Management system guidance
7.4 Communication
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7.4.3 External communication
Clause 7.4.3 requires your organization to communicate information relevant to the OH&S management system externally, in line with the communication process(es) it has established under 7.4.1 and taking account of its legal requirements and other requirements (see 6.1.3). Some external communication is mandatory, such as statutory reporting; the rest is decided by your organization based on the needs of its interested parties (see 4.2).
Who you may need to communicate with
- Enforcing authorities and regulators – e.g. reporting specified injuries, occupational diseases and dangerous occurrences, notifying certain projects, responding to inspections and notices;
- Emergency services – site plans, hazardous substance inventories and emergency arrangements (see 8.2);
- Contractors, their employers and principal contractors – site rules, hazards, permits and coordination of shared workplaces;
- Clients and customers – pre-qualification questionnaires, tender submissions and OH&S performance reports;
- Insurers – requests for information on the OH&S management system, claims and incident history;
- Occupational health providers, landlords, suppliers of plant and substances, and neighbours or the public where your activities could affect them;
- Certification bodies.
Ways of communicating externally
- Statutory reports and notifications submitted in the required format and timescale;
- Published OH&S policy, annual reports or OH&S performance summaries;
- Responses to client and insurer questionnaires, with supporting evidence;
- Contractor pre-start meetings, site induction packs and visitor information;
- Open days or meetings where your operations could affect the local community.
Well-managed external communication builds credibility with clients, regulators and insurers, and can improve worker morale and market exposure.
Controlling external communications
Because external OH&S information may be relied on by regulators, courts and customers, it must be reliable and consistent with the data held in your OH&S management system. Practical controls include:
- naming who is authorized to communicate on OH&S matters externally, especially with enforcing authorities, the media, lawyers/solicitors and insurers;
- logging incoming enquiries, complaints and requests, and recording the response given;
- checking figures such as accident frequency rates against the incident records before release;
- protecting personal and medical information about workers;
- sharing relevant outcomes with workers and, where they exist, workers’ representatives – e.g. the findings of a regulatory inspection.
You should seek and record evidence that your organization communicates OH&S information externally as set out in its communication process(es); that statutory reports and notifications have been made correctly and on time; that information released is accurate and consistent with internal records; that external enquiries receive an appropriate response; and that records of significant external communications are retained.
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