Document Packs · PHMP

Principal Hazard Management Plans

Bespoke control plans for the hazards that can cause catastrophic harm — written with critical controls, accountable roles and named verification, to the jurisdiction and the principal’s standard.

Written per hazard, not per templateCritical controls identifiedVerification arrangements namedOur specialist niche

Principal hazards are the ones that kill more than one person at a time. The plans that manage them are read differently from the rest of a document pack — a reviewer is not checking that a plan exists, they are checking whether the controls are real, owned and verified.

This is our specialist niche. We build bespoke Principal Hazard Management Plans and control plans written to the operation, the jurisdiction and the principal’s own standard, inside the same controlled system as the rest of your document pack.

What a Principal Hazard Management Plan contains

Every plan is built around one hazard and stands on its own for review.

  • Hazard description and scope of application
  • Risk assessment method and record
  • Consequence and likelihood analysis
  • Control measures with hierarchy applied
  • Critical controls identified separately
  • Accountable role for each control
  • Verification method and frequency
  • Performance standards for each control
  • Trigger action response plans
  • Competency requirements for key roles
  • Monitoring, inspection and audit arrangements
  • Review triggers and document control

Illustrative structure. The content of each plan is written to the hazard, the operation and the applicable jurisdiction.

Principal hazards we build plans for

Open-cut and underground operations carry different combinations. We scope to the site.

  • Ground or strata failure
  • Inrush of water or material
  • Mine shafts and winding operations
  • Spontaneous combustion
  • Gas outburst
  • Air quality and respirable dust
  • Fire and explosion
  • Tyre and rim failure
  • Mobile plant and vehicle interaction
  • Subsidence
  • Roads and other vehicle operating areas
  • Emergency egress and self-escape

What separates a plan that passes from one that does not

Reviewers are testing four things.

The risk assessment is followable

A reviewer can trace how you got from the hazard to the control set. Where the reasoning is not visible, the conclusion is not defensible — regardless of whether the controls happen to be right.

Critical controls are named as critical

Not every control is critical. Plans that treat all controls equally make it impossible to see which failures matter most, and reviewers pick that up quickly.

Every control has an owner

A control with no accountable role is an intention. The plan names the position — not the person — responsible for each control being in place and working.

Verification is specific

How the control is checked, by whom, how often, and what happens when the check fails. “Periodic inspection” is the phrasing that generates findings.

Contractor, not operator?

If you are a contractor being asked to show alignment with the site’s principal hazard management plans, the deliverable is different — your procedures, SWMS and verification arrangements have to demonstrate consistency with the operator’s controls. We build that side too.

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Get a Principal Hazard Management Plan scoped

Tell us the operation and which principal hazards are in scope. We will confirm the plan list and a fixed price — usually within two business days.

We use these details to answer your enquiry only. See our privacy policy.

Fixed price · No obligation · Scope confirmed within 2 business days

Principal Hazard Management Plans — common questions

What is a Principal Hazard Management Plan?

A Principal Hazard Management Plan (PHMP) is a control plan for a hazard with the potential to cause multiple fatalities or catastrophic harm at a mine. It documents the hazard, the risk assessment behind it, the control measures selected, the person accountable for each control, and the arrangements for verifying that the controls are working. Mining safety legislation requires them for the principal hazards present at a site, and principals routinely require contractors to demonstrate alignment with them.

Which principal hazards usually need a plan?

The list depends on the operation and the jurisdiction, but commonly includes ground or strata failure, inrush, mine shafts and winding, spontaneous combustion, gas outburst, air quality and respirable dust, fire and explosion, tyre and rim failure, mobile plant and vehicle interaction, and subsidence. Underground and open-cut operations carry different combinations.

Do contractors need their own PHMPs, or just the mine operator?

The statutory obligation to prepare principal hazard management plans sits with the mine operator. What contractors are usually asked to demonstrate is that their own system aligns with those plans — that their procedures, SWMS and verification arrangements are consistent with the operator’s controls for each principal hazard. We build both: operator-standard plans, and contractor-side documents that show alignment.

What makes a PHMP pass review?

A defensible risk assessment that a reviewer can follow, controls stated at the right level of the hierarchy, a named accountable role for every critical control, and verification arrangements that describe how and how often each control is checked — not just that it will be. Plans that assert controls without naming who owns them and how they are verified are the ones that come back.

Are the plans written to a specific jurisdiction?

Yes. We write to the relevant state mining and WHS legislation and to the principal’s own standard, because the two are not identical and the reviewer is applying both.

How are PHMPs priced?

Mining Compliance Premium work starts from $8,990 AUD ex GST and is quoted per plan or as a block. Because each plan is bespoke to the hazard and the operation, we scope before quoting. See suites and pricing.

How long does a plan take to build?

Delivery is scheduled at scope confirmation rather than fixed, because plan complexity varies widely. A single hazard plan is typically faster than a full contractor document pack; a block of plans across several principal hazards is scheduled as a programme.

Can you integrate the plans with our existing system?

Yes. Plans are built into your existing numbering scheme, document register and revision-control standard so they sit inside one controlled system rather than alongside it. If you do not have that structure yet, we build it as part of the pack.

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Is the rest of your system as controlled as your hazard plans?

A plan is only as strong as the documents around it. Twelve questions on document control, register completeness, control ownership and verification — with an instant score and gap list.

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