Digital Work Systems
WHS Readiness
Make your AI, automation and digital work platforms safer, explainable and regulator-ready. Prepare your organisation for emerging WHS duties around digital work systems.
Built for high-risk industries where safety, defensibility and human decision-making matter.
Digital work systems are no longer just an IT issue.
AI and automation are moving into operational decision-making, safety workflows, rostering, dispatch, incident management, performance dashboards, field leadership, compliance systems and critical risk management.
When these systems affect people, work and risk, they need to be managed through the same discipline expected of any safety-critical process: consultation, risk assessment, controls, accountability, review and evidence.
Digital transformation without WHS governance creates a new class of organisational risk.
Digital systems can influence:
Most organisations do not have a clear register of their digital work systems.
Businesses already use systems that could fall within the concept of a digital work system — yet few can clearly answer the critical governance questions.
Systems already in use
Questions few organisations can answer
If the answer is unclear, the organisation may be exposed.
We review the systems that influence work, people and risk.
Our readiness review focuses on digital systems that may affect worker health and safety.
Allocate or influence work
Dispatch systems, rostering tools, task allocation platforms, workflow systems and automated action management.
We assess whether the system could create excessive workloads, unreasonable task pressure, unclear accountability or unsafe prioritisation.
Monitor workers or work activity
Fatigue systems, fleet systems, wearable devices, location tracking, field leadership apps and productivity dashboards.
We assess whether monitoring is proportionate, transparent, risk-based and supported by consultation.
Measure or compare performance
Supervisor scorecards, operator performance dashboards, inspection quality metrics and automated compliance scoring.
We assess whether metrics are reasonable, explainable and used for improvement rather than unfair blame.
Support safety decisions
Incident investigation AI, SHMS compliance tools, critical control verification tools, bowtie platforms and risk-ranking systems.
We assess whether outputs are traceable, reviewed by competent people and supported by clear human approval.
Use AI or algorithmic decision support
Generative AI tools, machine-learning models, automated classification, risk prediction, summarisation and recommendation engines.
We assess whether the system has appropriate safeguards, audit trails, data controls, limitations and review processes.
What you receive
Eight structured deliverables designed to move your organisation from uncertainty to a clear, defensible governance position.
Digital Work Systems Register
A structured inventory of relevant AI, automation, algorithmic and online platform systems. Each system is categorised by purpose, owner, users affected, decision impact, worker impact, data inputs and risk exposure.
WHS Risk Assessment
A practical assessment of potential health and safety risks created by each system, including workload, monitoring, performance metrics, psychosocial hazards, fairness, decision quality and operational safety impacts.
Control Gap Review
A review of current controls against good WHS governance practice, including consultation, training, human review, access controls, audit logs, change management and escalation pathways.
Human-in-Control Assessment
A clear review of where human judgement is required, who approves outputs, how decisions are challenged, and how the organisation prevents automated outputs from becoming unreviewed decisions.
Consultation and Communication Pack
Templates and guidance to support worker consultation, supervisor briefings and leadership communication around digital work systems.
Vendor and System Due Diligence Checklist
A practical checklist for assessing third-party platforms, AI vendors and internal digital systems before deployment or renewal.
Regulator and Entry-Permit Holder Response Pack
A defensible evidence pack to help explain how relevant digital work systems are governed, controlled and reviewed.
Executive Readiness Report
A concise report for leaders showing priority risks, required actions, governance gaps and recommended implementation steps.
Know where you stand.
MineGuard AI assesses your readiness across five maturity levels.
Digital systems are used across the business, but there is no clear register, risk assessment or ownership model.
Key systems are known, but WHS impacts, worker consultation and governance controls are inconsistent.
Digital work systems are risk assessed, owners are assigned, consultation is documented and controls are in place.
Systems are regularly reviewed, changes are controlled, audit logs are available, and human decision-making is clearly documented.
Digital work system governance is embedded into the SHMS, procurement, change management, incident learning, critical control management and assurance processes.
Digital Work Systems WHS Readiness Checklist
Use this quick checklist to test your current position.
If not, your organisation may need a Digital Work Systems WHS Readiness Review.
Request the full checklistA simple pathway to readiness
Discover
Identify digital work systems across the business and understand where they influence workers, work allocation, monitoring, safety decisions or performance metrics.
Assess
Evaluate WHS risks, psychosocial risks, governance gaps, consultation status, decision impacts and control effectiveness.
Strengthen
Develop or improve controls, documentation, consultation, training, ownership, audit logs and human approval pathways.
Embed
Integrate digital work system governance into SHMS documents, procurement, change management, assurance and incident learning.
Monitor
Review systems periodically, especially when AI models, algorithms, workflows, vendors or operational use cases change.
Digital work system readiness can be embedded into your safety intelligence ecosystem.
Incident AI
Supports more consistent, evidence-based and human-reviewed investigation workflows. Helps ensure AI-assisted findings remain traceable, reviewable and defensible.
Learn more →SHMS AI
Helps update procedures, registers, consultation records and governance documents to reflect digital work system risks and controls.
Learn more →Critical Risk AI
Helps identify where digital systems influence critical controls, verification activities, bowties, assurance processes and control performance.
Learn more →Field Leadership AI
Helps improve the quality of field leadership activities while maintaining transparency, coaching intent and human oversight.
Learn more →Common questions
What is a digital work system?
A digital work system can include algorithms, artificial intelligence, automation and online platforms. In practice, this may include AI tools, automated workflow systems, rostering tools, dispatch systems, monitoring platforms, dashboards and digital systems that influence work or safety decisions.
Is this only relevant to NSW?
The NSW amendments are the immediate trigger, but the issue is broader. Any organisation using AI, automation or digital systems in high-risk work should understand how those systems may affect health and safety, consultation, workloads, monitoring, performance metrics and decision-making.
Does this mean AI should not be used in safety?
No. AI can significantly improve safety when it is properly governed. The issue is not whether AI is used. The issue is whether the organisation can show that AI is controlled, explainable, reviewed by competent people and used in a way that does not create new risks.
Does MineGuard AI replace legal advice?
No. MineGuard AI supports WHS readiness, risk assessment, governance design and safety management system improvement. Legal advice should be obtained where legal interpretation or formal compliance advice is required.
Can this review be connected to SHMS AI?
Yes. Digital work system readiness can be embedded into SHMS AI to support document updates, compliance checks, registers, consultation records and ongoing review.
Can MineGuard AI review third-party systems?
Yes. The readiness review can include MineGuard AI tools, client-built systems and third-party platforms used by the organisation.
"The question is no longer whether organisations should use AI.
The question is whether they can prove it is being used safely, transparently and under control."
Be ready before the questions are asked.
Digital work systems are already shaping how work is planned, allocated, monitored and improved. MineGuard AI helps you make sure those systems are safe, explainable, controlled and defensible.
AI adoption is accelerating. WHS governance needs to keep up.