In navigating Management Plans for Work Health and Safety, WorkCover Queensland underscores the utility of a WHS management plan for principal contractors.
Before initiating work on a construction project, the principal contractor is mandated to craft a clear and comprehensible WHS management plan for the workplace. This plan should articulate:
- The names, positions, and health and safety responsibilities of individuals at the workplace with specific roles tied to health and safety aspects of the project.
- Collaborative arrangements among persons conducting a business or undertaking at the workplace, ensuring consultation, cooperation, and coordinated efforts to fulfill their duties.
- Protocols for handling work health and safety incidents.
- Site-specific health and safety rules, with provisions for ensuring all individuals at the workplace are informed of these rules.
- Mechanisms for collecting, assessing, monitoring, and reviewing safe work method statements at the workplace.
The plan, bearing the signature and date of the principal contractor, must remain accessible throughout the project duration. In the event of a notifiable incident related to the construction project, the WHS management plan must be retained for at least two years post-incident.
Additionally, the principal contractor assumes responsibility for signing and dating received safe work method statements, preserving them alongside the plan, and overseeing their implementation. Work cannot commence unless the plan has been discussed with or a copy provided to all pertinent individuals and is readily available for inspection.
Periodic reviews and necessary revisions to the WHS management plan are the responsibility of the principal contractor, particularly when there are alterations in how risks are managed. Ensuring that relevant parties are informed of these revisions is an integral part of the principal contractor's role in maintaining a safe work environment on the construction project.