Australia Heavy Vehicle National Law Safety Management System Standard 2026 3.3: Communication: mechanisms that give workers and relevant persons the safety information they need, operate in multiple directions with feedback and escalation, prioritise safety-critical information, reach the right people at the right time, explain changes affecting safe work, are accessible in the work context including for dispersed and mobile workforces, and support early identification of issues

What does 3.3 require?

The operator communicates safety expectations, requirements and changes relevant to the SMS clearly and effectively to affected personnel, through mechanisms for timely, accurate, two-way exchange of the information needed to manage public risk; no channel, process, frequency or record is prescribed. The criteria: mechanisms give workers and other relevant persons the safety information they need to identify hazards, understand controls and manage risk; information flows from management to workers, from workers to management and between workers, with practical avenues for questions, feedback and raising concerns; safety-critical information is identified, prioritised and communicated so it is understood and acted on promptly; information reaches the people who need it when they need it, in a form relevant to the work; where changes affect how work is done safely or risks are managed, what changed, why and what it means for those affected is communicated; mechanisms are accessible and usable in the operating environment, allowing for dispersed or mobile workforces, different locations and workforce characteristics; and they support early identification and escalation of issues rather than discovery after incidents.