Pre-qualification tells you about the office
A subcontractor who supplies a thorough set of documents has an office that can produce documents. That is worth knowing and it is not the same as how they work.
Treat pre-qualification as a filter, not as the control.
Before mobilisation
- Insurances current, for the right activities and amounts.
- Licences and registrations appropriate to the work.
- SWMS for the activities they will actually perform on this site.
- Competency evidence for the people who will attend, not a general statement.
- Plant they are bringing, with registration and inspection records.
In the first week on site
This is the window where verification is cheap and still possible. Review the SWMS again now that the conditions are known. Watch the first instance of each high-risk activity. Confirm the people on site are the people whose competencies you hold.
Problems found in week one are a conversation. The same problems found in month four are a dispute.
Ongoing — managing drift
- Crews change. Verify competency against who is on site now, not who was inducted.
- Methods change. A SWMS accepted at mobilisation may no longer describe the work.
- Plant changes. Hired replacements arrive without the records that came with the original.
- Scope creeps. Subcontractors are asked to do work outside what was assessed.
Record verification, not just collection
A register showing documents were received proves receipt. A record showing an activity was observed against its controls, on a date, by a named person, proves verification. The second is what answers questions afterwards.
When a subcontractor will not comply
Decide early and record the position. The pattern that causes the most damage is a long series of informal warnings with no record, followed by an incident, after which there is no evidence that anything was raised.
Common questions
Who is responsible for subcontractor safety on a construction site?
Duties overlap rather than transfer. The subcontractor holds duties for their own workers and work; the principal contractor holds duties for the site and for coordination. A contract cannot move a WHS duty.
How often should subcontractor compliance be verified?
At mobilisation, at the first instance of each high-risk activity, and then at a frequency matched to the risk and to how much the work and crew are changing.
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.