Guides
Guides for Australian builders
Straight answers on site diaries, inductions and getting records out of WhatsApp, for builders running a few jobs at once. Every regulatory claim links to the regulator, with the date we checked it.
Free tools for the same questions
All tools- Free toolDo I need a SWMS for this job?Pick your state and tick the work on site. Find out whether you need a SWMS, a site-specific induction and a WHS management plan.Check my job
- Free toolBuild a site induction checklist for this jobFill in the site's rules, facilities and emergency details. Get a one-page induction to print, with a warning for anything the Code of Practice expects that's missing.Build my checklist
- Free toolMake a QR code sign for your site gatePaste your induction link and add the site details. Get a printable gate sign that workers scan with their phone camera.Make my sign
- Free toolAdd up a week of site hoursEnter start, finish and unpaid breaks for each day. Get daily and weekly totals in hours and decimals, then print it to sign or copy it as CSV.Add up my hours
- Free toolRate a hazard on a risk matrixRate each hazard on likelihood and consequence, choose controls in the order the law requires, and print a one-page risk assessment.Rate my hazards
What is an ITP in construction? Inspection and test plans explained
Every check a piece of work needs, written before it starts and signed as it happens. What goes in one, what hold and witness points mean, and where builders get caught out.
5 min read
What is a SWMS? A plain-English guide for Australian builders
When a safe work method statement is required, who writes it, the four things it must include, and where most of them fall over.
6 min read
How to keep a site diary that holds up later
What to write, in the order that protects you, and when to write it. With a worked example of a bad day on site.
6 min read
Getting your site off WhatsApp, without banning it
Keep the group chat for the chat. This guide sorts what stays in it from the six kinds of record that belong against the job, and how to move them without a fight.
5 min read
How to induct a subcontractor onto your site
You have four minutes before they want to get on with it. What to cover, what to write down, and what to do when their boss sends someone new tomorrow.
6 min read
Is a site diary a legal requirement in Australia?
No law says you must keep one. Your contract may, and a payment dispute is decided on the documents you kept at the time.
8 min read
Keep your sites in order
Put the habit on the phone in your pocket.
Foreman is a site diary, QR induction and timesheet app that runs in any phone browser. Free on your first job, with unlimited inductions.