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Painting Kōwhai (Yellow) SSSP — Working Alongside (Subcontractor, parallel)

A Site-Specific Safety Plan for painting subcontractors who run their own documented H&S management system and operate in parallel with the Main Contractor — not under it. Drafted around the HSWA s34 consultation, cooperation, and coordination duty. Your H&S policy, training matrix, incident register, RPE programme and audit cycle are the primary system; the Main Contractor’s site-wide framework is a coordination interface.

⚖️HSWA s34 coordination framing throughout

📄Maps to your own H&S system (policy, audit, training, incidents)

🇳🇿NZ-specific painting — 30 hazards, lead + asbestos modules

NZD 395

Instant Download

Editable DOCX · Instant download · Use across as many projects as you operate · Issue per-project to any Main Contractor running the site.

For established painting businesses that already operate SiteWise-prequalified, ISO 45001 aligned, or insurer-rated H&S systems. The Kōwhai pack lets your evidence of due diligence (HSWA s44) reflect the firm's own management framework rather than adopting someone else's. Five sections are rewritten for parallel operation — §2, §3, §17, §19, §20, §21, §23 — while all trade-specific painting content (30 hazards, 12 task analyses, lead and asbestos modules) is identical to the Kākāriki pack.

Don't adopt the Main Contractor's framework

Your H&S system is the artefact your insurer audits, your prequal grade depends on, and your officer due-diligence record references. Adopting the Main Contractor's framework wholesale breaks that audit trail.

HSWA s34 demands coordination, not adoption

Section 34 of HSWA requires PCBUs working alongside each other to consult, cooperate, and coordinate — not for one to operate under the other. The Kōwhai document is structured around that legal reality.

Kākāriki is structurally wrong for you

A Kākāriki SSSP states the PCBU 2 operates under the Main Contractor's framework. If you actually run your own H&S system, that statement is incorrect — and a competent auditor will catch it.

Who this is for

SiteWise-prequalified painting businesses: Your SiteWise grade is the evidence Main Contractors check at pre-qual — Kōwhai aligns your SSSP framing with the system that grade is awarded against.
ISO 45001 aligned painting firms: The Kōwhai §3 Roles table and §21 worker-engagement section align with ISO 45001 management-of-change and consultation clauses.
Painting firms with an in-house H&S Officer / Coordinator: The §3 Roles table adds the H&S Officer / Coordinator row (not in Kākāriki) and gives them ownership of the company hazard register, SDS register, training matrix, and incident register.
Established painting contractors with documented audit cycles: Kōwhai's §2.1 commits you to maintaining your own written policy, risk-management framework, training matrix, incident-reporting system, internal audit cycle, and RPE programme — and coordinating these with the Main Contractor under s34.

If you operate as a smaller painter and adopt whatever framework the Main Contractor brings to the site, Kōwhai is the wrong tier — you need Kākāriki ($100 cheaper and structurally correct for that position). If you run the site as Main Contractor, you need Whero.

Kākāriki (sub under main contractor) — $295 → →Whero (Main Contractor, PCBU 1) — $495 → →

