How often should contractor prequalification be reviewed?

Contractor prequalification should be reviewed before each new engagement to confirm that licences, insurances and safety management systems remain current. For ongoing contractor relationships, a full prequalification review should be conducted at least annually. Public liability and workers compensation insurance certificates should be verified at each renewal date. If a contractor has a notifiable incident or a significant change in their safety management system, a reassessment should be triggered immediately regardless of the normal review cycle.

Can a PCBU transfer their duty of care to a contractor?

No. Under the WHS Act, a PCBU cannot transfer or contract out their primary duty of care by engaging a contractor to perform the work. The host PCBU retains their duties for the health and safety of contractors and their workers at the workplace. Engaging a contractor does not remove the PCBU obligation to identify and control risks, provide information about workplace hazards, consult and coordinate with the contractor and monitor safety performance. Both the host PCBU and the contractor PCBU hold concurrent duties.

What should be checked during contractor prequalification?

Contractor prequalification should verify current public liability insurance with adequate coverage, current workers compensation insurance, relevant trade licences and registrations, a documented WHS management plan or safety policy, incident and claims history for the past three years, evidence of worker training and competency, and references from previous engagements with similar scope. Some organisations also assess the contractor environmental management system, quality system and financial capacity.

What is the difference between contractor management and contractor induction?

Contractor induction is one step within the broader contractor management process. Induction covers the site-specific safety briefing delivered before the contractor starts work, including site rules, emergency procedures, hazards and PPE requirements. Contractor management encompasses the full lifecycle: prequalification and competence verification, risk assessment and SWMS review, site induction, ongoing monitoring and supervision, incident reporting, close-out evaluation and performance rating for future engagements.

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Free contractor management checklist (PDF-ready). Covers WHS Act Section 16 duties, prequalification, induction, monitoring and close-out. Download free.

Jarrod Milford

Commercial Director

Updated 3 May 2026

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What is a contractor management checklist?

A contractor management checklist is a structured document used by a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) to manage the health and safety of contractors throughout the full contractor lifecycle, from prequalification and engagement through induction, monitoring and close-out. The checklist ensures that each stage of the contractor relationship is addressed systematically, including verification of licences and insurances, risk assessment and method statement review, site induction, work monitoring, incident reporting and post-work evaluation. It is designed to demonstrate compliance with the PCBU duties under the WHS Act 2011, particularly Section 16 (PCBU definition), Section 19 (primary duty of care) and Section 46 (duty to consult, cooperate and coordinate with other duty holders).

Under the WHS Act, a PCBU who engages contractors remains a duty holder for the health and safety of those contractors and any workers they bring onto the workplace. The PCBU cannot transfer or contract out their duty of care by engaging a contractor to do the work. This means the host PCBU must have systems in place to verify contractor competence, communicate workplace hazards, monitor contractor safety performance and coordinate overlapping duties with other PCBUs on site. A contractor management checklist provides the documented framework for these obligations, reducing the risk of incidents and strengthening the PCBU legal position in the event of a regulatory investigation or prosecution.

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Benefits of using this contractor management checklist

Duty of care compliance: demonstrate that the PCBU has systems in place to manage contractor health and safety as required by the WHS Act Section 19.
Prequalification rigour: verify contractor licences, insurances, safety management systems, incident history and competency before engagement, reducing the risk of engaging unsafe contractors.
Coordination of duties: meet the Section 46 obligation to consult, cooperate and coordinate with contractors and other PCBUs on workplace health and safety matters.
Consistent process: ensure every contractor engagement follows the same documented steps from prequalification through close-out, regardless of project size or trade.
Incident reduction: systematic monitoring and verification of contractor safety performance identifies issues early and prevents repeat engagement of underperforming contractors.
Audit and investigation readiness: a completed checklist for each contractor engagement provides documented evidence for safety audits, client reviews, insurer assessments and regulator investigations.

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What to include in a contractor management checklist

This contractor management checklist covers 8 key areas:

PCBU and contractor details: host PCBU name, site address, project or contract reference, contractor company name, ABN, primary contact name, phone, email, scope of work, anticipated start and end dates.
Prequalification checks: current public liability insurance certificate (minimum coverage confirmed), current workers compensation insurance, relevant trade licences and registrations, WHS management plan or safety policy, recent incident and claims history, references from previous engagements.
Risk assessment review: contractor risk assessment and safe work method statement (SWMS) for high-risk construction work reviewed and accepted by the PCBU before work commences, hazard-specific controls confirmed.
Site induction: contractor induction completed before work starts, covering site rules, emergency procedures, evacuation routes, muster points, first aid, hazard identification, PPE requirements, permit-to-work requirements, environmental controls.
Permits and approvals: required permits to work issued (hot work, confined space, working at heights, excavation, electrical isolation), SWMS sign-on completed, task-specific approvals obtained.
Monitoring and supervision: schedule of site safety inspections during the work, toolbox talk attendance records, corrective action notices issued and closed, safety observations documented.
Incident and near-miss reporting: process for contractor incident and near-miss reporting confirmed, contact details for reporting provided, investigation and corrective action requirements communicated.
Close-out and evaluation: post-work safety performance evaluation completed, defects or outstanding corrective actions resolved, contractor safety rating recorded for future prequalification, work area inspected and signed off.

