ISO Certification for Victorian Traffic Management Companies - What DTP Accreditation Actually Requires

If your traffic management company works on roads managed by Victoria's Department of Transport and Planning, you need DTP accreditation before you can operate. No accreditation, no Memorandum of Authorisation permits, no work on the DTP road network.

Most traffic management business owners know they need to be accredited. Fewer understand exactly which ISO certifications are required - and specifically, that the requirements differ depending on whether your company designs traffic management plans or implements them on the road.

This post breaks down exactly what the DTP Temporary Traffic Management Accreditation program requires for ISO certification, using the November 2024 version of the accreditation document.

Two roles, two different requirements

The DTP accreditation program recognises two distinct roles:

Traffic Management Design (TMD) - responsible for designing, drafting, reviewing and modifying Traffic Management Plans (TMPs). This is the company or team that prepares the TMP, Traffic Guidance Scheme, and risk assessment before any work begins on the road.

Traffic Management Implementation (TMI) - responsible for setting out, implementing, monitoring, and controlling traffic on site. This is the company that puts the signs up, manages traffic controllers, and implements the approved TMP on the road.

Companies can apply for one role or both. The ISO certification requirements differ between them - and understanding which role your business performs is the starting point for understanding what certification you need.

What ISO certification is required

The DTP accreditation document sets out the management system requirements clearly in Section 3.1 and Section 11.

For Traffic Management Implementation (TMI) companies

If your business implements traffic management on the road, you must hold:

• ISO 9001 - Quality Management System
• ISO 45001 - Occupational Health and Safety Management System

Both must be certified by a JAS-ANZ accredited body. Note: the DTP document also references AS 4801 alongside ISO 45001. AS 4801 was withdrawn in 2021 and certification bodies no longer issue it. ISO 45001 is the only current standard.

Note on AS 4801 versus ISO 45001: the DTP accreditation document references AS 4801 alongside ISO 45001 as an accepted standard. However AS 4801 was withdrawn in 2021 when the mandatory transition to ISO 45001 closed. Certification bodies no longer issue AS 4801 certificates. If your business still holds an AS 4801 certificate it will have expired. ISO 45001 is the only current standard for occupational health and safety management systems. Ignore the AS 4801 reference in the DTP document - it is a legacy reference that has not been updated. Certify to ISO 45001.

For Traffic Management Design (TMD) companies

If your business designs traffic management plans but does not implement them on road, you must hold:

• ISO 9001 - Quality Management System only

The DTP accreditation document explicitly states that ISO 45001 (or AS 4801) is not required for the TMD role. ISO 9001 is the only management system certification required.

This is a meaningful distinction. A business that prepares traffic management plans - engineers, traffic consultants, design firms - needs only ISO 9001. That is a significantly simpler and less costly path to accreditation than a company that also implements on the road.

For companies holding both TMD and TMI accreditation

If your company both designs and implements traffic management, you need both:

• ISO 9001
• AS 4801 or ISO 45001

The small business concession

The DTP accreditation document includes a concession for smaller businesses that is worth knowing about.

If your company has 10 or fewer employees, you have the option of presenting a letter from a suitably qualified third-party auditor confirming that your systems meet the requirements of ISO 9001 and AS 4801 or ISO 45001, rather than holding full third-party certification.

This is not an exemption from the standards - your systems still need to meet ISO 9001 and ISO 45001 requirements. It is an alternative form of evidence for very small operators who may find the full certification process disproportionate to the size of their business.

For most businesses, full third-party certification from a JAS-ANZ accredited body remains the cleaner path. It provides stronger evidence at accreditation, is immediately recognised by DTP without question, and does not require you to source a suitably qualified auditor independently.

The document notes specifically: "this certification confirming valid Quality and OH&S management systems can be a lengthy process. Please ensure that you have evidence that your company is certified before applying for Accreditation." In other words - start your certification early. Do not apply for accreditation and then try to get certified at the same time.

What the road categories mean for your accreditation

The DTP program has three road categories:

Category 1 - most urban streets and lower volume rural roads. Any speed limit with less than 3,000 vehicles per day, or under 60 km/h with between 3,000 and 10,000 vehicles per day.

Category 2 - high-volume roads. Speed limit of 60 km/h or above with 3,000 or more vehicles per day, or any speed with 10,000 or more vehicles per day. Includes signalised intersections, multilane and divided roads, high speed highways.

Category 3 - expressways and high volume/high speed multi-lane roads with divided carriageways. Generally over 20,000 vehicles per day. A Truck Mounted Attenuator (TMA) is required for Category 3 TMI work.

New companies entering the accreditation program are assessed for Category 1 only. Evidence for higher categories is only recognised once a company is already accredited - you cannot jump straight to Category 3.

The ISO certification requirements are the same across all three road categories. Whether you are applying for Category 1 or Category 3, ISO 9001 and ISO 45001 (for TMI) are required.

What happens if your certification lapses

The DTP accreditation document is explicit about this. Under Section 5 (Maintenance of Accreditation Status), it lists as a matter of concern:

"where restrictions on a licence/registration to practice are imposed, or third-party Accreditation of a management system is withdrawn or has expired."

Section 5.2 further states that companies must at all times ensure currency of their Quality and OH&S management systems certification.

In plain terms: if your ISO 9001 or ISO 45001 certificate lapses, your DTP accreditation is at risk. A lapsed certificate is a matter of concern that DTP will investigate, and the outcome could be an official warning, a downgrade in road category, suspension, or cancellation of your accreditation.

Accreditation is valid for two years. ISO certificates are valid for three years with annual surveillance audits. The timelines do not align neatly, which means your ISO surveillance audits and your DTP accreditation renewal will fall at different points. Planning your certification maintenance calendar to ensure certificates never lapse is important.

What to do next

If your traffic management business is working toward DTP accreditation and does not yet hold the required ISO certification, the starting point is understanding which role you are applying for and which certifications apply.

TMD only (design role): ISO 9001 is the only requirement. This is achievable for most design businesses within three to five months.

TMI (implementation role) or both roles: ISO 9001 and ISO 45001 are both required. Building these as an integrated system is more efficient than two separate implementations and typically takes four to six months for a traffic management business of typical size.

The DTP document warns that certification can be a lengthy process and advises companies to be certified before applying for accreditation. Do not leave this until the last minute before your accreditation application or renewal.

If you want to understand what is involved and get a fixed price for the certification work, get in touch. We call you the same day.

Source: Department of Transport and Planning, Temporary Traffic Management Accreditation program, November 2024. Available at transport.vic.gov.au