OneSitePlan

WHS Management Plan · NSW, QLD, WA, SA, TAS, ACT, NT

The head contractor asked for your WHS Management Plan. Here’s where to start.

A WHS Management Plan sets out who is in charge, how trades will coordinate and what happens in an emergency. It is specific to the construction site, available to the people working there and updated as the job changes.

Why you are being asked

For construction projects meeting the applicable threshold, the principal contractor must prepare a written plan before work starts. The value test is A$250,000 or more in NSW, QLD, TAS and ACT; A$450,000 or more in SA; and A$1 million or more in NT. In NT, the former A$500,000 test still applies where construction work began before 28 May 2026.

WA is different: its construction-project definition uses five or more people working, or likely to work, on site at the same time. OneSitePlan asks for the peak headcount rather than relying on value alone.

If you are a subcontractor, clarify what the head contractor needs from you. Their site plan and your task-specific documents serve different purposes. A request from a client does not, by itself, determine who holds the principal contractor’s duties.

What the plan coordinates

  • The principal contractor, site supervisor and people with specific health and safety responsibilities
  • Consultation, cooperation and coordination between duty holders
  • Site rules and how people are informed of them
  • Incident and emergency arrangements
  • Collection, assessment, monitoring and review of safe work method statements

A management plan and a SWMS do different jobs

A SWMS addresses particular high-risk construction work. The management plan coordinates the site and the arrangements for managing that work. OneSitePlan lists your selected activities and includes a blank SWMS register. It does not write SWMS; each person carrying out the relevant work remains responsible for theirs.

Have this ready before you start

Site address, scope and construction value

Principal contractor’s legal name and ABN

Site supervisor’s name and mobile

Assembly point and hospital details

Working hours and first aid arrangements

Trades, hazards and plant expected on site

Answers save in this browser as you go. You can review and edit every section before creating your plan.

Inside the OneSitePlan document

  1. 1Project and site details — Address, value, hours, scope and contacts.
  2. 2Roles and responsibilities — Principal contractor, supervisor and people doing the work.
  3. 3Consultation and coordination — Briefings, representatives and shared work areas.
  4. 4Incidents and emergencies — Assembly point, hospital, first aid and incident arrangements.
  5. 5Site rules and induction — Access, protective equipment, housekeeping and sign-in.
  6. 6Work activities and SWMS collection — Selected hazards and arrangements to collect each trade’s SWMS. OneSitePlan does not write SWMS.
  7. 7Plant and temporary works — Your listed equipment, inspections and coordination.
  8. 8Review and amendment record — Keep track of changes as the job progresses.
  9. AAppendices — Emergency contacts; blank induction, subcontractor and SWMS registers.

Registers are supplied blank for your team to complete. Confirm all emergency arrangements, site controls and responsibilities; OneSitePlan cannot verify your site.

Check the source guidance

SafeWork NSW: undertaking a construction project

WorkSafe WA: construction work code of practice

Building in Victoria? Use the Victoria coordination plan guide.

Review before use. Not legal or work health and safety advice. The PCBU and principal contractor must check the plan against the site, consult workers and ensure suitability before use. The sample pages are fictional examples, not a complete plan for use.