Service

Practical WHS consulting, ISO 45001 support, occupational hygiene and independent verification of critical controls.

Work health and safety exists to keep people safe, not just to produce a compliance record. WHS legislation and ISO 45001 give that a framework; SCG helps you meet the intent behind them, not just the paperwork.

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SCG supports clients to design, improve and review WHS management systems, ISO 45001 frameworks, critical risk controls and occupational hygiene programs. Engagements span WHS consulting, system uplift, critical control verification, contractor assurance, serious injury and fatality (SIF) risk reviews, targeted audits and occupational hygiene support where exposures and controls need to be assessed in practice.

SCG has delivered WHS and critical risk work across government, defence, construction, transport, aviation, retail, resources, and oil and gas, including multi-site assurance programs, contractor readiness reviews and occupational hygiene support. Where independent confirmation is required, SCG also provides audits, inspections and evidence-based reporting, including NATA ISO/IEC 17020 endorsed outputs where the work is within accredited scope.

Critical risk is managed through the reliability of controls — not the presence of systems or paperwork.

What we do

Capabilities

ISO 45001 WHS management system design, implementation and uplift
Independent WHS compliance audits and duty-holder due diligence reviews
Critical risk reviews, deep dives and critical control verification
Contractor, mobilisation and operational readiness reviews
Occupational hygiene exposure assessments and verification of exposure controls
Post-incident assurance and verification of corrective action effectiveness

How we deliver

Our approach

Occupational hygiene air sampling pump set up for a workplace exposure assessment.

WHS consulting, ISO 45001 and system uplift

ISO 45001 WHS management system design, implementation and practical rollout support across single-site and multi-site operations.
Gap analysis, internal audit, pre-certification and surveillance support, including targeted uplift plans.
Management system simplification and technical writing to remove duplication and reduce administrative burden.
Digital WHS workflow design, evidence capture and reporting aligned to operational and assurance needs.
Incident management process uplift covering roles, interfaces, investigation and corrective action governance.

Independent review, audit and verification

Independent WHS compliance audits, duty-holder due diligence reviews and site verification.
Critical risk reviews, deep dives and critical control verification for high-consequence hazards, including SIF exposure pathways.
Contractor, mobilisation and operational readiness reviews where governance interfaces and control ownership need to be tested before work starts or expands.
Contractor and supply chain WHS assurance, including pre-mobilisation verification and evidence packs.
Occupational hygiene exposure assessments and verification of exposure controls, including noise, dust and hazardous substances.
Post-incident assurance, including verification of corrective actions and control effectiveness.

Where we work

Sectors

We work with clients in Brisbane and southeast Queensland and across Australia, and travel to remote sites and to projects in the Asia-Pacific.

Confined space entry permit signage on a drill site mud tank.

Government and defenceConstruction and infrastructureTransport and logisticsAviation and airline operationsOil and gas, and resourcesManufacturing and heavy industryRetail and large-format commercial operations

Particular expertise is applied in high-consequence and contractor-intensive environments, where governance interfaces, control ownership and operational discipline require structured verification to confirm that critical controls are functioning as intended.

Outputs you receive

What you receive

WHS audit and inspection reports with traceable evidence and prioritised findings
Critical control verification reports and SIF exposure pathway reviews
ISO 45001 gap analysis, internal audit and certification-readiness reports
Contractor and mobilisation readiness reviews and evidence packs
Occupational hygiene assessment reports and exposure control verification
Corrective action plans, improvement registers and post-incident assurance outputs
Advisory reports suitable for regulator engagement, procurement due diligence and executive decision-making

Where inspection activities fall within SCG’s accredited scope, reports may be issued in accordance with ISO/IEC 17020 requirements.

Why SCG

How we work

Our Director, John Smale, is an Exemplar Global certified lead auditor, as are several of our consultants. A contract certification auditor for PwC Certification and a former State Government Senior Environmental Health Officer, he has carried out extensive internal audits, second-party audits, assurance engagements and conformance assessments, with regulatory, enforcement and compliance experience across public health, infrastructure, construction, resources and defence. He delivers Exemplar Global-certified Integrated Management Systems Lead Auditor courses, public and in-house, for Risk Training Professionals. Auditor certification, advisory and training are individual credentials and advisory services, and sit outside our ISO/IEC 17020 accredited inspection scope.

