What are the Work Health & Safety Management Guidelines (Edition 6)?

December 2019 update:  ProcurePoint have released Edition 6 of the Work Health & Safety Management Guidelines (Edition 6), prior to this the WHSMS & Auditing Guidelines (Edition 5) was released in September 2013 and updated in May 2014 but there have been no additional changes until 2019. Based on the new requirements in Edition 6, we have updated this webpage to provide clear guidance. 

The Work Health & Safety Management Guidelines (Edition 6) was developed with the goal of enabling NSW agencies which undertake construction work and infrastructure projects to work with the construction industry so as to improve safety outcomes for all construction industry participants, and facilitate a consistent minimum standard across all NSW government construction projects that must be met. Construction companies wishing to tender for construction work valued above $1 million or more must comply with these guidelines. 

I'm already certified to AS/NZS 4801 or ISO 45001, do I need to do anything else to tender for projects?

No, previously the Edition 5 guidelines required companies to undergo an accreditation audit conducted by an Exemplar Global (formerly RAB-QSA) certified Lead Auditor for OHS using the checklist provided in the guidelines but this requirement has been removed with the release of Edition 6. Now the requirement is that you have been certified by a JAS-ANZ accredited Conformity Assessment Body to ISO 45001 or alternatively AS/NZS 4801 until March 2021 as per the guidelines. 

How is the Edition 6 criteria and checklist now used to evaluate our management system?

The checklist that was previously part of the Edition 5 guidelines still exists but in the new guidelines it is referred to as a sample audit checklist for NSW Government agencies to consider when planning audits on construction work projects. We've included the relevant table from the Edition 6 guidelines below which outlines when the audits are going to be conducted by the agency. 

It is worth noting that the WHSMP referred to in the above table needs to comply with the Edition 6 guidelines and this now won't be reviewed for Edition 6 compliance until you are starting a NSW Government Construction Project. 

Can I buy an Edition 6 compliant template?

Yes, our related company named ISO Templates sells an Edition 6 compliant Work Health and Safety Management System.

What does this mean if I am already accredited to Edition 5?

When the NSW Government previously updated from Edition 4 to Edition 5 there was a transition period of three years referred to in the guidelines as shown in the excerpt below from the Edition 5 guidelines:

There is no transition period mentioned in the Edition 6 guidelines so we have reached out to NSW Procurement Client Support Centre for guidance, based on the feedback from the Support Centre there is no defined transition period for Head Contractors who are already prequalified under Edition 5 will still be able to tender for projects but are encouraged to obtain certification to ISO 45001 or AS/NZS 4801 if they don't already have that.