Post-accreditation requirements
How do I maintain accreditation?
What are the OHS obligations of accredited companies?
What is the information collected on accredited companies used for, and will it be disclosed?
Can I promote the fact that I am an accredited builder?
How do I maintain accreditation?
Once accredited, builders are required to satisfy a number of ongoing requirements. An accredited person must comply with the conditions of accreditation which include:
- having appropriate OHS policies, procedures and safe work practices at all times
- OHS reporting obligations as notified by the FSC
- post-accreditation audits and
- compliance with any additional conditions of accreditation implemented by the FSC.
Accredited companies are required to abide by the terms and conditions of their accreditation, and effectively maintain the OHSMS that was the foundation for gaining accreditation.
An accredited contractor needs to meet accreditation conditions for reporting on OHS performance during their period of accreditation. Reporting requirements are set out under the Contractor OHS Performance Reporting Pack.
It is a condition of accreditation that accredited builders agree to undergo Project Safety Audits (PSAs) on all building projects that fall within the scope of the Scheme. Project Safety Audits are conducted to verify the effectiveness of a contractor’s OHSMS and ongoing compliance with Scheme requirements.
If an accredited company is not currently undertaking any building project that falls within the scope of the Scheme, the OFSC will arrange for audits to be undertaken on a suitable commercial project.
Regardless of whether a builder has been awarded a contract under the Scheme, ongoing accreditation will be subject to:
- changes to the company’s circumstances that may limit their capacity to meet the conditions of the Scheme and
- significant OHS incidents that require a review of the company’s suitability.
Where a condition of accreditation is breached, the FSC is able to add further conditions to suspend or revoke the accreditation status of an accredited company.
What are the OHS obligations of accredited companies?
In addition to the Scheme, contractors are bound by the OHS legislation of the jurisdiction in which the project is undertaken.
Accredited companies must discharge their OHS obligations under the Australian Government Building and Construction OHS Accreditation Scheme (the Scheme) and the Building and Construction Industry Improvement (Accreditation Scheme) Regulations 2005 (the Regulations). The regulations require that contractors:
- have appropriate OHS policies and procedures and safe work practices at all times
- agree to the post-accreditation audits and the audit process mentioned in the regulations
- agree to comply with the reporting requirements notified to the contractor under the Scheme. The regulations state that the Federal Safety Commissioner must notify the contractor in writing of the reporting requirements that the contractor must comply with.
- comply with the conditions of accreditation.
What is the information collected on accredited companies used for, and will it be disclosed?
All information provided to the OFSC will be treated as Commercial-in-Confidence. However, the FSC may disclose information obtained under the Scheme to:
- monitor the OHS performance of accredited companies
- assist in assessing the suitability of applicants or accredited companies for Australian Government funded building work
- enable the analysis of trends in the OHS performance of accredited companies.
Aggregate OHS performance-related data may be used to develop ongoing publications released by the OFSC, but in these instances no reference will be made to individual accredited companies.
Any such disclosure will be undertaken in accordance with the Building and Construction Industry Improvement Act 2005 and the Building and Construction Industry Improvement (Accreditation Scheme) Regulations 2005.
Can I promote the fact that I am an accredited builder?
Yes, In response to feedback from companies wanting to display their status as an accredited company, the Office of the Federal Safety Commissioner (OFSC) has put together a design acceptable for use in all publicity material. This design can only be used while a company is accredited, and will be made available to companies at the time they are accredited.