What Is an SSSP? The Complete NZ Guide for Civil Contractors (2026)
A Site-Specific Safety Plan (SSSP) is the document that proves you've thought about the hazards on a particular site before your crew starts work. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA), every PCBU has a duty to manage risks — and on most NZ civil and construction sites, the main contractor will not let you through the gate without one.
What must an SSSP include?
- Project and site details — location, client, dates, key contacts
- Scope of works being carried out
- Site-specific hazard identification and risk controls
- Emergency procedures — assembly points, nearest medical centre
- Required PPE and competencies / tickets for the work
- Sign-on record showing every worker has read and understood it
SSSP vs generic safety plan
The word 'site-specific' matters. A photocopied generic plan with the client name changed won't stand up to a WorkSafe visit or a main contractor's prequalification audit. The hazards on a rural culvert job are not the hazards on a suburban subdivision — your plan needs to reflect the actual site.
How long does an SSSP take to write?
Done manually in Word: 1–3 hours per site, which is why they so often get skipped or copy-pasted. Modern tools change this. Fieldlink's AI SSSP generator takes the job type, location and known hazards and produces a compliant, branded PDF in about 30 seconds — reviewed and signed off by you before it goes to site.
Who needs to sign it?
Every worker on site should sign on to the SSSP before starting, including subbies and visitors doing work. Digital sign-on (a QR code at the gate or a tap in the app) gives you a timestamped record — which is exactly what an auditor or investigator asks for first.
WorkSafe doesn't ask if you have a safety plan. They ask if the plan matches the site and if the crew actually read it.
Fieldlink generates SSSPs, tracks digital sign-ons, and keeps every plan filed against the job. Try it free for 30 days.