WHS consultation records for shared worksites in Australia

Several businesses can work in the same building or construction area and affect the same people. One contractor may control a task, a host business may control access, and another may operate plant nearby. A consultation record is useful when it shows what each party knew, which risks were discussed, what was agreed and who will act. A list of attendees without decisions is weaker evidence of coordination.

This guide concerns consultation and coordination records between duty holders on a shared Australian worksite, including relevant worker consultation. Safe Work Australia's WHS consultation duties guidance explains the model framework. The model code has legal effect only where approved, and local WHS law varies. Check the state or territory regulator rather than applying one nationwide form requirement.

Identify the shared matter and the people affected

Start with the work and risk: for example, forklift traffic through a tenant corridor, an electrical shutdown affecting several employers, or two contractors using a shared roof access point. Identify each person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) with a duty in relation to that matter and the workers who are or may be directly affected. Include health and safety representatives where applicable. A meeting with company managers alone may miss the people who know how the work actually happens.

Record which business controls the area, plant, timing and work method. Duties can overlap and cannot be transferred away by a contract. Safe Work Australia's coordination guidance stresses exchange of information so businesses can work out who will do what. The record should show the resulting arrangement, not a claim that one contractor has accepted all legal responsibility.

Share information before seeking agreement

Provide the information needed for a meaningful discussion: work scope, location, timing, known hazards, people exposed and proposed controls. Ask what the other businesses know about the site or their own work. A tenant may know a delivery route is busiest at a different time; a contractor may know its equipment produces dust or noise beyond the work zone. Use that information to change the plan where needed.

Consultation is not a late request for signatures on a decision already made. Record material alternatives and concerns, particularly where workers or another duty holder challenge a control. That does not mean every suggestion must be adopted; it means the decision and reasons should be clear enough for the affected parties to understand.

Capture outcomes and action owners

Safe Work Australia says consultation records are generally good practice and should cover the safety matter, affected people, participants, issues, decision, reasons, action owner, deadline and completion. It does not describe a single mandatory format for every shared workplace. A concise record can be effective if it captures those elements and is available to the people who need it.

Separate agreed controls from unresolved questions. If a contractor must revise a method statement or the host must close an access route, give each a named owner and date. Specify who will communicate the change to workers and who will verify the control before work starts. The record should link to related permits, risk assessments or traffic plans without pretending the consultation note replaces them.

Reconsult when the work changes

The arrangement may fail if the sequence, personnel or site occupancy changes. Agree trigger points: new subcontractor, unexpected hazard, changed plant route, incident or repeated complaint. When a trigger occurs, bring the relevant parties back together and update the decision record. Preserve the earlier version so it is clear why the plan changed. A single pre-project meeting cannot cover all later interfaces.

Where a worker raises an immediate risk, use the workplace's hazard response process. Do not wait for a formal consultation meeting while people remain exposed. The consultation record can show what action followed after the immediate control was applied.

Example: a shared loading area

A building owner, warehouse tenant and maintenance contractor plan repairs beside a loading bay. The tenant describes peak delivery periods; the contractor explains the lift equipment and exclusion zone. Workers point out that a pedestrian entrance crosses the proposed zone. The parties move the work to a quieter period, close the entrance temporarily, agree who installs barriers and who informs delivery drivers. The record names each action and the pre-start verification. When an urgent delivery is later added, the parties revisit the route rather than relying on the original meeting minutes.

Do not let a digital form dictate who gets heard. For example, a short night-shift crew may not attend the daytime coordination meeting but may face the changed traffic route. Plan a way to obtain their input and tell them the final decision. The record can link the night-shift discussion to the same safety matter, making clear whether a concern was resolved or remains open before changed work begins.

Evaluate the record workflow

For repeated shared-site work, test whether the process can connect the matter, duty holders, worker input, decision, actions and later revisions. Different businesses may not use the same software, so the record should be exportable or otherwise shareable with appropriate access controls. A central database does not itself create consultation; people must actually exchange information and consider the response.

The mapped Complys Australian WHS software page is the broader product destination. Verify current functions before relying on them. This guide does not claim Complys conducts consultation, allocates legal duties or proves that a control is effective simply because a task is marked complete.