August 5, 2024 Andrew Watters

Comparing Safety Management Systems, Plans and the Secret Service

Safety Management Systems are not the same as Safety Management Plans. Many need clarification about this; even customers get it wrong when applying for construction tenders. In this article, I'll let the recent and almost successful assassination attempt help us understand the difference. We'll also take a look at some specific resources and tendering tricks. With no disrespect to former President Donald Trump or Jesus, whom I quote, and with lives in the balance, I say, "Those who have an ear to hear, let them hear."

The confusion around these two sets of resources is understandable, but it is also easily resolved.

There is a need for clarity also. A few days before I began this article, I heard from a customer who was tendering for work with a large corporation and the tender document said he must have a Health, Safety and Environmental Management Plan - but then it listed the specifics of this so-called 'plan'.

The specifics showed that they really wanted a Safety Management System. We helped clarify their needs and submit what was required for the tender.

This article is designed to help others who find themselves in that situation. We will consider the following:

Why is there confusion?
What's the Difference?
What the Secret Service can tell us About Systems and Plans.
When Must You Have a System?
When is a Plan Required?
How Can You Access Solutions - Real Quick!

Let’s get into it.

Why is There Confusion?

We are regularly, and I mean at least weekly, asked about Safety Management Systems and how they differ from Safety Management Plans. We are also asked how a solution might be created and how tender document demands can be most affordably and effectively met. All of these are reasonable questions we're happy to field.

The confusion and the inquiries happen for a variety of reasons:

Sometimes, new customers need clarification - and fair enough!
Systems are more expensive than plans, so people explore the cheaper option.
Tender documents often ask about the 'System', but they call it a 'Plan'.
Sometimes, our clients understand the difference, but they call to check, just in case.
The tendering process can be unnecessarily complicated.
The Principal Contractor can be overzealous, asking people to make a 400% effort.
The Principal Contractor can also be trying to delegate the responsibility, which they can't.

Whatever the reason, we can help you navigate the confusion and understand what the question is really asking.

What's the Difference Between Safety Management Systems and Plans?

A Safety Management SYSTEM is a collection of policies, procedures, checklists, registers, forms and other resources that work together to manage and minimise workplace risk wherever and whenever they are applied. A system applies to the organisation as a whole, not just a site or project.

Similar, but not the same, is the plan.

A Safety Management PLAN is a collection of procedures, checklists, registers, forms and other resources, that work together, to manage and minimise workplace risk, for a SPECIFIC LOCATION or PROJECT.

A system can be implemented anywhere, has broad application and is continually improved, whereas a plan is designed to manage safety only for a particular site or project. A plan is “site specific”, not broad, and it’s life cycle is only for the duration of the project.

Please also note that a location can have more than one project, and a project can be undertaken in more than one location. But avoid getting confused by these added details. The central issue is how specific your intentions are.

What the Secret Service can tell us About Systems and Plans

When we first examined this topic in August 2019, we explained the difference between systems and plans using the metaphor of Generals versus front-line soldiers. Generals design the System and the big picture. In contrast, mission plans are developed and implemented by Platoon and Squad Commanders in response to the larger System, within its parameters, in a specific location, for a specific time and with specific objectives in mind.

It was a helpful metaphor, but I wanted to update it by referencing the Secret Service Investigations that are now unfolding. The attempted Trump assassination (which happened just two weeks ago as I write) is a System-versus-Plan failure that is being unpacked in real time — and I'm a systems and standards guy, so I'm finding it fascinating.

As a safety guy, the assassination also has gravitas. That bullet came within millimetres of exploding former US President Donald Trump's head on live television. The flow-on consequences could have ignited tensions and plunged the US into a modern-day civil war. It was huge, and even for the most cold-hearted observers, regardless of personal politics, it was a colossal security failure.

System Failure or Plan Failure?

Was it a system failure or a plan failure?

