WHS stands for Work Health and Safety. It covers how a business manages workplace risks and protects workers, contractors, visitors and others who may be affected by the work.
That can include risk assessments, SWMS, training and competency records, plant and equipment, hazardous chemicals, workplace inspections, incident management, corrective actions, consultation and safety documentation.
Good WHS is not simply having the documents. It is making sure the system is current, understood and actually being used.
It is the structure a business uses to manage safety. Depending on the business, it can include policies, procedures, SWMS, risk assessments, training records, licences, plant registers, chemical and SDS registers, incident records, inspections, corrective actions and contractor documentation.
A good system should fit the way your business actually operates and stay current as your people, plant, sites and work change.
No. Policies, SWMS, procedures and registers are important, but a safety system does not run itself.
Registers need updating. Actions need following up. Training and licences need monitoring. Documents need reviewing when the work changes. Responsibilities need to remain clear.
That ongoing management is where many businesses struggle.
WHS responsibilities exist throughout the business. The PCBU has primary WHS duties, while officers may have due diligence duties. Managers, supervisors and workers also have responsibilities relevant to their role and the work they perform.
Using The Safety Dept. does not transfer your legal WHS responsibilities to us. Our role is to give your business the structure, administration, oversight and support needed to help manage those responsibilities properly.
Yes. Engaging external WHS support does not remove the responsibilities of the business, its officers, managers or workers.
What we can do is give owners and managers better visibility over what is happening, what remains outstanding and what needs attention, without requiring them to personally manage every piece of WHS administration.
We provide managed WHS services for high-risk businesses across NSW. We help build, organise and manage the systems behind your safety requirements so important WHS work does not become outdated, overlooked or left unfinished.
Depending on your service plan and business requirements, this can include:
You run the job. We run the safety behind it.
We work differently from a traditional one-off WHS consultancy. A consultant may provide advice, prepare documents or complete a particular project.
The Safety Dept. is designed to provide an ongoing safety function. We help establish what is needed, put it into operation and continue managing the WHS work that needs to happen throughout the year.
The aim is not simply to hand you another folder of documents. It is to help keep your safety system working.
Our approach has three stages.
The first few months are focused on understanding your business and getting the foundations in place. Typically:
The exact process depends on your workplace and the level of support you need.
We take on much of the administration, tracking, updating and coordination, but safety still needs to operate inside your business. Your team will generally need to:
We manage the system around the work. Your people still need to put safety into practice.
We primarily support owner-led and growing businesses in higher-risk industries across NSW, including:
We are particularly suited to businesses where people, plant, sites, contractors, licences, client requirements or higher-risk work create ongoing WHS responsibilities.
Yes. We work with subcontractors, specialist trades and other site-based businesses rather than positioning ourselves as a replacement for a principal contractor's safety function.
This can include electrical contractors, plumbers, concreters, carpenters, mechanical trades, landscapers, excavation businesses, fabricators and other specialist contractors.
Support can include SWMS, risk assessments, worker and licence records, plant, contractor requirements, client documentation, corrective actions and ongoing WHS administration.
We support businesses across New South Wales. The amount of onsite support required depends on your location, operational risks, service plan and business requirements.
A significant amount of ongoing WHS administration, document management, reporting and follow-up can also be managed remotely.
Not necessarily. The Safety Dept. was built for growing businesses that need professional WHS capability but may not yet need, or want to carry the cost of, a complete internal safety team.
For larger businesses, we can also work alongside existing managers and internal WHS resources. The right structure depends on your size, risk profile, sites and operations.
Yes. Safety software is included within our managed WHS service.
The important difference is that we do not simply give you software and expect your team to run everything themselves. The software supports the system. Our role is to help manage the WHS work that sits behind it.
Yes. Depending on your plan and scope, we can help prepare and maintain SWMS and risk assessments and review them as work activities, plant, sites or risks change.
The objective is to keep the documents relevant to the work being performed rather than creating them once and forgetting about them.
Yes. We can help organise training matrices, competency records, licences, expiry dates and other agreed worker records.
Your business still needs to make sure workers participate in required training and that competent people perform the work, but we can help keep the administration and evidence organised.
Yes. Depending on your service scope, this can include plant and equipment registers, inspection schedules, pre-start processes, Safe Operating Procedures and related records.
The exact requirements depend on the plant, equipment and work performed by your business.
Yes. We can help businesses maintain hazardous chemical and Safety Data Sheet registers and organise the supporting WHS documentation and records.
The level of support depends on the chemicals used and your workplace requirements.
Yes. Depending on your plan and circumstances, we can help organise incident records, support investigations, identify corrective actions and track agreed actions through to completion.
For serious incidents or potential notifiable incidents, we can also help the business understand the information and WHS process that needs to be considered.
Yes. Depending on your business and service plan, this can include contractor records, documentation reviews, insurance records, high-risk SWMS reviews, prequalification requirements and other agreed contractor safety processes.
Your business still remains responsible for managing the work and implementing appropriate controls on site.
Yes. We can help you organise your WHS records, understand what information is available, close outstanding actions and provide support during regulator interactions where this is included within your service.
Having current records, clear responsibilities and evidence of ongoing WHS management makes it much easier to respond when your safety system is scrutinised.
Yes. Audit readiness is easier when your WHS system is being maintained throughout the year.
We can help organise documents, registers, training records, corrective actions, inspections and other agreed evidence so your business is not trying to rebuild everything immediately before an audit.
Yes. Tender and prequalification requirements are a common reason businesses come to The Safety Dept.
Depending on your plan, we can help organise WHS documentation and evidence requested by clients and principal contractors, and help keep those records current for future requirements.
Our managed WHS plans currently start from $350 per week + GST.
Core
$350 /week
For smaller businesses that need their WHS foundations established and kept current.
Standard
$500 /week
For businesses that need more active WHS management as their operations change.
Partner
$700 /week
For businesses requiring more hands-on WHS support and senior advisor involvement.
Plans are subject to scope and a 12-month commitment. Businesses paying annually in advance receive a 10% discount on the equivalent monthly rate.
Pricing may vary depending on your workforce, sites, operational risks, contractor requirements and level of support required.
Software can organise information, but someone still needs to manage what goes into it.
SWMS still need reviewing. Actions still need following up. Registers still need updating. Training still needs monitoring. Incidents still need managing.
The Safety Dept. combines systems and software with ongoing WHS management.
Templates can be useful starting points, but they still need to reflect your actual workplace and be implemented, reviewed and maintained.
Our approach is to build the WHS system around the way your business operates and continue managing it as things change.
Some common signs are:
Who is keeping our safety system moving every week? If the answer is unclear, you may need a more structured WHS function.
Yes. You may have a tender due, a client asking for documentation, outstanding corrective actions or another WHS issue that needs attention.
Tell us what is happening and we can start by understanding the immediate problem before looking at the wider WHS system.
Start by telling us about your business and what is happening with your WHS. You can book a short meeting, complete our online enquiry form or contact The Safety Dept. directly.
We will discuss what you currently have in place, what needs attention and whether one of our managed WHS plans is the right fit.
Try a shorter term such as SWMS, tender, plant or pricing — or ask us directly.
Tell us what is happening in your business and we will talk through what needs attention first.
15 minutes. No obligation. Just a practical discussion about your WHS needs.
