Record Keeping for WHS: The what, why and how long explained

Find out how long you need to keep records for your WHS with a FREE guide.

Most WHS records need to be kept for at least 5 years, though a few have to stick around much longer.

Health monitoring records need 30 years, or 40 if they relate to asbestos. Your chemicals register, asbestos register and machinery records stay with you for as long as the chemicals, building or machine are on the farm.

These rules apply everywhere in Australia except Victoria, which has its own laws.

We know paperwork isn’t why you got into farming. But good records show the work you’re already doing to keep people safe, and they’re what a regulator will ask for if something goes wrong.

Below, we’ve broken down each record and how long to keep it.

[Find out how long you need to keep your records with a FREE download]

How do you demonstrate or prove what you’re doing for farm safety? 

Keeping and maintaining accurate WHS records will help you to check the health and safety performance of your business and allow you to make improvements where necessary. It’s also essential that everyone in your workplace is aware of the records they need to keep, including knowing how to do this.

In workplace health and safety, the old adage is if it’s not written down, it didn’t happen. Records can be on physical paper, or electronic. As long as it’s in place and accessible, how you keep records is up to you.

You need to keep records to show how you’re managing workplace health and safety.

So, what do you need, where do you start and how much is enough for WHS?

Start simple – get some WHS policies and procedures in place, induct and train people and make sure you’re managing risks and hazards identified in your business. There’s a bit of paperwork behind all of this, and it’s all just as important as the rest.

It’s a smart investment to spend a day or two working out what WHS policies and getting it all in place. Having nothing, or not enough, could leave you vulnerable legally. In addition to general record keeping requirements within your state's relevant WHS legislative requirements, you will find there are specific legislative requirements for record keeping for farming. Consider how your team will report on health and safety record keeping requirements and what that recording process will look like.

How do you know what types of WHS records to keep in agriculture?

Get started with these:

Policies

Make sure you’ve got at least some basic workplace health and safety policies in place, and they are accessible to everyone. It’s important your workers and contractors know what’s in your policies too, as they tell others what you expect and should set out who’s responsible for what.

There are quite a few options when it comes to building your folder of policies. You could utilise some basic downloadable templates to help get you started or utilise a software like Safe Ag Systems with over 50 agri-specific policy templates or create your own with some guidance.

From here, generate a Work Health and Safety Policy and a First Aid Policy to distribute to your workers and assist with your records.

Safe Work Procedures

These are the ‘how to’ for use of different machinery, equipment, tool, structure or tasks. Safe Work Procedures or SWPs add to your record keeping for compliance, ensuring that you are communicating and providing instructions in a clear way that your workers can understand. For a farming property, you should consider SWPs for ladders, utility vehicles, tractors, and other items.

Induction Records

When someone comes on to your property for the first time, you need to ensure they are given an induction. This includes workers, contractors and visitors.

A good induction will tell them your expectations of safety, make sure they know where any hazards are they need to watch out for, and anything else important in keeping them safe while they are there. Doing a group induction makes sense if you have a small group of workers starting at the same time. You could also consider creating a tailored safety induction kit to assist with seasonal and casual worker inductions.

Training records

Keep copies of any licences, certificates or tickets your workers have that are needed for the work they do such as operating machinery or equipment, use of chemicals, first aid certificate, etc. Any training a worker does while working for you, keep record of this too.

Incident and hazard reporting

You need to know what incidents, injuries and near misses occur, and what hazards exist. You can then implement actions to improve safety and prevent recurrence. Keep a record of what you do as this is particularly useful in showing you are actively keeping your workplace safe by being proactive. Find out how long you should keep incident reports with our free resource.

Hazardous Chemicals

Keep a register of every hazardous chemical you use, handle or store. It must include a current Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for each one. There’s no set retention period, because the register has to stay up to date while the chemicals are on site.

Check that your SDSs are current when you add or restock a chemical. Suppliers have to review them at least every 5 years, so older copies may be out of date.

Storing larger amounts of some chemicals, like LPG or petrol, may mean you also need a manifest.

Workers who regularly use certain hazardous chemicals may need health monitoring. You must keep those records for at least 30 years.

Asbestos

You must have an asbestos register if there is any at your workplace. This has to be maintained for the life of the structure containing asbestos. If you have asbestos on site and anyone is working with or exposed to it for an extended period of time, you may need to send them for health monitoring. These health monitoring records must be kept for at least 40 years.