Independent of your certification body. SCG inspects and verifies; it does not certify management systems, so there is no commercial relationship to manage
NATA-accredited inspection body (ISO/IEC 17020) within defined scope
Specialist experience in critical risk, SIF exposure pathways and contractor assurance
Occupational hygiene capability, including exposure assessment and control verification
WHS outputs structured for officer duty discharge, regulator engagement and board-level assurance — traceable to the evidence, not just the finding
Direct access to senior practitioners, with no handoff layers

Combined ilac-MRA and NATA accreditation mark

Accredited for compliance with ISO/IEC 17020. Smale Consulting Group’s detailed scope of accreditation is available here. Accreditation No. 20913. More about our accreditations.

Related services

Explore more

All services →Environmental Services and ISO 14001 Support →Food Safety Audits and HACCP Verification →Drinking Water Quality and ADWG Support →Quality Management and ISO 9001 Support →

In their words

What clients say

“SCG delivered technically robust occupational hygiene risk management support across multi-site mining operations, with a clear focus on critical risk controls and frontline applicability. The work was detailed, verifiable, and went beyond checklist-based compliance.”

General Manager People, Risk (HSE) and Sustainability – Mitchell Services

More clients and testimonials →

Related work

See this work in practice

De-identified examples of SCG’s WHS and occupational hygiene engagements, each describing the sector, the scope and what was delivered.

Our work: WHS and occupational hygiene case studies →

Standards and accreditation

ISO 45001 · NATA · Global ACI · Exemplar Global

FAQ

Common questions

What is included in an independent WHS audit?

An independent WHS audit typically includes a defined scope and criteria (legislation, codes of practice, internal requirements and, where relevant, ISO 45001), review of objective evidence, site verification through sampling and interviews, and a report with risk-prioritised findings and actions. Evidence traceability is provided where due diligence or scrutiny requires it.

How is critical control verification different from a WHS compliance audit?

A WHS compliance audit assesses conformance to obligations and system requirements. Critical control verification assesses whether the controls that prevent fatality or serious injury are properly designed and operating as intended in practice. Many organisations use both: compliance audits to confirm baseline obligations, and control verification to confirm effectiveness in high-consequence areas.

How does SCG avoid “paper safe” outcomes in WHS audits and ISO 45001 projects?

SCG focuses on evidence of how work is controlled in practice, including field verification, sampling, observation, control testing and traceable records, rather than documentation volume alone. Where systems are overly complex, requirements are simplified so that critical controls are clearer, easier to apply and easier to verify.

What evidence demonstrates that critical controls are operating effectively?

Evidence typically includes confirmation of control presence and performance at the point of work, including verification records with meaningful observations, competency evidence linked to tasks, maintenance and testing records, supervision and permit controls, and closure evidence for corrective actions. Traceability is essential: what was checked, what was found, what changed, and whether the change has been sustained.

When should an ISO 45001 development, implementation, gap analysis or internal audit be considered?

Common triggers include the development or redesign of a WHS management system, preparation for certification, integration of new sites or contractors, response to repeated findings, or assurance results suggesting that controls are not operating consistently. SCG focuses on practical system design and targeted uplift so that the management system improves how risk is controlled, not merely how compliance is documented.

Does SCG provide occupational hygiene assessments and exposure monitoring?

Yes. Occupational hygiene support includes occupational health risk assessments, exposure assessment planning, workplace monitoring (including noise, dust and hazardous substances), interpretation against relevant exposure standards, and practical controls advice. Outputs can be prepared for WHS governance and assurance purposes, including evidence suitable for internal or external scrutiny.

Not sure where to start? Let’s talk.

Send a scope, or book a short call. We will tell you plainly what an engagement would involve and what it would cost.

Book a free scoping call Talk to a WHS specialist