SWMS templates are great, most of the time. A template will provide a structure so that you don’t miss any important steps, help you to save time, and a good template will even help you to learn more about what controls to put in place to manage the hazards involved in completing the task.
To be effective, your SWMS needs to be specific to the task, the site and the workers carrying it out. Generic SWMS templates don’t cut it. The SWMS needs to lay out the steps that will be taken to carry out the task and then those steps need to be followed. If work is being carried out in a way that doesn’t match the task steps in the SWMS, the work needs to stop.
One SWMS can be prepared to cover various tasks as long as it takes into account the dynamic nature of the work environment and can be easily read and understood by the workers involved. You might find it easier to create a separate SWMS for each high-risk construction work activity, but remember you need to think about how different activities taking place at the same time or how one activity after another could impact each other.
We recommend looking for a SWMS template that will help you to spend less time writing (as that’s the bit that takes the most amount of time). The template should be guided, rather than just an empty shell that needs to be filled in from scratch. Make sure it’s quick and easy to customise. You should be able to easily adjust the hazards, controls and task steps to reflect how the work will be carried out. It should also use simple language everyone understands.
Digital SWMS templates that you can create, review, edit, sign and save on your phone are a great way to get into the habit of doing your SWMS each and every time you are completing high risk construction work. By using a SWMS App, you’ll know you’ve always got the template ready to go in your back pocket and you’ll know you’ve got a full record of all your completed and signed SWMS saved online.
The HazardCo App includes 25-easy to edit templates, or you can use the template builder to create a SWMS. It only takes a few minutes, and it will suggest controls to put in place, based on the common hazards you identify. If you have a similar job coming up, you can save the SWMS as a Favourite and update it on the go to be task and site-specific. Easy as!
Get a free HazardCo trial.
Learn more about HazardCo SWMS templates and health and safety App.
As a building company, you’re responsible for the H&S of everyone on-site, not just your direct employees. We know that getting contractors involved in H&S is a big challenge for building companies and is exposing you to additional risk.
Of course, building companies often tell us that although they have some influence over contractors on-site, getting them to engage with health and safety is a challenge, as they don’t have the same level of control over contractors compared to direct staff. Too often, contractors arrive on-site without an established H&S system and need a lot of support from the main contractor. If they do have their own system it creates a paperwork nightmare for the building company that is responsible for ensuring reports are completed and collected.
What does good contractor management look like?
First, you need to make sure contractors have the right skills and experience to do the job, and second, you need to make sure they are going to carry out the work safely. Once they are onboard, you need to monitor throughout the build if the contractor is following good health and safety practices on-site.
We’ve created a number of new tools that will help you to manage your contractors before they begin working with you and while they are on-site. We’ve also made it easier to monitor your contractor’s H&S activity, even when you’re in the office. It’s one system for everyone.
How does it work?
Pre-site – Do your homework before you start working with contractors to reduce the risk to your business
- Simple pre-qualification – Hit one button to start the pre-qualification process with a new contractor. From there, they will automatically be sent a questionnaire requesting all the information and documents you need, including public liability insurance, a policy and procedures document, and evidence they follow good H&S practices on-site.
- Automated reminders to save you time – If your contractors don’t respond, they will receive email reminders until they complete the process. You will get a notification when the documentation is ready to check and approve. No more chasing contractors and long no more long email chains.
On-site – Love the HazardCo app? Now contractors can use it too. One H&S tool for everyone under one roof
- One system for everyone – From employees to contractors, everyone on-site will be able to use the HazardCo app to complete H&S reports such as site reviews, SWMS, incident reports, and more. Workers can collaborate on safety by creating and assigning tasks. you’ll know everyone has guided, easy-to-use tools at the ready to manage H&S on-site. All reports will be shared with you. And they will get a copy for their own records too. Finally, kill paperwork on-site.
- Unauthorised worker notification – If a worker scans onto a site that hasn’t been approved yet, you’ll get a notification. So unless you hear otherwise, you can be sure everyone on-site is good to go.
Oversight – Get the big picture view of all H&S activity taking place
- Monitor H&S activity with dashboards – You’ll be able to see all H&S activity at a project or company level. For the first time, you will have full visibility of all H&S activity taking place on-site, from employees to contractors.
- Create a record of good health and safety practices over time – All reports created on-site will be automatically sent to you and stored for safe keeping. Say goodbye to paperwork and filing.
Managing your contractors and ensuring their safety on-site is non-negotiable, so make it simpler, and let our digital and automated tools do the heavy lifting. Get in touch with the HazardCo team to find out more about these pre-qualification tools, and how we can help you to manage contractor safety on-site.
