WHS Audits for Australian Businesses
Understand exactly where your WHS system stands, find the gaps before someone else does, and leave with a prioritised action plan rather than a list of criticisms.
Who this is for
- Businesses preparing for a client, head contractor or certification audit
- Organisations that have never had their system independently reviewed
- Boards and management teams wanting assurance rather than assumption
- Businesses that have had an incident and need an objective look
Problems it solves
- Documented procedures that do not match what happens on site
- Registers and records that stopped being maintained
- Risk assessments that were never reviewed after the work changed
- Training records that cannot be produced on request
- Corrective actions raised months ago and never closed out
- Contractor documentation collected once and never verified again
What is included
- Agreed audit scope and criteria set before we start
- Documentation and records review
- Site verification, worker interviews and observation of actual practice
- Findings rated by risk with clear evidence for each
- A prioritised corrective action plan with practical recommendations
- A close-out discussion with your management team
What you receive
- Written audit report with risk-rated findings and evidence
- Prioritised corrective action plan with suggested owners and timeframes
- Executive summary suitable for management or board reporting
- Close-out briefing with your team
Process
How the engagement runs
- 01
Initial consultation
We confirm what the audit is for: internal assurance, a client requirement, certification readiness or post-incident review.
- 02
Scope and criteria
We agree what is being audited and against what. An audit without defined criteria is just an opinion.
- 03
Document review
Policies, procedures, risk assessments, registers, training records and contractor documentation, reviewed before the site visit.
- 04
Site assessment
Verification on the ground. What is actually happening, what workers understand, and whether the controls exist in practice.
- 05
Findings and report
Risk-rated findings with supporting evidence, plus a prioritised corrective action plan.
- 06
Close-out support
We walk your team through the report and stay available while actions are closed.
FAQs
WHS Audits questions we are asked
- What happens during a WHS audit?
- We agree the scope and criteria, review your documentation and records, then verify on site whether the documented arrangements are actually in place. That usually includes observing work, speaking with workers and supervisors, and checking whether records support what the system claims. You then receive a report with risk-rated findings and a corrective action plan.
- How long does a WHS audit take?
- A single-site audit for a small business is often completed in a day onsite plus report preparation. A multi-site or full management system audit takes longer. We give you an estimated duration in the written scope before starting.
- What documentation do we need to provide?
- Typically your WHS policy and procedures, risk assessments and SWMS, incident and hazard registers, training and induction records, plant and equipment records, contractor documentation, and any previous audit or inspection reports. If something does not exist, that is a finding, not a reason to delay.
- What is the difference between an internal and an external WHS audit?
- An internal audit is conducted by or on behalf of your own organisation for your own assurance and improvement. An external audit is conducted by an independent party, often on behalf of a client, a certification body or a scheme. Premier conducts independent audits for your own assurance and to prepare you for third-party audits. We are not a certification body.
- What happens after the audit?
- You receive the report and action plan, and we brief your team on it. From there you can close the actions yourself, or engage us to help develop the documentation, controls or training that the findings call for.
Industries we apply this in
Next step
Need confidence in your current WHS system?
An independent audit tells you where you stand before a client, a regulator or an incident does.