How to use this contractor management checklist

Complete the prequalification section before engaging the contractor, verifying licences, insurances, safety management system and incident history.: Request and verify copies of the contractor current public liability insurance certificate, workers compensation insurance, relevant trade licences and WHS management plan or policy. Review the contractor incident history for the past three years and check references from previous engagements. Record each verification item as confirmed or not confirmed, and do not proceed to engagement if any critical item is missing or expired.
Review and accept the contractor risk assessment and SWMS for the specific scope of work before granting site access.: Obtain the contractor risk assessment and SWMS for the work to be performed. Review each document to confirm that the identified hazards are consistent with the site conditions, the controls are appropriate and practicable, and the SWMS covers all high-risk construction work as defined in the WHS Regulations. Request amendments if the documents are incomplete or the controls are insufficient. Record the review date and the reviewer name.
Deliver the site induction covering site rules, emergency procedures, hazards, PPE requirements and permit-to-work obligations, and obtain a signed acknowledgement.: Use the site contractor induction checklist to brief the contractor on all site-specific requirements. Walk the contractor to the muster point and show them evacuation routes, fire extinguisher locations and first aid stations. Confirm the contractor has the required PPE in serviceable condition. The contractor must sign the induction acknowledgement before starting work. File the signed induction in the contractor safety register.
Monitor contractor safety performance during the work period through site inspections, toolbox talk attendance and corrective action tracking.: Conduct regular site safety inspections of the contractor work area, at a frequency proportionate to the risk level of the work. Record inspection findings, issue corrective action notices for any non-conformances and track them to closure. Verify the contractor is attending site toolbox talks. If safety performance is unsatisfactory, escalate to the contractor management and consider suspending work until the issues are resolved.
Complete the close-out section after work is finished, including a post-work safety evaluation, resolution of outstanding corrective actions and a contractor performance rating.: Inspect the work area to confirm it has been left in a safe and clean condition. Verify that all corrective action notices have been closed. Complete a contractor safety performance evaluation covering compliance with site rules, quality of SWMS, incident record, responsiveness to corrective actions and overall safety culture. Record the evaluation in the contractor register for use in future prequalification decisions.

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How often should you complete this checklist?

A contractor management checklist must be completed for every contractor engagement, from initial prequalification through to close-out. The prequalification section should be completed before each new engagement, or at least annually for ongoing contractor relationships, to ensure licences and insurances remain current. The induction section is completed before the contractor starts work on each new site or project. Monitoring activities occur throughout the work period at a frequency proportionate to the risk, typically weekly for high-risk construction work and monthly for lower-risk services. The close-out and evaluation section is completed at the end of each engagement. For long-duration contracts, a mid-term review using the full checklist is recommended to reassess contractor performance and verify ongoing compliance.

Frequently asked questions

What are a PCBU obligations for contractor management under the WHS Act?: Under the WHS Act 2011, a PCBU has a primary duty of care (Section 19) to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers and other persons at the workplace. This duty extends to contractors and their workers. Section 46 requires the PCBU to consult, cooperate and coordinate with other duty holders, including contractors who are themselves PCBUs. In practice, this means the host PCBU must verify contractor competence, communicate workplace hazards, provide site inductions, monitor contractor safety performance and coordinate overlapping work activities.
How often should contractor prequalification be reviewed?: Contractor prequalification should be reviewed before each new engagement to confirm that licences, insurances and safety management systems remain current. For ongoing contractor relationships, a full prequalification review should be conducted at least annually. Public liability and workers compensation insurance certificates should be verified at each renewal date. If a contractor has a notifiable incident or a significant change in their safety management system, a reassessment should be triggered immediately regardless of the normal review cycle.
Can a PCBU transfer their duty of care to a contractor?: No. Under the WHS Act, a PCBU cannot transfer or contract out their primary duty of care by engaging a contractor to perform the work. The host PCBU retains their duties for the health and safety of contractors and their workers at the workplace. Engaging a contractor does not remove the PCBU obligation to identify and control risks, provide information about workplace hazards, consult and coordinate with the contractor and monitor safety performance. Both the host PCBU and the contractor PCBU hold concurrent duties.
What should be checked during contractor prequalification?: Contractor prequalification should verify current public liability insurance with adequate coverage, current workers compensation insurance, relevant trade licences and registrations, a documented WHS management plan or safety policy, incident and claims history for the past three years, evidence of worker training and competency, and references from previous engagements with similar scope. Some organisations also assess the contractor environmental management system, quality system and financial capacity.
What is the difference between contractor management and contractor induction?: Contractor induction is one step within the broader contractor management process. Induction covers the site-specific safety briefing delivered before the contractor starts work, including site rules, emergency procedures, hazards and PPE requirements. Contractor management encompasses the full lifecycle: prequalification and competence verification, risk assessment and SWMS review, site induction, ongoing monitoring and supervision, incident reporting, close-out evaluation and performance rating for future engagements.

Applicable regulatory standards

This template aligns with the following regulations and standards:

WHS Act 2011 Section 16 (Meaning of person conducting a business or undertaking)
WHS Act 2011 Section 19 (Primary duty of care)
WHS Act 2011 Section 46 (Duty to consult, cooperate and coordinate)
Safe Work Australia Code of Practice: Work Health and Safety Consultation, Cooperation and Coordination

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