In high-risk industries like mining, oil and gas, and power generation, the margin for error is small—and the consequences of that error can be catastrophic. That’s why safety isn’t just a priority; it must be systematically managed across every level of an organisation.
A safety management system (SMS) provides the structured approach needed to manage workplace risks proactively, not just reactively. It supports compliance with legal requirements, such as ISO 45001 and local occupational health and safety (OHS) regulations, while reducing the likelihood of workplace injuries, near misses, and operational downtime. More than a set of policies or procedures, an SMS is an integrated framework designed to protect people, assets, and operations.
In this blog, we’ll explore what a safety management system is, what makes it effective, and how digitisation is changing the way leading organisations manage safety today. We’ll also look at a real-world example from the mining sector, where a digital safety management approach helped prevent risks and improve performance.
What is a Safety Management System (SMS)?
A safety management system is a formal, structured framework that enables an organisation to systematically manage health and safety risks in the workplace. It brings together policies, procedures, processes, and practices into one integrated system that aligns safety management with business operations.
An SMS is not just a manual or a collection of documents on a shelf. It should be a living system that drives safe behaviour, supports compliance, and promotes continuous improvement. While organisations may already have individual safety elements in place—like risk assessments or incident reporting—a safety management system connects these into a cohesive, organisation-wide approach.
Key Objectives of a Safety Management System:
- Prevent injury and ill health through hazard identification and control
- Helps organisations to meet and maintain legal requirements such as the OHS Act, OSHA, or WHS legislation
- Improve health and safety performance using data and feedback loops
- Foster a culture of safe working through clear responsibilities and worker involvement
- Enable continuous improvement through auditing, review, and corrective actions
Globally, standards such as ISO 45001 define the structure and requirements of a compliant safety and health management system. ISO 45001 focuses on creating a risk-based, proactive approach to safety, replacing previous models that focused only on incident response.
In Australia, the AS/NZS ISO 45001:2018 standard mirrors international guidelines, providing local organisations with a recognised benchmark for occupational health and safety management systems. These frameworks help organisations design a system that is tailored to their specific operations—whether that involves confined space entry, contractor oversight, or managing simultaneous operations (SIMOPS).
Ultimately, a well-designed SMS ensures that safety is not an afterthought—it’s embedded into every task, every shift, and every decision.
Key Components of an Effective Safety and Health Management System
A strong safety management system isn’t built on checklists alone—it requires a set of interconnected components that work together to reduce risk, improve compliance, and promote a culture of accountability. Drawing from global frameworks like ISO 45001, as well as practical insights from high-risk industries, we can group these components into four key pillars:
1. Safety Policy and Leadership Commitment
An effective SMS starts with visible leadership. Senior management must demonstrate ongoing commitment to health and safety through policy, resources, and behaviour. A well-articulated safety policy defines the organisation’s intentions, sets measurable objectives, and ensures accountability at all levels.
Why it matters:
Without leadership support, safety initiatives struggle to gain traction. An SMS only succeeds when safety is recognised as a shared responsibility—from the boardroom to the worksite.
2. Risk Management: Hazard Identification and Control
At the heart of any SMS is risk management—the ability to identify, assess, and control hazards before they cause harm. This includes conducting routine risk assessments, implementing safe work procedures, and ensuring appropriate control measures are in place.
Common tools and practices include:
- Job safety analysis (JSA) or job hazard analysis (JHA)
- Control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout)
- Permits to work for high-risk tasks
- Ongoing workplace inspections
- HAZOP, SIL and other risk-based methodologies in the design and engineering of plant and equipment.
Why it matters:
By systematically identifying hazards and implementing controls, organisations reduce the likelihood of injury and ill health while ensuring compliance with safety regulations.
3. Safety Assurance: Monitoring, Reporting, and Continuous Improvement
To remain effective, an SMS must include mechanisms for monitoring safety performance, investigating incidents, and applying corrective actions. This is where continuous improvement becomes practical, not just theoretical.
Examples of assurance processes:
- Safety audits and internal inspections
- Leading and lagging indicator tracking
- Root cause analysis of incidents
- Formal review and management feedback loops
Why it matters:
Assurance processes help organisations detect weak points early, refine controls, and adjust policies based on data and feedback.
4. Safety Culture and Promotion
An SMS can only be successful if it’s supported by a strong safety culture. This means engaging workers in training, communication, and consultation, and ensuring they understand the importance of safety—not just the rules.
Effective promotion includes:
- A safety moment at the start of every meeting
- Toolbox talks and ongoing safety briefings
- Open communication channels for reporting hazards
- Involving contractors and third parties in the system
Why it matters:
When people at all levels are empowered and informed, safety becomes second nature—not a box-ticking exercise.
When these four components work together, they form a comprehensive health and safety management system that goes beyond compliance. It enables the organisation to systematically manage health and safety across operations, adapt to changes, and sustain long-term performance.
