Health & Safety (HSWA 2015)
Managing site health and safety obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015: hazards, incidents, toolbox talks, SSSP, and inductions.
The Health & Safety module provides a structured digital H&S management system aligned with the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA 2015) and its associated regulations. It covers the five core obligations for construction sites: hazard identification, incident reporting, worker inductions, toolbox talks, and the Site-Specific Safety Plan (SSSP).
HSWA 2015 Duty of Care
Under HSWA 2015, a PCBU (Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking) must, so far as is reasonably practicable, ensure the health and safety of workers and others affected by the work. Maintaining contemporaneous H&S records is a key evidential requirement for demonstrating due diligence under s44.
The Five H&S Sub-Tabs
| Tab | Purpose | HSWA 2015 Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Hazards | Identify, assess (likelihood × consequence), and control site hazards | s30 — managing risks |
| Incidents | Record near-misses, injuries, and notifiable events with timestamped evidence | s56 — notifiable events |
| Toolbox Talks | Log pre-work safety briefings with topic, attendees, and duration | s39 — worker engagement |
| SSSP | Upload and version-control the Site-Specific Safety Plan document | Health and Safety in Employment Regulations 1995 r6 |
| Inductions | Record worker induction completions with date and inducting supervisor | s36 — worker training |
Hazard Register
The Hazard Register logs all identified site hazards. Each hazard entry includes:
- Hazard description — what the hazard is and where it exists on site
- Risk rating — likelihood (1–5) × consequence (1–5) = risk score
- Control measures — elimination, substitution, isolation, engineering, administrative, or PPE controls
- Control owner — the person responsible for implementing and monitoring the control
- Review date — when the hazard assessment is next due for review
- Status — Open / Controlled / Closed
Hierarchy of Controls
HSWA 2015 s30 requires that controls be applied in order of effectiveness: (1) Eliminate the hazard, (2) Minimise by substitution, isolation, or engineering controls, (3) Administrative controls, (4) PPE as a last resort. The Hazard Register prompts you to select the highest-level control practicable.
Incident Reporting
- 1Click + New Incident in the Incidents tab.
- 2Select the incident type: Near Miss / First Aid / Medical Treatment / Lost Time Injury / Notifiable Event.
- 3Enter: date and time, location on site, persons involved (name and role), description of what happened, and immediate actions taken.
- 4For notifiable events (serious injury, serious illness, or death), the system displays the WorkSafe NZ notification hotline (0800 030 040) and the requirement to preserve the site.
- 5Attach photos or documents as supporting evidence.
- 6Click Save. Each incident is timestamped server-side under Evidence Act 2006 standards.
Notifiable Events — Immediate Action Required
Under HSWA 2015 s56, a PCBU must notify WorkSafe NZ immediately when a notifiable event occurs (death, notifiable injury, or notifiable illness). The site must be preserved until WorkSafe grants permission to disturb it. Contact WorkSafe immediately on 0800 030 040 — do not rely solely on this platform.
Toolbox Talks
A toolbox talk is a short pre-work safety briefing (typically 5–15 minutes) covering a specific safety topic relevant to the day's work. The Toolbox Talks tab records:
- Date, time, and duration
- Safety topic (e.g., 'Working at Heights', 'Electrical Isolation', 'Manual Handling')
- Presenter name and role
- Attendee list (names)
- Key points covered and any actions arising
Site-Specific Safety Plan (SSSP)
Upload your SSSP PDF document. The SSSP tab maintains a version history — each new upload creates a new version record with a timestamp and the name of the person who uploaded it. Previous versions remain accessible for audit purposes.
Worker Inductions
Record a completed induction for each worker who accesses the site. Each induction record captures: worker name, role, company, date of induction, and inducting supervisor. This provides the evidential record required under HSWA 2015 s36 that workers have received adequate training and supervision.
H&S PDF Export
Use Export H&S Report to generate a consolidated PDF covering all five tabs for a specified date range. The export is formatted for submission to the principal contractor or inclusion in project handover documentation. Each page carries the Evidence Act 2006-compliant server timestamp.
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