Is your trade business WHS-compliant?
Answer 15 plain questions the way a WHS auditor would ask them — across SWMS, induction, hazard management, licensing, first aid and PPE. You'll get a compliance score, a clear banding and a prioritised list of what to fix first.
~4 minutes · 15 questions · No login to start
SWMS & Planning
Induction & Training
Hazard Management
Licensing & Competency
First Aid & Emergency
PPE & Safety Equipment
Insurance & Documentation
About this tool
SWMS & Safety Compliance Checker
Work health and safety is one of the heaviest obligations a trades or construction business carries, and it is easy to fall behind on the paperwork that proves you are meeting it. A Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) is required before any high-risk construction work starts, but SWMS are only one piece — inductions, licences and competencies, hazard and incident registers, first aid and emergency plans, PPE, and current workers compensation cover all sit alongside them under Australia's model WHS laws. When work is busy, these controls slip out of date quietly, and the gaps only surface when an auditor asks or, worse, after an incident. The SWMS & Safety Compliance Checker gives you a plain-English picture of where your business actually stands before either of those moments arrives.
How it works
The tool walks you through fifteen yes/no questions grouped into seven areas: SWMS and planning, induction and training, hazard management, licensing and competency, first aid and emergency, PPE and safety equipment, and insurance and documentation. Each question is framed the way a WHS auditor would ask it — do you have a SWMS for all high-risk construction work, are they signed by the relevant workers, do workers hold the required high-risk work licences, is your workers compensation cover current, do you record near-misses. It scores the share of obligations you have in place, bands the result, and breaks the score down by category so you can see which area is weakest. Every "no" becomes an item in a prioritised action plan — critical gaps first — each paired with a practical fix that points you to your state or territory regulator's free templates and guidance. It also flags the maximum penalties that the most serious offences under the model WHS Act can attract, and directs you to Safe Work Australia and your state regulator to confirm the current figures, because those maxima are indexed and differ across jurisdictions. It is a self-assessment for your own picture, not a compliance certification or legal advice.
Who it’s for
Owners of trades, building and construction businesses who want a fast, honest read on their WHS and SWMS compliance and a clear list of what to fix first.
- SWMS are mandatory before high-risk construction work begins, but they are only one control among several — inductions, high-risk work licences, hazard and near-miss registers, emergency plans, PPE and current workers compensation cover all form part of your WHS obligations.
- The check scores fifteen obligations across seven categories, then turns every gap into a prioritised action plan with critical items first, each tied to the free templates and guidance your state or territory regulator publishes.
- The most serious offences under the model WHS Act carry substantial statutory maximum penalties for the business, its officers and individual workers — always confirm the current, jurisdiction-specific figures with Safe Work Australia or your state regulator, as they are indexed and vary.
Frequently asked questions
Do I really need a SWMS, and for what work?
A Safe Work Method Statement is required under the model WHS Regulations before any high-risk construction work starts — there are defined categories of high-risk construction work covering things like working at heights, near live services, in confined spaces or with mobile plant. The SWMS sets out the hazards, the control measures and how they will be implemented, and it should be prepared for the specific site, reviewed when the work or conditions change, and signed by the workers doing the task. Your state or territory regulator publishes free SWMS templates and a current list of the high-risk activities, which is the best place to confirm exactly what applies to your jobs.
What can non-compliance actually cost my business?
The model WHS Act sets out tiered offences, and the most serious category carries the highest statutory maximum penalties — these can apply to the business as a body corporate, to officers and directors personally, and to individual workers, and the most serious offences can also carry the possibility of imprisonment. These are maximum penalties a court can impose, not typical or expected fines, and they are indexed over time and differ across jurisdictions — Victoria and Western Australia run their own regimes. The tool shows the exposure so you understand the stakes, but you should verify the current figures and how they apply to you with your state or territory WHS regulator.
I'm a small operator — is all of this compliance really coordinated anywhere, or is it just on me?
For most owner-run trades businesses it lands squarely on the owner, and that is exactly the problem this check surfaces. SWMS live with one person, licence renewals with another, the workers comp certificate somewhere else, and near-misses often go unrecorded entirely — so no one has the whole picture and gaps open up unseen. That scattering of responsibilities is what Valont calls the coordination tax and founder dependency: the safety, admin and compliance load that quietly rests on you rather than a connected back office. Closing the gaps this tool finds, and keeping the records current in one place, is a first step toward taking that load off your own shoulders.