Document control is absent
Nobody can say which revision is current, superseded versions are still in use, and the site copy differs from the office copy. Everything downstream of this is unreliable, because you cannot evidence what people were working to.
Verification is written down but never done
The system says controls are verified weekly. There are no records of verification, or the records are a tick with no observation attached. The control exists on paper and nowhere else.
Competency lives in somebody memory
The supervisor knows who is ticketed for what. There is no register, the tickets are not held, and expiry dates are not tracked. It works until that person is on leave or leaves.
Subcontractor management stops at pre-qualification
Documents are collected before the subcontractor mobilises and never looked at again. The SWMS accepted at tender is the one in use in month five, after the method, the crew and the site have all changed.
The system describes a different company
It was written when the business was smaller, or bought from someone whose work is different. It references roles that do not exist and activities nobody performs. People stop using it, which looks like a culture problem and is actually a fit problem.
Incidents produce reports, not changes
Investigations are completed and filed. No document, control or practice changes as a result. The same incident type recurs, and the records show it was investigated each time.
Nothing has a review trigger
Documents are reviewed annually, if at all, with no trigger tied to change. A new scope, a new client, a new plant item or a new crew is exactly when the system needs attention, and exactly when nobody has time.
Common questions
How do you find gaps in a safety management system?
Follow one real activity end to end through the system and see where the line breaks. Element-by-element checklists find missing documents; tracing an activity finds missing control.
What is the most serious gap?
Absent document control, because it undermines the evidential value of everything else. If you cannot establish what was current, you cannot establish what anyone was working to.
Where we work. Standard service area: Gold Coast, Logan, Brisbane, Moreton Bay and Sunshine Coast. Outside this area, contact Obras for availability and a tailored quote — additional travel and site attendance costs may apply.
General information only. This guide describes common construction practice. It is not legal advice and it is not a substitute for the WHS legislation applying in your jurisdiction, which differs between states and territories. Obras does not certify or guarantee compliance — nobody honestly can. Your officers keep every duty under the WHS Act.