If a contractor is injured during high-risk work and your permit is missing or incomplete, you have no evidence of safety compliance. In Australia, under the WHS Act 2011, and in the United States under OSHA, these documents serve as the primary evidence that a PCBU or employer met their duty of care. They are the legal record of authorized site access and risk mitigation.
Evidence of Care is Your Only Defense
In Australia, the WHS Act 2011 requires a PCBU to ensure the health and safety of workers and visitors so far as is reasonably practicable. In the US, OSHA mandates that employers provide a workplace free from recognized hazards. Across our work with Australian and US organisations, we have seen that a documented permit is often the only evidence a company has to prove they identified risks and authorized work safely.
Paper Permissions Create a False Sense of Security
Most organisations rely on disconnected spreadsheets or paper forms that only prove who arrived, not who is qualified to be there. This creates a critical liability gap where a person may be on-site without the necessary certifications or active permissions.
- Paper permits can be signed without the contractor actually completing the mandatory contractor induction and check-in.
- Manual records provide no way to verify in real-time if a required license or certification has expired.
- Disconnected files make it impossible to generate an accurate real-time evacuation report during a high-risk incident.
- Hand-written forms often lack the granularity required for customs reporting or strict security audits.
Digital Authorization Closes the Compliance Loop
A digital visitor management system transforms a permit from a static piece of paper into a dynamic safety control. By linking authorizations directly to the entry process, you ensure that no one accesses the site without verified permission.
- Mandatory contractor induction and check-in must be completed and digitally acknowledged before site access is granted.
- Use of a drivers license scan to capture accurate identity data and instantly apply denial of access rules based on expired credentials.
- Electronic verification of specific permissions, such as the ability to see if a helper has the required permission to work with children.
- Integration of all authorizations into a cloud-based visitor management system for instant retrieval during a regulatory audit.
- Linking every authorized permit to a live site occupancy report to ensure every high-risk worker is accounted for during muster point verification.
Time and People: Visitor Management That Works When It Has To
For over 12 years, Time and People has helped organisations across Australia and the United States convert compliance obligations into working infrastructure. We’ve found that replacing manual forms with electronic verification—such as scanning a driver’s license to instantly trigger denial of access alerts—removes the human error that leads to legal liability. Our cloud-connected visitor management and real-time evacuation reporting ensure that the people on your site are protected, not just the paperwork.
Content prepared by Time and People — visitor and contractor management across Australia and the United States.