Safety management plan: what it is and what to include

A safety management plan (SMP) sets out how a particular project, site or activity will be kept safe. It names the hazards, the controls, the people responsible and how the work will be monitored and reviewed. On a construction project, the equivalent document is the WHS management plan, which the WHS Regulations require. For other work, a plan is good practice even where no law asks for one.

This guide covers what a plan contains, how it differs from a safety management system, and how to write one that people on site will actually use.

What a safety management plan does

An SMP is specific. It covers one project, site or activity, and it sits inside the business's wider WHS system. A demolition job, a warehouse fit-out or a week-long event each needs its own arrangements because the hazards change from job to job.

A good plan answers the questions a worker or inspector will ask:

• What work is being done here, and what could go wrong?
• What controls are in place, and who checks them?
• Who is in charge, and who do I report to?
• What do I do if something goes wrong?

Safety management plan or WHS management plan?

The terms overlap. In most of Australia, the WHS laws use "WHS management plan" for the document a principal contractor must prepare for a construction project. Other industries and businesses often call a similar document a safety management plan. The content is largely the same, so use the name your client or regulator uses.

For construction, the rules are set out in the Work Health and Safety Regulations. A construction project is construction work costing $250,000 or more (regulation 292). Regulation 309 sets out what the WHS management plan must contain, including how safe work method statements (SWMS) are collected, assessed, monitored and reviewed. Victoria has its own OHS regime, so check the rules in your state.

Not every project is a construction project, and not every job needs a formal plan. But if your work is high-risk, a written plan is the clearest way to show what you've thought about.

Safety management plan vs safety management system

The two are easy to mix up:

• A safety management system (SMS) covers the whole business. It holds your policies, roles, training, consultation and review for everything you do.
• A safety management plan covers one job or site. It applies the business system to that work, with the hazards and controls for that specific place.

Think of the SMS as the rules for the business and the SMP as how those rules apply to this job. If your SMS is strong, your SMPs are quicker to write because most of the arrangements are already in place. If you're starting out on site safety, our guide to getting started with a safety management plan for construction walks through the first steps. Our guide to what a safety management system is explains the wider picture.

What a safety management plan should include

The table shows examples, not a checklist to copy. Your plan should use the hazards and people from your own site.

How to write a plan that works

1. Start with the work. Walk the site, or read the scope of works, and write down each activity. A construction HSEQ site management plan shows how those sections can be laid out. A plan that covers the whole job is more useful than one that covers the trades only.
2. Identify hazards for each activity. Ask what could hurt someone while the work is done, and who is nearby. Include other trades, the public and deliveries.
3. Set controls and owners. For each risk, name the control, the person who puts it in place and the person who checks it. Don't rely on PPE alone. Work through the hierarchy of controls first.
4. Link the plan to your SWMS. Say which work needs a SWMS and where those documents are kept. For high-risk construction work, a SWMS is required before the work starts (regulation 299). If you're not sure whether your work counts, use the Do I need a SWMS? checker.
5. Get the right people to read it. Consult the crew and subcontractors before you finalise it, and record that you did. Then brief everyone who will be on site.
6. Keep it live. Update the plan when the scope changes, a control doesn't work or a new hazard appears.

Keep the language plain. If a new worker can't follow the plan on their first morning, it isn't finished.

How to tell if the plan is working

Track a few measures rather than a long list:

• Incidents and near misses. A rising number of near misses reported is often a good sign: people are noticing and reporting hazards.
• Inspection results. Look for repeat findings. The same fault turning up each week means the control isn't working.
• Training and induction records. Check that everyone on site has been inducted and that licences are current.
• Worker feedback. Ask the crew whether the controls are workable. A control nobody can follow in practice isn't a control.

Schedule a structured check at the end of each stage of the work. Our guide to conducting a WHS audit sets out how to run one.

Common questions

Do I always need a safety management plan?

No. The WHS laws require a WHS management plan for construction projects over the threshold, and they require a SWMS for certain high-risk work. For other work, a plan is good practice and makes it easier to show you've managed the risks.

How long should a safety management plan be?

As long as it needs to be to cover the work safely, and no longer. A small job may need a few pages. A large project will need more, but it should still be easy to read on site.

Who writes the plan?

On a construction project, the principal contractor prepares the WHS management plan. Subcontractors contribute their own SWMS and procedures. In other businesses, the person who manages the work usually writes the plan, with input from the crew.

How often should it be reviewed?

Before work starts, after any incident, when the scope or site conditions change, and at regular intervals while the work continues. Record each review.

This is general information, not legal advice. Check the current law with your WHS regulator.