What Is a WHS Consultant? | Altius

A WHS (work health and safety) consultant is a qualified specialist who helps organisations identify, assess, and manage workplace health and safety risks. Unlike an internal safety officer, a workplace health safety consultant typically works externally, providing independent advice, specialist expertise, and flexible support across different industries and regulatory environments.

What Does a WHS Consultant Do?

A WHS consultant role can vary, but most WHS consultancy services in Australia focus on:

• Conducting risk assessments and workplace safety audits
• Developing and reviewing WHS policies, procedures, and documentation
• Supporting incident investigations and root cause analysis
• Implementing or improving workplace safety management systems
• Advising on compliance with WHS legislation
• Providing WHS advisory services and ongoing system improvement

As occupational health and safety consultants, they work across organisations of all sizes, from targeted support on a single issue to end-to-end workplace safety consulting.

When Should an Organisation Engage a WHS Consultant?

Organisations often engage WHS experts when internal capability is stretched or specialised input is needed. Common triggers include:

• Periods of growth or organisational change
• Updates to WHS regulations or compliance requirements
• Following a workplace incident or near miss
• Gaps in internal expertise or resourcing
• WHS responsibilities being held by operations or HR managers without the knowledge, time or capacity to manage them effectively

Outsourcing WHS services also gives access to experienced professionals without the cost of a full-time hire, while bringing an external perspective to strengthen existing systems.

At Altius, our WHS consulting and WHS secondment services provide flexible support, from short-term resourcing to fully integrated workplace safety management. With one point of contact and a fully integrated approach across health, wellbeing and safety, we help organisations move beyond fragmented systems and build safer, more effective workplaces.

Explore how we support organisations through our WHS Consultancy and Secondments services.