What's inside the template

31 pages · Formats: DOCX

Cover & Document ControlProject, NZBN, version, revision history, sign-off pages.
1. Purpose & Regulatory AnchorHSWA 2015 (s34 + s36 + s37 + s44 + s58–67), HSW (GRWM) 2016, HSW (HS) 2017, HSW (Asbestos) 2016.
2. Subcontractor Acceptance and Sign-Off (parallel framing)You operate your OWN documented H&S management system; the two systems operate in parallel under HSWA s34.
2.1. PCBU Duties (parallel-operation version)Nine duty statements: s36 primary duty, s37 workplace controller (your work areas), s34 coordination, s58–67 worker engagement, s62 HSR (Schedule 2 override).
3. Roles & Responsibilities (7 rows)PCBU 2 (parallel), Officer, H&S Officer / Coordinator (new), Crew Lead, HSR where elected (new), Painter, Apprentice.
4. Hazard Register (30 rows H01–H30)5×5 inherent scored, controls drafted, residual re-scored — identical to Kākāriki.
5. Critical RisksHeights, lead paint, asbestos, isocyanate, spray drift / ventilation, fire (linseed-oil rags).
6. Task Analyses (12 cross-referenced)Heights, prep, brush/roller, spray, stripping, 2-pack, roof, lead, asbestos, hazardous substances, manual handling, confined space.
7. PPE RegisterP2 → half-face A1/A2+P2 → full-face A1/A2+P3 → PAPR. Coverall stack AS/NZS 4501.2 + EN ISO 13982-1 Type 5 + EN 13034 Type 6. Annual RPE fit-test.
8. Training & Competency Matrix (internal)NZQA 17600, 23966, 23960, 23962, 13053, 6401. Site Safe Passport. Internal training matrix owned by H&S Officer.
9. Hazardous Substances Register (internal)10 substance entries with HSNO classes and LCC trigger awareness. Internal SDS register.
10. Emergency Response (your procedure + s34 interface)Your own emergency response procedure runs in parallel with the Main Contractor’s; site-wide events take the Main Contractor’s lead.
11. Asbestos Awareness — pre-2000 buildingsFive-step painter protocol with NZ suspect-materials list — identical to Kākāriki.
12. Lead Paint Management — pre-1980 buildingsWorkSafe NZ BEI 10 µg/dL / BRV 3 µg/dL (WES/BEI 15th ed Feb 2025).
13. Spray Application ControlsAirless / HVLP / conventional. Drift containment. Ventilation. RPE selection per task.
14. Two-Pack & Isocyanate CoatingsSupplied air or PAPR. Medical clearance protocol.
15. Working at HeightsFive-level hierarchy + ten ladder rules.
16. Manual HandlingPaint pails, ladder lifts, scaffold components.
17. Electrical & EquipmentAS/NZS 3760 Table 4 — 3-monthly T&T.
18. Environmental ControlsPaintwise scheme. NZS 6803 noise. RMA spray-drift.
19. Internal Toolbox + Site-Wide ToolboxInternal toolbox covers company-specific procedures, training updates, audit findings. Site-wide toolbox attendance recorded separately.
20. Internal Incident RegisterIncidents recorded in your own register; reported to the Main Contractor under s34. Notifiable events notified to WorkSafe NZ directly by your PCBU.
21. Worker Engagement (internal + s34)Internal H&S consultation framework + s34 coordination with Main Contractor.
22. Document ControlRevision history, legal disclaimer, NZ governing law.
23. Sign-Off (PCBU 2 Parallel + Main Contractor Acknowledgment + Crew Lead)Main Contractor receives Acknowledgment (not Acceptance) — parallel operation does not require their approval of your H&S system.

How this template compares

The differentiator between the three painting tiers is not trade content — it's PCBU position under HSWA. Pick the tier that matches your H&S framework reality.

Feature	Kākāriki (Green)	Kōwhai (Yellow) — this pack	Whero (Red)
PCBU position	Sub UNDER main contractor	Sub IN PARALLEL with main contractor	Main contractor (PCBU 1)
HSWA framing	s36 + adoption of PCBU 1's framework	s36 + s37 + s34 (own system + coordination)	s36 + s37 + s34 + s44 + s56
Incident reporting	Into Main Contractor's site register	Own internal register + interface with PCBU 1	Site-wide register (accepts subcontractor reports)
Toolbox meetings	Site-wide only	Internal toolbox + site-wide attendance	Runs site-wide toolbox
Emergency response	Follows Main Contractor procedure	Own procedure + s34 interface	Leads site emergency response
H&S team (in §3)	Crew lead + officer (5 rows)	+ H&S Officer + HSR (7 rows)	+ Site Manager + Subcontractor Workers (8 rows)
Best for	Smaller painters with no formal H&S system	SiteWise prequalified / ISO 45001 / insurer-rated	Painter running the site as PCBU 1
Pages	31	31	32
Price	NZD $295	NZD $395	NZD $495

Reviewed by OH Professionals

This SSSP was reviewed by certified occupational health and safety professionals against current NZ legislation. Painting hazards, biological monitoring values, and respiratory selection were cross-checked against WorkSafe NZ WES/BEI 15th edition (February 2025). The Kōwhai-specific framing around HSWA s34 was drafted to match the consultation, cooperation, and coordination wording used in WorkSafe NZ overlapping-PCBU guidance.