There’s an easier way to kick off projects, and it’s with HazardCo. Cut the time you spend on health and safety admin, without cutting corners!
If you’re the principal contractor, you need to have a clear plan in place that everyone is aware of (including your workers and contractors).
Get started with all corners covered:
- Answer a couple of questions and a personalised site-specific safety plan will be automatically generated for you
- Set-up your new project in minutes, add your contractors and the site-specific safety plan can be automatically be sent to them
- Receive site signage for your site
- Get stuck into it
What does my team have to do?
Get tradies, contractors and anyone else stepping foot on-site to download the HazardCo app and you’re all set. Did we mention it’s free to download?
A quick scan of the onsite QR code with the app allows everyone to induct themselves as they turn up.
Start your project the right way. HazardCo will help you to nail your health and safety before you start the build and throughout the life of the project – giving you one less thing to worry about and helping you get your team and contractors home safe at the end of every day.
We’ve heard all sorts of myths and misconceptions when it comes to health and safety. We’re here to debunk some of the more common ones we hear.
H&S admin takes too long on site, it slows us down.
Back in the day we’d agree with you on this one, however times have changed. With the HazardCo system you can complete your health and safety quickly and easily.
Did you know our members reduced health and safety admin time by 50% when they switched from paper systems? Our easy to use app will guide you through what needs to be done to ensure you’re on top of your health and safety.
I’m not going to have an incident on site, I’ve been doing this for years and I’m not silly.
Even if you haven’t had an incident on-site for a long time, it doesn’t mean you never will. In fact, the more often you’re exposed to a risk, the less your brain perceives the significance of the risk, although the level of risk has not changed.
Project sites are constantly changing which could mean new hazards come up as the build progresses. It’s important to regularly review your health and safety measures on-site and continually make changes where necessary.
HazardCo helps you to stay on top of your health and safety at all times. Learn about the common incidents on-site and how to reduce the risk.
I don’t need to worry about health and safety because I’m a small builder, the Regulators have bigger fish to fry.
The role of WorkSafe and SafeWork is to reduce workplace harm. Stats show there continues to be a large number of incidents happening on residential building sites, which is why it continues to be a focus of WorkSafe and SafeWork. WorkSafe and SafeWork often issue safety alerts on recent issues and focus areas, such as height related incidents on resi sites.
It’s important to focus on health and safety not just because of the regulators, but because it can keep your workers and other people safe on-site.
Staying on top of your health and safety can mean:
- Getting everyone home safe at the end of every day
- A happier and healthier workplace
- Less incidents, which means less worker injury claims, costs to your business and less downtime investigating and resolving HS issues
It’s fine for me to use the same safety plan on all my sites because the houses I build are really similar.
A WHS Management Plan / Health and Safety Coordination plan must be specific to the site.
Sure, some key hazards and risks will be the same across projects, therefore certain content may remain the same from project to project however it’s essential that a site specific plan is reviewed and amended for each project.
It’s up to the contractors and subbies on site to make sure they are safe, it’s not up to me as the building company.
Construction work requires many businesses to be involved in the same task or activity (for example suppliers, contractors, and building owners).
There may be multiple people or businesses that are responsible for the duty of care to workers and others on-site. Therefore, more than one person can have the same duty. When it comes to sharing certain duties, everyone is responsible.
If you’re a Principal Contractor, you also have additional health and safety obligations relating to the project site. Find out more about sharing health and safety duties in construction.
I don’t need to report or investigate near misses, as nothing happened.
Near misses should be considered the same as an incident. But often they aren’t. We often find that near misses are very rarely reported, and actually brushed off.
Near misses are just as dangerous as actual incidents. If you’ve had a near miss, you might have got lucky but someone else might not. Treat near misses as a free learning tool to review your processes and the controls in place to prevent more serious incidents from occurring.
No matter how big or small, report all near misses and incidents so you can all learn from them.
Don’t take near misses lightly. Report the incident as soon as it happens with the HazardCo App. Read more about the importance of reporting and recording near misses
I don’t need to worry about managing ‘Health’ when it comes to Health and Safety on-site.
Health can often be overlooked in the construction industry, but it’s a big contributor to time off work and workers compensation costs across Australia. Both physical and mental health risks can significantly impact the health of your workers and negatively impact your business if not taken seriously.
Get the best from your team and work safer and healthier. Find out more about the importance of looking after you and your worker’s physical and mental health.
We know chatting to your team about health and safety isn’t the most exciting topic, however it is the most important! Health and safety is the responsibility of everyone on-site, so it’s important to get your team and subbies involved. Thankfully it’s easy to get started, simply scan in/out of site every day.
