A paper contractor register cannot tell you who is still in the building during an emergency; it only tells you who arrived. In Australia, the WHS Act 2011 requires PCBUs to maintain site safety, and in the United States, OSHA mandates a workplace free from recognised hazards. Integration means replacing static lists with a live site occupancy report to ensure real-time accountability.
Your duty of care depends on knowing who is actually on site
In Australia, the WHS Act 2011 mandates that PCBUs ensure the health and safety of all workers and visitors. In the United States, OSHA regulations require employers to provide a safe environment and maintain accurate records of site access. In our experience working with Australian and US organisations, these obligations cannot be met with fragmented, manual systems.
Paper registers provide a history of arrivals, not a live map of occupancy
Most organisations mistakenly treat a paper log as a safety tool, but these records rarely capture accurate check-outs. This creates a critical liability gap where evacuation teams rely on outdated data during a crisis.
- Paper registers are physically locked inside the building, making them inaccessible during an emergency evacuation.
- Manual logs provide no verification that a person has completed their mandatory contractor induction and check-in.
- Illegible handwriting on paper registers delays and complicates muster point verification.
- Static lists fail to distinguish between who is currently on-site and who has already departed.
Closing the gap with a cloud-based visitor management system
Replacing paper with a digital platform ensures that contractor induction and check-in occur in one seamless workflow. This transforms a passive register into a real-time evacuation report accessible from any authorised device, regardless of location.
- Transition contractors from manual logs to a cloud-based visitor management system using ID or access cards to tap/scan in and out to avoid tedious manual entry.
- Digitise the contractor induction process, ensuring safety rules and licence verifications are acknowledged before the system permits a site check-in.
- Implement a self-serve kiosk for visitor sign-in, utilizing photo ID badging to provide immediate visual verification for site security.
- Automate the generation of a live site occupancy report that updates instantly as individuals tap out, eliminating manual register reconciliation.
- Connect digital check-in data to a real-time muster roll call process for immediate verification at designated assembly points.
Time and People: Visitor Management That Works When It Has To
Time and People converts complex compliance obligations into working infrastructure through cloud-connected visitor management and real-time evacuation reporting. With over 12 years of experience across Australia and the United States, we’ve found that simplifying the technical friction—such as utilizing AirPrint for seamless visitor badge issuance—is what prevents staff from reverting to paper. We focus on ensuring the people on your site are protected and accounted for.
Content prepared by Time and People — visitor and contractor management across Australia and the United States.