Why it helps
A lot of jobs need a site-specific safety plan, and plenty of main contractors and clients ask for one before you start. Writing it from scratch for every job is slow, so it often gets done the night before, or copied from the last job without changing much.
AI can turn your notes about the job and the site into a clear hazard list, with the controls you plan to use and who's responsible. It's a starting point that saves you typing. It's not a replacement for your own health and safety system, your judgement on site, or WorkSafe's guidance.
The prompt
Copy it, swap the bits in [square brackets], and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot.
I'm a [trade] in [town], New Zealand. Draft a simple site-specific safety plan for this job, as a starting point for me to check. Job details: - The job: [what you're doing] - Site: [type of site, access, who else is there, e.g. homeowner living on site, other trades] - Dates and crew: [how many people, roles] - Hazards I've spotted: [list them] - Controls I plan to use: [what you'll do about each one] - Emergency details: [nearest medical centre, meeting point, first aid kit, who to call] Please write: 1. A short job summary. 2. A hazard table with columns: hazard, risk, controls, who's responsible. 3. An emergency section. 4. A short toolbox talk I can run on the first morning. Use plain English and NZ English. Only use the hazards and controls I've given you. Don't invent controls, legal requirements or standards. If you think a common hazard for this kind of job is missing, list it separately under "Hazards to consider" so I can decide.
Then keep chatting
Add a sign-on sheet for the crew and visitors.
Make the toolbox talk shorter, about 2 minutes.
Rewrite the hazard table so it fits on one printed page.
Write a short message to the homeowner about keeping kids and pets away from the work area.
Step by step
- Before or after the site visit, jot down the job, the site, the hazards you've spotted and what you'll do about each one.
- Paste your notes into the prompt and run it.
- Read the "Hazards to consider" list. Add any that apply, with your own controls, and ignore the rest.
- Check the plan against WorkSafe's guidance for your type of work (for example working at height, asbestos, excavation or electrical) and against your own H&S system or the main contractor's requirements.
- Print it or save it to your job app, run the toolbox talk on day one, and get everyone to sign on. Update it if the site changes.
Worked example
Example details are made up. Your results will vary, so always read and check before you use them.
Watch out for
- You're responsible, not AI. As a PCBU (person conducting a business or undertaking) under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, managing the risks is your duty. Treat this as a draft and check it against worksafe.govt.nz and your own H&S system.
- Don't trust AI on specific numbers or standards, like safe distances from power lines or asbestos rules. Check those with WorkSafe, the lines company or a licensed asbestos assessor. In the example, the 4 metres came from the tradie's own notes, not from AI.
- Some work needs notifying to WorkSafe before you start. Check whether your job is notifiable at worksafe.govt.nz.
- Privacy: leave the homeowner's name, phone number and details about their family out of the prompt. Add the address yourself afterwards.
Go further
Build a set of saved prompts for the job types you do most often, each with your usual hazards and controls already filled in. Then each new plan is a quick edit. If you run a crew, use the tradie week planner to make sure the safety plan is done before each job starts.