As the main builder on-site, one of the timesaving HazardCo tools at your fingertips is the site-specific QR code located on your HazardCo Hazard Board. Getting everyone to scan in and out every day benefits you because:
- Even if you’re not on-site you still know who is – and it’s all saved in your HazardCo Hub so you can check the site history whenever you need to.
- Anyone scanning in for the first time can complete a site induction where the worker is made aware of important site specific information such as emergency contacts and site safety rules.
- Gives workers quick and easy access to the Site Specific Safety Plan (SSSP) which covers important information around some key things like:
- health and safety roles and responsibilities
- Key hazards and control measures onsite
- Incident and emergency management
- On Project Plus sites, HazardCo’s Digital Site Noticeboard feature enables workers scanning in the ability to view site specific notices on their HazardCo App, where you can communicate any hazards or risks that may be present on-site.
- Simply scanning in gives people an important daily reminder to be aware of health and safety – and we all know the more we think and talk about safety , the more we look out for hazards and ways to control the risks on-site.
- Getting everyone’s participation shares the health and safety responsibility with everyone on-site.
If previously you’ve had subbies or team members who don’t use the QR code to scan in/out daily, here are a few ideas to get them using the QR code regularly:
- Use your next Toolbox Meeting to walk everyone through the process of scanning in and out using the QR code on your Hazard Boards, making sure the team has the HazardCo App downloaded and set up.
- If you need to use some incentive, you could shout the team pizza and a cold beverage on Friday afternoon if everyone scans in and out every day that week… it gets the team working together to remind each other.
- You could make it part of your contract with any new subbies, and add it to the employment agreement you have with your own team. Or, go a step further and require subbies to be HazardCo members in order to win contracts on your projects.
There are lots of good reasons to get everyone scanning that QR code so get your team on board with it today.
The Toolbox Meeting feature on the HazardCo App means you’ll no longer have to carry around paperwork for your meetings. Our app makes it easy for you to keep energy levels high and hold everyone’s attention with short and focused talks. With the HazardCo App running on your smartphone, you can easily move the meeting to the most relevant place on-site. One man band? No worries, you can use the toolbox feature to capture conversations when you talk to other subbies on-site.
On the HazardCo App, the Toolbox Meeting feature guides you through a team chat with an easy to follow guide that helps you cover all the necessary points and capture key details as you go. It means you don’t need to do any special preparation for your toolbox meeting, just make the time, follow the app, and you’ll get a completed report on the Hub at the end which you can download or email to others. Plus, save yourself some time by using your voice to text feature on your phone which comes as part of most Android and iPhone devices, look for the microphone icon on the keyboard pop up. You can also record attendees with a photo.
Using HazardCo Toolbox Meetings gives you another easy way to keep the team involved too – simply get someone different to run the meeting each week. It keeps everyone thinking more about health and safety, and it shares the admin around. And did you know that the Toolbox Meeting feature isn’t just for toolboxes, you can also use it to conduct safety meetings, pre-start meetings, and committee meetings.
Toolbox Meetings are a vital component of keeping your site safe, and with HazardCo in the palm of your hand, you have all the tools you need for great toolbox meetings with your wider crew.
HazardCo was created by tradies, for tradies. We understand that on-site risks change, all day, every day, and have experienced what happens when they aren’t well managed first hand. So we formed HazardCo to help tradies get their health and safety sorted – and help you to feel confident that you’re doing the right thing.
HazardCo’s digital health and safety solution uses everyday technology to help you complete all your health and safety requirements – all from your back pocket. Plus, HazardCo helps you to cut back on paperwork and saves you time by using straightforward templates and reports, which are full of tips and suggestions to give you the confidence you have it all covered.
You can use the HazardCo App on your smartphone to create a SWMS, Toolbox Meeting, Site Review, Risk Assessment, Incident Report, Vehicle Checklist, and more. The app is packed with simple-to-use tools that guide you through each of these activities, making them super quick and easy to complete. The HazardCo App enables our members to feel confident that they are on top of their health and safety from anywhere, at any time – whether they’re on-site, taking a coffee break, or even at home after a long day at work.
HazardCo takes the hassle out of getting your team on board because the app is free to download for everyone on-site; this includes subbies, your team, and also visitors to your site. This means that at the site scan-in board all they need to do is use the app or your camera to scan the QR code when they sign in and out which gives you the visibility of knowing who has been on-site and when without having to be there in person. Plus, there’s no need for loads of paperwork and meetings the first time someone arrives on-site – all they need to do is scan in and complete their induction on their smartphone. It’s simple, smart, and time-saving while also giving you the confidence of knowing you have your bases covered.
