WHS Gap Analysis

A WHS Gap Analysis delivers a comprehensive, point-in-time review of your WHS documentation, practices, and systems. It identifies strengths, highlights compliance gaps, and delivers clear, practical recommendations prioritised by risk and liability, providing the organisation with direction for action.

Whether your organisation is preparing for regulatory scrutiny, aligning with ISO 45001 Occupational Health & Safety Management Systems, or strengthening workplace culture, a WHS compliance review provides the clarity and confidence to move forward.

Many organisations face challenges such as:

• Senior Leader Confidence: How confident are you that your organisation can demonstrate health and safety due diligence to regulators, clients, or other external parties?

• Unclear Compliance Position: Does your organisation have clarity on how its WHS systems align with legislative requirements, both within its primary jurisdiction and, where relevant, across multiple operational sites?

• Documentation vs Practice: Do your organisation's documented procedures reflect actual workplace practice, and would they stand up under regulatory review?

• ISO Readiness vs Legal Obligations: Do you require a formal ISO 45001 OHS Management System Internal Audit to test conformance with the Standard, or is a more holistic WHS Gap Analysis needed first to highlight legal compliance gaps and cultural improvement opportunities?

Decision-Ready Insight: Independent analysis distilled into executive-level reporting that supports confident, defensible decisions. 

• Defensible Governance: Systems and documentation aligned with governance, regulatory, and best practice requirements. 

• Strategic Readiness: Prepared for audits, regulator engagement, stakeholder review, and tender submissions. 

• ISO Alignment (Optional): Incorporates key elements of ISO 45001 and ISO 45003, helping organisations understand their readiness for alignment with recognised best-practice standards (see our ISO 45001 Internal Audit service for full audit support).

• Ongoing Assurance (Optional): Many organisations re-engage us 6 to 12 months later for a repeat Gap Analysis, providing senior managers with visibility on progress and assurance that risks and liabilities identified in the initial review are being addressed.

Many organisations seek confidence not just in their overall WHS approach, but in the legal defensibility of their systems. Our WHS Gap Analysis can place particular emphasis on risk management and legal compliance, including:

• Regulatory Defensibility: Testing whether safety documentation would withstand regulator or client scrutiny.

• Internal Investigations: Reviewing whether internal investigations are thorough, factual, and legally defensible.

• System Documentation: Identifying documentation gaps and recommending improvements to align with WHS Acts, Regulations, and industry standards.

This approach draws on our combined WHS, investigative, and legal expertise to highlight compliance gaps and strengthen organisational readiness under scrutiny 

Organisational Risk Consulting offers a unique combination of expertise that strengthens confidence in every WHS Gap Analysis:

• Legal Insight: A foundation in workplace injury law ensures our recommendations are not only practical but also defensible under regulatory or stakeholder scrutiny.

• Investigative Experience: Licensed factual investigator with a proven record of delivering independent, evidence-based reviews that enhance accountability and transparency.
   
• WHS Leadership: With more than 20 years of experience in senior WHS roles across various sectors, provides insight into both governance requirements and operational realities. 

• Trusted Independence:  Confidential, objective assessments that highlight strengths, uncover risks, and provide executives with clarity to act decisively. 

1. Scoping Discussion: Clarify organisational context and leadership priorities, ensuring the review is focused on what matters most to executives.  

2. Tailored Assessment: We engage with your organisation to review WHS documentation, workplace practices, and management systems. This may include site visits and discussions with key personnel to ensure a clear, accurate picture of your WHS approach.

3. Analysis & Tailored Report: We assess the findings against legislative obligations and relevant ISO elements (if required), identify compliance gaps, and deliver a tailored report with clear, practical recommendations prioritised by risk and impact. 

4. Optional Follow-Up Review: Organisations frequently re-engage us for a follow-up Gap Analysis, giving senior leaders confidence that progress has been achieved and improvements embedded since the initial review. 

 Ready to gain clarity on your organisation's WHS compliance position?