To answer that question and to learn from the Secret Service's mistakes, consider the following:

The United States Secret Service has a system for operating. It uses complex procedures, follows protocols, and works within a highly legislated and regulated field of operation. If something goes wrong, Agents don't have time to 'make it up as they go along.'
When they travel to different locations (such as an open field in Butler, Pennsylvania), they design and implement a plan so their systems can be best applied there.
When they protect a High-Risk Protectee (such as Donald Trump), they design and implement their PLAN so that their systems can best respond to the types of threats that particular protectee faces.

…or at least they should.

I use this example because the initial scandal focused on the failures of the local PLAN and the Secret Service Agents at the site. As the investigation has moved slowly and suspiciously forward, the focus is increasingly on SYSTEM failures at the management level. We can learn from this.

(Come to think of it, maybe we should have seen they were struggling. After all, for an organisation called the Secret Service, everyone sure seems to know who they are).

When Are Safety Management Systems Required?

If you are a 'person conducting a business or undertaking' (PCBU), you MUST have a Safety Management System.

We live in a world of enforced and policed responsibility. There are no options. You have to get it right, and when you use our systems you will!

Under both the WHS and OH&S systems, the Safety Management System enables you to manage your duty of care for your workers and demonstrate your due diligence in fulfilling those responsibilities. Remember that under the legislation, a PCBU is not just a 'human person' but also includes a broad range of business and purpose-driven entities [1].

Beyond meeting your legal obligations, investing in a quality system - and we hope you will - will help you proactively protect their business and tender for new opportunities both competitively and efficiently - especially when dealing with contractor management portals.

Dealing with multiple clients across an extensive range of industries, we have developed a suite of specialised System packages. These systems include:

A Quick Word about System Certification

We are often asked if our systems are certified, and the answer is 'no'. Systems can only be certified when you implement them into your business, and there is evidence of that system in use over a period of time.

That said, plenty of our customers have had their systems certified, and we have done everything we can to empower the process at our end. As the Secret Service has recently demonstrated, you can have a great system, but if you don't implement it effectively, someone can die.

When Are Safety Management Plans Required?

Remember these three points already mentioned:

Safety Management Plans are site or project-specific,
A project can be taking place at multiple sites, and
A location could have numerous projects on it.

Now, let's add four more:

Safety Management Plans are required when a construction project is valued at $250,000 or more.
The Principal Contractor is responsible for the production of the plan.
The Principal Contractor is responsible for the implementation of the plan.
Subcontractors are not typically required to have a Safety Management Plan as they should follow the Principal Contractor’s.

So, if you're a cleaner, a painter, an electrician, a roofer — or a host of other trade persons — and not the Principal Contractor, having a Safety Management Plan is not typically required. What you need is a management instrument.

The Tender Document or portal might ask for a Management Plan, but when you are asked for policies, procedures, and SWMSs without refinement or tailoring to a specific project or location, you're actually being asked about a system. In other words, a Management System is being called a Management Plan.

As you've already seen, we have a wealth of solutions for you. However, if you do need to create a plan or you'd like to 'wade into the weeds' and learn more about standards and methods, we've created a free eBook called "Designing a Quality Safety Management Plan."

A good closing illustration of this is that workers signing off on a System need to sign a policy agreement regarding 23 separate policies in the System. Compare that to the one policy contained within a Management Plan and you begin to understand the difference in detail between them.

How You Can Access Solutions

If you'd like a breakdown of our product specifics, visit our Safety Management Systems page. There, you'll also find a breakdown of the OH&S ISO 45001 or WHS AS/NZS 4801 standards and the Safety Management Systems options (also listed above).

You can also visit our Safety Management Plans page and learn about the six product offerings we provide to address specific location and project planning. These include plans for:

In Closing

By way of a simple summary:

Be aware that systems are BIG and the BROAD, whereas plans are SMALLER and PRECISE.
Pay attention to what is being asked.
If you're confused, ask.

We're here to help, and as always, we encourage you to call. A phone call is more efficient and effective and usually results in the most affordable solution. Our 1800 304 336 number is used for both sales and support. In other words, our commitment is to support you from the first moment we speak. We have no salespeople, which is a win for you and us!

Footnotes:

To view the range of persons, businesses and entities that can be a PCBU see here.

Filed in: Safety management systems

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