The paperwork and processes that help protect your business, team and clients
If one of your team ended up with a nail through their foot, could you quickly find the paperwork you needed?
Or, if a customer disputed the work you'd agreed on or your insurance provider questioned a claim, would you know where to find the right records?
Documents can end up spread across emails, folders, phones and maybe even your ute's glove box. You probably know the information exists somewhere, but that's not much help when you need it quickly.
Keeping on top of your compliance paperwork helps you manage risk and means you have a clear record of what was agreed, completed or reported.
Here are six areas worth checking in your trade business.
1. Do you know what health and safety requirements your business needs to meet?
We get it. Health and safety legislation isn't exactly a riveting read, so sorting it out or checking that what you have is up to date might not be high on your list.
New Zealand's main workplace health and safety law is the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. Depending on your industry and the work you do, there may be other regulations and requirements your business needs to follow too.
You don't need to be able to recite the legislation, but you really do need to understand your responsibilities. WorkSafe's construction guidance is a good place to check the latest information and get guidance for your industry.
There are also changes to the Act coming into effect from 1 April 2027. That might seem like a while away, but it will be here before you know it. It's a good time to start looking at what you have now instead of relying on old policies or information you've had for years.
If you need expert help, you can find a qualified health and safety adviser through the HASANZ Register.
2. Do you have the right policies and procedures in place?
If someone spots a hazard on site, what happens next? Who do they tell, where is it recorded and who makes sure something is done about it?
The same goes for an injury, near miss or emergency. If you or your team are guessing what to do or relying on one person being around to deal with it, that's a massive risk.
Clear policies and procedures are needed because they explain how to handle these situations. Depending on the type of tradie business you run, these might include risk assessments, emergency plans, site safety plans and processes for reporting hazards and incidents.
Keep them straightforward, make sure everyone knows where to find them, and put someone in charge of reviewing them when your team, equipment or work changes. They should fit your business and be used on site, rather than being completed once as a tick-box exercise.
3. Are you keeping the correct staff and site records?
Your day-to-day records need to show what has happened within your business and on job sites. This could include staff inductions, training, qualifications, hazards, near misses and incidents.
WorkSafe says businesses aren't generally required to keep formal training records. However, they are useful when it comes to looking at what training your team has done and when they could do with a refresher.
It's important to note that the rules are different for a notifiable event.
Some serious work-related injuries, illnesses and incidents are notifiable and must be reported to WorkSafe as soon as possible. The business must then keep a record of it for at least five years. Check the WorkSafe website to find out what needs to be reported.
Use a simple register or your existing software to track all this information. This makes it easier to spot gaps and find what you need.
4. Do you know the difference between Site Safe and SiteWise?
The names are similar, so it's easy to assume they might just do the same thing. But they do have separate roles.
Site Safe provides health and safety training, advice and resources. People who complete an approved course receive a Site Safety Card, previously known as a Site Safe Passport. Many main contractors and employers require workers to have a current card before entering a site.
SiteWise is an online contractor prequalification system. It assesses a contractor's health and safety capability and gives the business a grade that main contractors and other organisations can view when selecting contractors.
You may need one or both depending on the work you're tendering for and the sites your team needs to access.
Keep a record of your SiteWise assessment date and your team's Site Safety Cards so you're not caught out when it's time to renew.
Having a Site Safety Card or SiteWise grade doesn't remove your responsibility for managing health and safety within your own business.
5. Are your licences, insurance and warranties current?
Depending on your trade, you or your team may need current licences, registrations or certificates to carry out certain work. Customers and main contractors may ask for proof before a job starts, so having the details easy to access can help avoid delays.
Your annual insurance renewal is a good time to check with your insurer or broker that the policy still covers the type and value of work you're doing.
Warranties and guarantees are important too. Keep a record of what applies to each job, what information was given to the customer, and how long the cover lasts. This might include product and workmanship warranties, manufacturer information or guarantees provided by another company.
6. Could your project records back you up?
If a customer questions what was agreed or completed, would your project records give you a clear answer?
Keeping the quote, accepted scope, contract, plans, variations, approvals, invoices and important customer communication together gives you a reliable record for each job. Any changes to the work should also be confirmed in writing, including differences to the price, materials or completion date.
Those records can help protect your business if there’s a disagreement, payment problem, warranty query or insurance claim.
Could your compliance admin do with some help?
A qualified health and safety adviser can help you work out your legal obligations and what your business needs to have in place.
Once that’s sorted, there's still the ongoing admin. At Shadow Administration, we already help many of our tradie clients manage this, from keeping documents organised to updating registers and monitoring renewal dates.
Being proactive, not reactive, with compliance admin can save time and stress and reduce the risk of missing something important.