Machinery and equipment records

Records of registration, risk assessments, maintenance and any testing or inspections completed for that piece of plant or equipment. You need to keep these maintenance records for the life of the machinery or equipment, and ensure these are provided to someone who buys that item from you.

Risk assessments

Each time a risk assessment is completed on a substance, plant and equipment or a process, you have a chance to improve safety. A risk assessment will give you information as to what could go wrong, and you can then put things in place to eliminate or minimise the risk.

Risk registers

This is a list of all identified hazards and risks in your business. It should include your assessment of the level of, and controls designed to eliminate or reduce the risk. This is an ideal tool to help guide what policies, safe work procedures and training is needed in your workplace.

Do I really need to have access to these records?

The above list seems like a lot of work. But the harsh reality is if you don’t keep this kind of information, in the event of a serious incident you may leave yourself in a tricky spot with a regulator.

Work out what records are compulsory for your operation and develop a system or get some safety management software to keep these updated regularly.

How long do you need to keep these records?

Most WHS records need to be kept for at least 5 years. Some records have specific timeframes, while there are some grey areas on others.

If there is an incident which results in a serious injury or illness, or a dangerous incident which could expose a worker or any other person to a serious risk to their health and safety on your property, you will need to have really good records as it’s likely an inspector from the regulator will be on site to investigate.

Under WHS laws in most states, the regulator has 2 years to start a prosecution. The clock starts when the regulator first learns of a possible offence, which isn’t always the day of the incident. It can also run longer in some cases, such as after a coroner’s finding.

You need to keep records relating to that incident until well after this. If it goes to court, that can take another 2-5 years, so keep records until everything’s finalised

Under WHS laws in every state and territory except Victoria, you must keep a record of each notifiable incident for at least 5 years from the date you notified the regulator.

Health monitoring records for workers have to be kept for at least 30 years, or if it’s to do with asbestos then it’s kept for at least 40 years.

What about general business records?

In addition to work health and safety requirements, company records have to be kept indefinitely, tax records for 5 years, and HR records such as payroll and wages and worker records are kept for 7 years.

There are many resources available to agricultural businesses from the Australian Taxation Office, Fair Work Commission, Safe Work Australia, Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), commodity and industry associations and your relevant office of business and consumer affairs. Make use of these and seek professional help if needed.

How should you maintain records in the workplace?

How are Workplace Health and Safety records maintained? We hear you ask. A cloud-based system that stores everything you need in one place. Your system should utilise data encryption methods and industry-standard security software and methodologies to keep your data safe.

A cloud-based system makes accessing records easier for your workers and for your business – whether you are in the office or out in the paddock. It also assists with version control – saving the newest version and archiving older documents no longer required for farm management.

Safe Ag Systems has you covered, allowing you to update and assign new documents with ease. Simply load your policy, procedure, induction, etc. into the system and have the peace of mind that your team has access to the most up-to-date piece of information.

We've created a legislative requirement for record keeping PDF that provides a guide to record retention for your business at a glance.

Are you ready to get set up with a safety management system? Consider the benefits of using a Safety System built for Agriculture.

Topics: Safety Management System

FAQ's

Do I need to keep records of near misses?

Yes, if the near miss was a dangerous incident, it’s a notifiable incident and you must keep the record for at least 5 years. For smaller near misses, there’s no set legal period. It’s still worth recording them, because they show you’re spotting problems before someone gets hurt.

Can I keep my WHS records digitally?

Yes. Your records can be on paper or electronic, as long as they’re accurate and you can find them when you need them. Digital records are easier to keep up to date and share with your team.

How long do I keep records for a worker who’s left?

Worker records like payroll and wages need to be kept for 7 years. Health monitoring records are different and still need to be kept for 30 years, or 40 if they relate to asbestos. That applies even after the worker has moved on.

What happens to machinery records when I sell a machine?

Pass them on to the buyer. Maintenance, inspection and testing records stay with the machine for its whole life, so the next owner knows its history.

Do these rules apply in Victoria?

Not exactly. Victoria has its own Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 and regulations, so some requirements differ. Check with WorkSafe Victoria for what applies to your farm.

Disclaimer: Content on this website may be of relevance to users outside of Australia, but content links and examples are specific to Australia. Please check with your local authority for your country and industry requirements.