How Newmont Boddington Digitised Safety with IntelliPERMIT
Theory is important—but so is seeing how a safety management system works in practice. One of the best examples is Newmont Boddington Gold, one of the largest gold mines in Australia. Like many operations, they originally relied on a paper-based permit-to-work system—a process that proved inefficient and risky.
Permits often had incomplete information, were difficult to track, and didn’t align with proper safety procedures. Isolation protocols weren’t always clearly defined, and identifying which permits were active at a given moment required time-consuming manual checks. This made it difficult to ensure full compliance, especially when managing simultaneous operations (SIMOPS) or contractor work.
To address this, Newmont partnered with Adapt IT to implement IntelliPERMIT, a configurable, electronic permit-to-work system designed to enforce safety rules, verify worker competence, and streamline permit processes.
Key benefits of IntelliPERMIT at Newmont Boddington:
- Automatically identifies required isolations and PPE
- Ensures permits follow a consistent process—from application to job closure
- Provides clear authority limits for approvals and access control
- Generates weatherproof isolation tags and supports large-format permit displays
- Collates all required documentation for specific job types
- Ensures that all personnel involved are competent, authorised, and aware of hazards
Scott Bredin of Adapt IT notes:
“Although there were certificates for specific types of work, such as confined space or work at heights, collating and preparing these documents was time-consuming. IntelliPERMIT automatically assembles the required permits for each job.”
With IntelliPERMIT, Newmont Boddington gained real-time visibility into permit status, significantly reduced delays, and improved the efficiency of plant maintenance and safety compliance. This transformation exemplifies how digital tools can bring an organisation’s safety management system to life—supporting both compliance and operational excellence.
From Compliance to Culture: Why SMS Adoption Must Be Digital
For many organisations, adopting a safety management system starts as a compliance exercise—an effort to meet the minimum requirements under standards like ISO 45001, the OHS Act, or industry-specific regulations. But the most successful safety programs go beyond compliance. They build a culture where safety is embedded into the fabric of the organisation, supported by technology that simplifies, connects, and enforces safe practices.
A digital safety management system enables real-time visibility, automation, and integration with other enterprise systems—capabilities that simply aren’t possible with paper-based or fragmented processes. By digitising safety workflows, companies move from reacting to incidents to preventing them proactively.
Why e-PTW is the Best Starting Point for Digital Safety Management
Real-Time Permit Visibility
Know exactly which permits are active, where the work is happening, and whether the required isolations or authorisations are in place. This is critical for managing high-risk tasks and avoiding conflicting operations—especially in large plants or complex sites.
Competency-Based Access Control
Ensure that only trained, authorised personnel can initiate or execute high-risk work. This level of control is difficult to achieve without digital systems that are linked to training records and job roles.
Integration with SCADA, GIS, and IIoT
Modern e-PTW tools like IntelliPERMIT can be integrated with your existing control systems, giving you a unified view of safety, operations, and risk in real time.
Faster Audits and Inspections
Digital records simplify compliance with legal and regulatory audits. From inspection checklists to isolation tracking, documentation is centralised, searchable, and ready to present at a moment’s notice.
Support for Contractors and Third-Party Workers
Managing external workers is one of the most challenging aspects of occupational safety. A digital SMS helps verify contractor credentials, issue relevant permits, and track compliance across all workgroups.
Data-Driven Continuous Improvement
With historical data on permits, incidents, near misses, and safety observations, organisations can identify trends and implement corrective actions that continuously improve safety performance.
Digital SMS platforms like IntelliPERMIT help move safety from a compliance obligation to a source of operational resilience. They reduce the administrative burden, increase efficiency, and most importantly, strengthen safety culture—by making safety part of everyday decisions, not just paperwork.
Conclusion
A well-designed safety management system is more than a legal requirement—it’s the foundation of safe, efficient, and accountable operations in high-risk environments. From identifying hazards and managing risk to fostering a proactive safety culture, an SMS ensures that safety is not a reaction to incidents but a core business function.
As we’ve seen in the example of Newmont Boddington Gold, digital safety systems like IntelliPERMIT make it possible to implement the organisations’ SMS by enforcing consistent processes, managing complex workflows, and maintaining compliance—without compromising efficiency. They enable visibility, improve control, and turn safety into a shared responsibility that’s embedded across the organisation.
Whether you’re implementing a new SMS framework or looking to improve an existing framework, consider the role that technology can play in strengthening safety performance and streamlining day-to-day operations. The right system doesn’t just tick boxes—it can proactively help prevent incidents, protect workers, and ensure long-term business continuity.
Take the Next Step
Ready to see how a digital Permit-to-Work system strengthens your safety management? Download our Practical Guide to Selecting Safety Software
Get a detailed framework for choosing the right safety platform based on your operational needs. Book a Demo with IntelliPERMIT
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