Online safety benchmarking tool

Anyone with a responsibility for managing health and safety will find this tool useful. The questions have been designed with small to medium sized business owners, managers or those with a responsibility for managing health and safety in the workplace, in mind.

Business owners, managers and safety professionals can use this tool to identify areas of health and safety which are being managed well, and those which may require further action. The tool focuses on the systematic management of health and safety in the workplace - the processes that are in place to manage workplace risks, and achieve compliance with health and safety laws.

Some areas of health and safety management may need urgent attention, while others can be addressed at a pace that suits the business's needs, capabilities, challenges and opportunities. The areas of importance will differ between businesses. However, there are certain areas of managing health and safety that are important for all businesses, particularly when it comes to compliance with the law. The scoring system used in this tool allows those businesses who have implemented processes beyond the minimum standard required to achieve recognition for their initiatives, while also providing guidance to other businesses on initiatives they may like to consider in order to improve in the future.

The results of each business will be depicted against an industry average for other businesses in the same industry and size sector.

This tool is a self assessment. To get the most from it, honestly and objectively rate your business according to how well you think you are performing against each question. Each question has four possible ratings:

NOTE: A system does not need to be documented in order to receive the maximum score for a question, however there must be a way of testing the system to show that it is in place, for example, asking workers, or observation. Documentation is only one way of verifying that the system is in place. The evidence guide provides assistance and guidance; this does not necessarily mean you cannot score well because what you're doing is not included in the list.

Using the tool is simple – just register as a user and begin a new survey. Answer all questions in each of the 6 sections and your report will be generated comparing your results to the industry average for your industry and size category. The tool converts raw scores to percentages for comparison with the industry average. Scores for each element as well as the total overall score is depicted in the report. It should be noted that achievement of a certain score does not necessarily indicate a “pass” or fail” as far as legislative compliance is concerned. Generally speaking, a score of 51-75% may indicate that a business has moderately effective systems in place for managing health and safety.

Partially completed surveys can be saved at any time, with users having the ability to re-enter any incomplete survey simply by choosing that survey from the list available. Previously completed survey reports can also be accessed at any time, allowing for future comparisons of progress.

The report will contain the business name (optional), industry sector and number of employees. It will show the score achieved for each section (as both a whole number and percentage), the total score, and where the business is placed in comparison to other organisations that have completed the survey. Be aware that the results will continue to change in this respect as more businesses use the tool and increase the amount of data being compared. The report will also identify the strengths and weaknesses of your safety systems, and provide guidance on ways to make improvements.

View a sample

The industry average results will continue to change over time as more businesses use the tool and comparisons with a larger data set occur.