredited certification body.Frequently asked questions
What is a WHS management plan?
A WHS management plan sets out how a business manages work health and safety: the policy, who is responsible for what, how workers are consulted, how hazards are identified and risks controlled, how incidents and emergencies are handled, and how the system is monitored and reviewed. Ours is a complete, editable system, not a single document.
Do I need a WHS management plan?
Every business has duties under WHS laws to eliminate or minimise risks so far as is reasonably practicable, and to consult its workers. A WHS management plan is a practical way to show how you meet those duties. Some work needs specific written plans, such as an emergency plan, safe work method statements for high risk construction work, and a principal contractor's WHS management plan for construction projects over a set value.
Is the WHS Management Plan ISO 45001 certified?
No. It is aligned to AS/NZS ISO 45001 and ISO 31000, and its cross-reference maps each part of ISO 45001 to where the pack covers it, which helps with a gap analysis or a client's prequalification. Certification needs an audit by an accredited certification body.
What is the difference between the WHS plan and the psychosocial plan?
The WHS Management Plan covers the whole WHS management system. The Psychosocial Risk Management Plan applies the same risk method to psychosocial hazards in more depth, with its own tools, register and procedures. The WHS plan names the psychosocial plan as a sub-plan, so they work together without overlapping.
Which states are the plans written for?
The psychosocial plans cover every state and territory, plus Commonwealth workplaces regulated by Comcare. The WHS Management Plan is available for NSW. The Contractor and Change Management Plans are national plans, written to the model WHS laws, with notes on how Victoria, WA and Comcare differ.
What is management of change?
A process to make sure a change to work, plant, people, systems or premises does not weaken the controls you rely on. WHS laws require you to consult workers when proposing changes that may affect their health and safety, and to review control measures before a change. The Change Management Plan scales this to the risk of each change.
What is contractor risk tiering?
Rating each contract by the worst credible consequence of the work, across health and safety, operations, finance, reputation, environment and information. The tier, from Tier 1 (Extreme) to Tier 4 (Low), sets how much pre-qualification, review, supervision and evaluation the contract gets, so effort goes where the risk is.
Are the plans editable?
Yes. The plans, policies and procedures are Word documents and the registers are Excel workbooks, so you can add your business name, adjust them to your work and keep them up to date.
Can you help us set up or audit our system?
Yes. We design, implement and audit WHS and risk management systems, and run internal audit and assurance programs. See Workplace Health and Safety and Audit and Assurance, or contact us.
Talk to us
Need help choosing a plan, setting up your system or auditing it? Call 1800 231 173, email info@oranaskillscentre.com or send us a message.