Legislation referenced

Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 — Section 30 — Management of risks ↗
Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 — Section 34 — Duty of PCBUs to consult, cooperate, and coordinate ↗
Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 — Section 36 — Primary duty of care ↗
Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 — Section 37 — Duty of PCBU with management or control of a workplace ↗Principal contractor duties anchor — the Whero (Red) pack carries this; subcontractors operate within it.
Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 — Section 44 — Officer due diligence ↗
Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 — Section 62 — Worker engagement (and Schedule 2 override for construction) ↗
Health and Safety at Work (General Risk and Workplace Management) Regulations 2016 — Risk management, first aid, emergency plans, PPE, plant ↗
Health and Safety at Work (Hazardous Substances) Regulations 2017 — SDS register, inventory, training, location compliance, LCC triggers ↗
Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016 — Regulation 10 — Identification ↗
Worker Engagement, Participation, and Representation Regulations 2016 — Schedule 2 — Prescribed high-risk industries (construction included) ↗Construction is Schedule 2 — the HSWA s62(2) small-business HSR exemption does not apply.
Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 — Classification framework — applied to paints, solvents and strippers ↗
Building Act 2004 — Fire-retardant coatings; building consent triggers ↗
Resource Management Act 1991 — Regional plans — spray-drift, runoff, discharge controls ↗
WorkSafe NZ Approved Code of Practice — Management and removal of asbestos ↗WorkSafe NZ approved code of practice — referenced for methodology.
WorkSafe NZ Best Practice — Working at Height in New Zealand ↗Hierarchy of controls: eliminate → EWP/scaffold → harness as last resort.
AS/NZS 1892.1 — Portable ladders — industrial rated ↗
AS/NZS 1576 / 4576 — Scaffolding — erection and operational use ↗
AS/NZS 1715 — Selection, use and maintenance of respiratory protective equipment ↗
AS/NZS 1716 — Respiratory protective devices ↗
AS/NZS 1337.1 — Eye and face protection ↗
AS/NZS 2210.3 — Safety footwear ↗
AS/NZS 1891 — Industrial fall-arrest systems and devices ↗
AS/NZS 60335.2.69 — Class H vacuums for hazardous dust ↗
AS/NZS 3760 Table 4 — Test & tag — 3-monthly inspection on construction sites ↗
AS/NZS 2865:2009 — Confined spaces ↗
AS/NZS 4501.2 + EN ISO 13982-1 (Type 5) + EN 13034 (Type 6) — Coverall stack for lead, asbestos and spray work ↗

Frequently asked

Why pay more than Kākāriki?+

The trade content is the same. You're paying for the parallel-operation framing — the §2, §3, §17, §19, §20, §21, §23 rewrites that tell a Main Contractor's H&S team and an auditor that you run your own documented system and are not adopting theirs. If you don't operate your own H&S system, buy Kākāriki — it's $100 cheaper and structurally correct for that position.

How do I know whether I'm Kākāriki or Kōwhai?+

You're Kōwhai if you have any of: your own written H&S policy, an H&S Officer or Coordinator, a SiteWise prequalification grade, an ISO 45001 certificate or alignment statement, an insurer-rated H&S programme, your own incident reporting system, your own training matrix and audit cycle. You're Kākāriki if you operate as a smaller painter and adopt whatever framework the Main Contractor brings to the site.

Can I switch from Kākāriki to Kōwhai later?+

Yes — buy the Kōwhai upgrade when your business outgrows the adopted-framework model. The trade content carries across; only the H&S framework framing changes.

Will the Main Contractor accept it?+

A Main Contractor running a Whero (Red) SSSP must accept either a Kākāriki or a Kōwhai SSSP from their subcontractors — the Whero pack's §2.4 Subcontractor Management section explicitly references both as valid PCBU 2 submission formats. If the Main Contractor is using a non-OHC SSSP, the Kōwhai document is still structurally compatible with any standard NZ main-contractor SSSP review.

Is it editable?+

Yes — DOCX. Replace [Insert your company legal name], NZBN, project name and address, key contacts, your H&S Officer's name, and the substance/equipment/training rows that apply to your job. The painting content and the parallel-operation framing are pre-written.

Do you update it when legislation changes?+

The document is dated and version-controlled. The legal disclaimer makes clear that the user is responsible for verifying that statutory references remain current at the date of use. Future-version refreshes will be made available as legislation, ACOPs or AS/NZS standards are amended.