OpSpot Blog
Industry Best Practices
Construction Site Sign-In Register: What to Record, and the Rules in NSW, VIC and QLD
10 November 2026
Short answer: no law in NSW, Victoria or Queensland says, in so many words, "keep a sign-in book". But the business running the site must keep it secure, make sure everyone doing construction work has a white card, tell workers the site rules, and have an emergency plan that reaches everyone on site. NSW's Code of Practice for construction work says a register of the people on site each day should be kept so everyone can be accounted for in an emergency. A sign-in register is the simplest way to show you're doing all of that.
Facts checked against SafeWork NSW, WorkSafe Victoria, WorkSafe Queensland, state legislation and the OAIC on 29 October 2026. This is practical guidance, not legal advice; your head contract or client may ask for more.
At a glance
| NSW | Victoria | Queensland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sign-in register required by law? | No. The NSW construction code of practice says a daily register should be kept for emergencies | No | No |
| Principal contractor needed | Construction projects of $250,000 or more | Construction projects of $350,000 or more | Construction projects of $250,000 or more |
| Site sign | Principal contractor's name, 24-hour phone numbers and site office location, visible from outside | Name and contact phone numbers, visible from outside | Name and phone numbers, including after hours, and the site office location if there is one |
| Site safety plan | WHS management plan before work starts, including site rules and how people are told about them | Health and safety coordination plan, including site safety rules and how people are told | WHS management plan, as in NSW |
| White card | Don't direct or allow anyone to do construction work without it; workers keep the card available for inspection | The same; a card lapses after 2 years without construction work | The same as NSW |
| Visitors | May need a white card if unaccompanied in operational areas; must be given PPE | No white card needed if a card holder accompanies them at all times | WorkSafe Queensland guidance: a site-specific induction, or accompanied by someone who has one |
Why keep a register if the law doesn't name one?
Because it's the record that shows you met the duties the law does name:
- Emergencies. Every workplace needs an emergency plan covering evacuation and communication with everyone there (r 43 of the WHS Regulation in NSW and Queensland). In an evacuation, the day's sign-ins tell you who to account for. This is the reason the NSW code gives for keeping a register.
- Site security. Whoever manages or controls a construction site must secure it from unauthorised access, so far as is reasonably practicable (r 298 in NSW and Queensland). The register shows who was let in.
- White cards. You must not direct or allow a worker to carry out construction work unless they've done general construction induction training (r 317 in NSW and Queensland; r 340–341 in Victoria). Recording the card at a worker's first sign-in is the easy way to prove you checked.
- Site rules. Workers must be told about the WHS management plan or coordination plan, including the site rules, before they start (NSW and Queensland r 309–310; Victoria r 335–337). Asking people to accept the site rules when they sign in shows they were told.
- Disputes. When a defect, damage or a variation is questioned months later, the register shows who was on site and when.
These duties apply to construction work generally, not only to projects big enough to need a principal contractor, so a register is worth keeping on a $40,000 bathroom too.
What to record
A practical template, not a legal form:
| Who | Record | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Everyone | Name, company, date, time in and time out, who they're there to see | Emergency headcount, security, disputes |
| Workers | Trade, the job or booking they're on, white card number (first visit), site induction date, high risk work licence if relevant | White card and induction checks |
| Visitors | Name, mobile number, company, host, whether escorted, PPE given | Visitor rules and contact if something happens |
| Deliveries | Driver, company, time, where the load was dropped | Who was on site and when |
Copy this into your sign-in sheet
| Date | Time in | Time out | Name | Company | Worker or visitor | White card no. (first visit) | Inducted (date) | Host or escort | Site rules accepted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Visitors: the state differences
- Victoria: the white card rules don't apply to visitors who are accompanied at all times by someone who holds a card, or to delivery drivers (OHS Regulations r 338). Your other duties to them still apply.
- NSW: SafeWork NSW says people who enter operational construction areas without being accompanied or directly supervised by an inducted person may need a white card. The NSW code says visitors must be given PPE and may also need a site-specific induction.
- Queensland: WorkSafe Queensland's guidance says anyone entering a construction area should have had a site-specific induction or be accompanied by someone who has, except on housing construction. The page dates from 2019, so treat it as guidance.
Privacy: tell people why you collect their details
If the Privacy Act applies to your business, Australian Privacy Principle 5 says you must take reasonable steps, at or before collection, to tell people who you are, why you're collecting their details and who you share them with. A short notice on the sign-in sheet or QR poster, linking to your privacy policy, is the usual way. Many small businesses with an annual turnover of $3 million or less are exempt, with exceptions, so check the OAIC's guidance.
We couldn't find an official retention period for sign-in records. Many builders keep them with the project file. The WHS management plan itself must be kept until the project is finished, and for at least two years after a notifiable incident.
Paper book or QR code?
| Paper sign-in book | QR code sign-in | |
|---|---|---|
| At the gate | A pen that works, a book that stays dry | Scan with the phone camera |
| Readable later | Depends on the handwriting | Typed names and exact times |
| From the office | Someone has to photograph the page | The list is already there |
| Visitors | Write in the book | Sign in as a guest, no app needed |
| If the sign is copied | Not an issue | Retire the code and print a new one |
Doing this in OpSpot
- A QR code for each project, with check-in instructions you write once or load from a template: site rules, induction notes, PPE, who to report to. Print it for the site entrance.
- Staff and subcontractors scan it and check in as themselves. With GPS check-in switched on, their location is recorded too.
- Visitors check in as guests with their name and mobile number. No app or account needed.
- Everyone accepts the terms before checking in, and sees the project manager's contact details.
- Check-in history on the project lists everyone who checked in, newest first, with the date and time.
- Delete a code and it stops working at once, even on printed copies.
- OpSpot records arrivals, not sign-outs, so pair the day's check-ins with your supervisor's roll call in an evacuation. Keep white cards and licences with each person's documents.
See Site checklists, photo proof and QR code check-ins and the subcontractor pre-qualification checklist.
FAQ
Is a site sign-in book a legal requirement? Not in those words in NSW, Victoria or Queensland. But the NSW construction code of practice says a daily register should be kept for emergencies, and a register is how you show you've met your duties on security, white cards, site rules and emergency planning.
Do visitors need a white card? Not if they're properly accompanied. In Victoria the rules don't apply to visitors accompanied at all times by a card holder. In NSW, unaccompanied visitors in operational areas may need one.
Do I need a sign-in register on a small renovation? The principal contractor rules start at $250,000 ($350,000 in Victoria), but site security, white cards and emergency plans apply to construction work generally. A register is still the easiest proof.
How long should I keep sign-in records? No official period applies to sign-in records that we could find. Keep them with the project file, and keep the WHS management plan for at least two years after any notifiable incident.
Can a QR code replace the paper book? Yes, if it records the same details and you can see who's on site when you need to.
Sources
- SafeWork NSW: Code of Practice: Construction work · Undertaking a construction project · White cards
- Queensland legislation: Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011
- WorkSafe Queensland: Site-specific induction
- Victorian legislation: Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017
- WorkSafe Victoria: Construction site security fencing
- OAIC: APP 5: Notification of the collection of personal information · Small business
