The OHS legislation and regulation in all Australian states and territories imposes considerable responsibility and accountability on all those engaged in construction activities. The OHS Management Systems of an organisation address all those responsibilities.
The OHS Management System is a four tier system:
- Corporate OHS Management system (OHSMS): A corporate OHSMS document describes OHS policies and procedures covering all the activities of the organization.. The OHSMS also defines responsibilities for the management OHS.
- Project OHS Management Plan (PSMP): A project OHS Management Plan is a document setting out the specific OHS resources, responsibilities, procedures and practices for a particular project
- Site-specific Safety Management Plan (SSMP): A Site-specific Safety Management Plan is a document that identifies who is responsible for site-specific OHS aspects. The plan also identifies the OHS hazards associated with the work, risk management processes to deal with them, site induction training, incident management, site safety rules and safe work method statements.
- Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS): A Safe Work Method Statement is a document that identifies the safety controls that will be put in place to control and minimize the health and safety hazards and risks associated with a specific activity, job or task.
OHS Management Systems For Construction Projects
Major construction contracts are normally required to have the PSMP (that includes SSMP and SWMS) and must be written around the organisation’s OHSMS.
Minor construction contracts are normally required to have a SSMP and the SSMP must be written around the organisation’ OHSMS. Small organisations may not have the OHSMS documented, so it is quite acceptable to have the SSMP enhanced to include the requirements of OHSMS.
When it comes to OHS Management Systems, principal contractors must ensure that a PSMP or SSMP is prepared for each place of work before the work commences and the plan is maintained and kept up to date through the duration of the project.
The principal contractor must ensure that copies of any parts of the PSMP or SSMP that are relevant to a subcontractor are provided to the sub-contractor before the sub-contractor commences work at the place of work concerned.
It is a common practice that subcontractors may be required to have their own SSMP, but it is most important that the subcontractor must not commence work on site unless it:
- has been provided by the principal contractor for the construction works with a copy of the parts that the PSMP for the place of work that are relevant to the subcontractor and,
- has undertaken an assessment of the risks associated with the work to be carried out and provided to the principal contractor a written SWMS and,
- has completed induction training with respect to OHS as specified in the PSMP for the place of work.
A well structured SSMP is the only document you need in most cases to deliver construction works; implementing the SSMP will help you to reduce work-related injuries, increase productivity and at the same time you will be complying with OHS regulations.
So, if you are required to have OHS Management Systems it may mean you need a PSMP, SSMP or maybe just a SWMS.
