Health and safety prequalification is widely used in New Zealand to help clients, principals, and procurement teams assess whether a business has effective health and safety systems in place before work is awarded.
While different schemes and platforms exist, the underlying purpose of prequalification is consistent: to provide independent assurance that a business understands its risks and is operating appropriate health and safety systems in practice.
This resource explains how health and safety prequalification works in New Zealand, how assessments are approached, and what businesses need to understand to achieve consistent outcomes over time.
This article forms part of ThinkSafe’s Prequalification Resources. It explains how the prequalification system works — not how to shortcut it or promote services.
What Is Health & Safety Prequalification?
Health and safety prequalification is an independent assessment process used to evaluate whether a business has appropriate health and safety systems for the work it undertakes.
It is commonly required when:
Tendering for work
Joining approved contractor or supplier panels
Working for larger organisations or principal contractors
Prequalification allows clients to make informed decisions before engagement, rather than relying on assumptions or reacting after incidents occur.
Most prequalification systems assess:
How hazards and risks are identified and managed
How workers are inducted, trained, and supervised
How incidents and near misses are reported and followed up
How worker engagement occurs in practice
Whether evidence supports what is described
The outcome is typically a status, grade, or score that clients can rely on during procurement and contractor selection.
How Prequalification Is Designed to Work
1. Description of system operation
Businesses are asked to explain, in their own words, how health and safety is managed within their organisation.
Assessors are looking for:
Clear explanations
Systems appropriate to the size and risk of the business
Evidence that the business understands its own processes
This is not a test of writing ability. It is an assessment of understanding and application.
2. Supporting evidence
Evidence is used to confirm that the system described is operating in practice.
This commonly includes:
Worker induction and training records
Hazard and risk management records
Incident and investigation records
Worker engagement and meeting records
Registers for training, plant, and hazardous substances
Evidence must be recent, relevant, and consistent with what is described.
3. Independent assessment
An independent assessor reviews the submission to confirm that:
Systems are being applied day-to-day
Evidence falls within required timeframes
Records align with descriptions
The approach is fit-for-purpose
Assessors are not assessing document presentation or complexity.
They are assessing credibility, consistency, and operational use.
What Prequalification Is Not
Prequalification is not:
A one-off paperwork exercise
A writing or formatting competition
A test of how professional documents look
A guarantee of future performance
Strong outcomes occur when health and safety systems are already embedded into normal work — not when information is assembled solely for assessment.
Common Health & Safety Prequalification Schemes in NZ
Most New Zealand businesses encounter one or more recognised prequalification schemes.
While platforms differ in structure and branding, they assess the same core principles: system, evidence, and operation.
The scheme used is usually determined by client or industry requirements rather than contractor preference.
Why Businesses Commonly Struggle With Prequalification
Most difficulties arise not because businesses lack policies, but because:
Evidence is created retrospectively
Systems are not used consistently during normal work
Knowledge sits with one person or an external party
Records do not align with descriptions
Renewals require rebuilding submissions each year
This often leads to unnecessary stress, rework, and ongoing dependency.
Three Common Ways Businesses Approach Prequalification
Level 1 — Outsourced compliance
Health and safety documentation and submissions are largely handled externally.
This can be a valid starting point, but often results in limited internal understanding and fragile renewal outcomes.
Level 2 — Supported implementation
The business operates its own system, with external advice used for guidance, review, or specialist input.
Evidence is generated through normal operations, leading to more consistent results.
Level 3 — Operational ownership
Health and safety is embedded into day-to-day work.
The business understands and operates its own system, using advisors selectively where appropriate.
Prequalification becomes a natural outcome rather than a separate project.
This progression aligns with assessor expectations and the intent of New Zealand health and safety legislation.
What Assessors Consistently Look For
Across schemes, assessors expect to see:
Evidence generated through normal work
Records within required timeframes
Consistency between narrative and evidence
Language that reflects the business’s own understanding
Systems appropriate to the organisation’s size and risk
They do not expect:
Overly complex systems
Perfect documentation
External ownership of processes
Generic or copied responses
The Role of External Advisors
Many businesses engage external health and safety advisors for:
Independent review
Specialist assessments
Training and coaching
Improvement planning
Advisors can add real value. However, prequalification outcomes ultimately depend on the business’s ability to operate and understand its own system in practice.
The Purpose of Prequalification
Prequalification exists to:
Reduce risk before work starts
Provide independent assurance to clients
Encourage consistent system operation
Support continual improvement
Businesses that integrate prequalification into normal operations tend to experience more predictable outcomes and fewer issues at renewal time.
Where ThinkSafe Fits
ThinkSafe is designed to support businesses to operate their health and safety system day-to-day, so prequalification reflects reality rather than being treated as a separate exercise.