Along with the app, being a HazardCo member also gives you access to the HazardCo Hub – our digital tool for setting up new projects. All of the information you need is stored online meaning that you can login from anywhere, at any time. Plus, you can use the hub to view, download, and review activity reports, including site reviews, risk assessments, and inductions.
Good health and safety practices are about more than just following the rules; they’re about doing the right thing to keep you and your team safe. HazardCo’s smart digital tools save you time and paperwork, giving you the confidence that you’re doing everything you can to keep your team safe.
We’re proud to announce we now offer WHS / OHS advice and incident support alongside our popular digital tools!
We are offering this service to all members for no additional cost, because we want you to feel confident you are keeping your crew and business safe.
Health and safety is complicated, so whether you are in the office or on-site, if you have a question, are feeling unsure, or have an incident, give our team of experts a call and we will set you right.
Our advisory team is available during working hours to help you with any WHS/OHS questions or problems that may come up. All you need to do is give them a call on 1800 954 702 between the hours of 8am-4pm and they’ll be there to guide you.
These services are available at no additional cost, it’s just another one of the great benefits and features that comes with your standard or premium HazardCo membership. Plus, you’ll receive updates to ensure that your health and safety programme remains fully compliant and up to date.
Our team of advisors has years of experience across multiple industries and will be able to give you a hand with any queries you may have, including:
- What type of documentation is expected from you
- What the controls should be for the task you’re about to do
- Advice for managing contractors on-site
- Understanding WorkSafe visits and notices
- How to keep contractors and visitors safe in your workplace
- Understanding asbestos works, requirements, where to find it, and training
We know that incidents on-site can be stressful and it can be hard to know what you need to report and the right process to follow. Give us a call and we will guide you through what you need to do.
Call 1800 954 702 if you’re in need of a hand.
These days everything is digital. Your payroll is managed online, you keep your team organised via email, and you can even order lunch straight to your site with just a few taps. So why are you still getting bogged down by Health and Safety paperwork?
HazardCo helps reduce the H&S burden with smart online tools to help you cut back on paperwork. Plus, it’s a time saver with its straightforward templates and reports which are full of tips and suggestions to give you the confidence that you have all your bases covered.
You can create a SWMS Risk Assessment, Toolbox Meeting, Site Review, Incident Report, or Vehicle Checklist using the HazardCo App on your smartphone or tablet. The app has tools to guide you through each of these tasks, making them a breeze to complete anywhere, and at any time. No longer will H&S be a taxing task because HazardCo members can stay on top of their H&S whenever it works for them, whether that be on-site, while grabbing a morning coffee, or pretty much anywhere that works for them.
We’ve found that people who have embraced going digital as part of their H&S strategy have seen it remove roadblocks, distractions, and excuses – because when you have H&S in the palm of your hand, you can’t not do it. Plus it leads to a safer worksite when H&S is the focus of people’s thoughts and actions.
At HazardCo, we understand the importance of H&S for keeping your team engaged, on track, communicating, and most importantly, safe.
If you haven’t gone digital with your H&S there’s no better time than now. Builders and tradies can start their free seven day trial today and see the difference that HazardCo can make for your H&S plan.
With HazardCo, you don’t need to be on-site to know what’s happening. At the click of a button, the HazardCo Hub will show you who’s on-site, and it’s all available to you at any time, from anywhere.
It all works using a QR code:
- When you create a new Project in the Hub, it automatically creates a site specific QR code.
- Your site hazard board arrives with the QR code printed on it.
- Every time someone enters or leaves your site, they scan the QR code using the free HazardCo App then the App sends the info to your Hub.
- The QR code links activity to your project, and the details of who has scanned on/off site is stored in your Hub straight away, so you can see on-site health and safety activity as it happens.
Likewise, any H&S reports created on-site via the App are updated to the Hub straight away. This includes:
- Scanning on/off site, so you know who’s there at any time.
- Site inductions as soon as they’re completed.
- H&S reports completed by members of your team via the App e.g. Toolbox Meetings, Site Reviews, Risk Assessments, SWMS, and Incident Reports.
- Any completed H&S activity shared by your subbies… yes, if they’re HazardCo members they can easily share their reports straight from the App into your project on your Hub.
The QR code is the link between all on-site H&S activity and your project in the Hub. When you get everyone on-site using HazardCo’s digital system, you’ll always have a real time view of the activity happening on your site, even when you can’t be there yourself.
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