Experienced Personal Consulting
What We Do
Identifying, assessing and managing risk is a core part of running any business. Done well, it supports better decisions, clearer priorities and safer ways of working.
Holistic Focus helps organisations see the whole picture. Work Health and Safety (WHS), risk management, people, systems and day-to-day operations all need to work together. When they do, businesses are better placed to identify gaps, strengthen controls and manage risk effectively.
We provide support across WHS, risk management and operational safety. Our services include risk assessments, WHS reviews and audits, procedures and documentation, contractor safety, high-risk work and ongoing safety management system reviews.
Our role is to help you understand what is working, what is missing, what is unclear and where improvement is needed. We turn complex requirements into clear, workable actions that suit your organisation and the way work is actually carried out.
Whether you are establishing new WHS arrangements, reviewing current practices, preparing for an audit, managing contractors, improving procedures or responding to a specific concern, Holistic Focus helps you move forward with clarity and confidence.
Why Holistic Focus?
Clear advice. Practical action. Safer work.
We cut through complexity and focus on what matters. Our advice is tailored to your business, proportionate to the risk and designed for the way work actually gets done.
No generic solutions. No unnecessary jargon.
Just honest guidance, workable outcomes and a clear way forward.
Some of Our Services
Holistic Focus provides practical Work Health and Safety (WHS) support across assurance, auditing, risk management, safety systems, risk assessments, incident investigation, coaching and safety leadership.
We help organisations understand how well their current arrangements are working, identify gaps and priorities, and make improvements that are appropriate for their workplace and level of risk.
Assurance and WHS Auditing: We conduct independent WHS audits and reviews to assess whether systems, controls and workplace practices are working as intended. Our audits provide a clear picture of what is working well, where gaps exist and what requires attention. Findings are presented constructively, with prioritised recommendations that support informed decisions and ongoing improvement.
Risk Management: We help organisations identify, assess and prioritise WHS risks across their operations. This includes reviewing existing controls, understanding where significant risks sit within the business and helping leaders determine what needs to be strengthened, improved or introduced. Our focus is on building a consistent and proportionate approach to managing risk.
Risk Assessments: We facilitate risk assessments for operational activities, maintenance work, projects and broader workplace risks.
We work with the people involved in the work to identify hazards, assess risk, review the effectiveness of existing controls and agree on further actions. The outcome is a risk assessment that is clear, relevant and able to be applied in practice.
Safety Management Systems
We develop, review and improve WHS management systems to suit the size, complexity and activities of your organisation. Whether you are starting from scratch or improving an existing system, we help ensure responsibilities, processes and documentation are clear, workable and aligned with the way your business operates.
Incident Investigation: We conduct thorough and objective incident investigations, including investigations using the Incident Cause Analysis Method (ICAM). Our investigations look beyond the immediate event to identify contributing factors, system weaknesses and key learnings. We provide a clear report with practical corrective actions to support better decision-making and reduce the likelihood of similar incidents occurring again.
Safety Coaching and Mentoring: We provide tailored coaching and mentoring for managers, supervisors, safety professionals and operational teams. Our support helps people build confidence, strengthen WHS capability, make sound risk-based decisions and better understand their responsibilities. Coaching can be provided for a specific issue or as part of ongoing professional development.
Safety Leadership: We help organisations strengthen safety leadership at every level. This includes supporting leaders and supervisors to communicate expectations clearly, have more effective safety conversations, respond consistently to risk and make informed decisions. The aim is to build visible, credible leadership that supports safer work across the organisation.
Trusted by Global and Local Industry Leaders
Built to Deliver - Proven to Perform
About Holistic Focus
Our Approach
Holistic Focus takes a practical, real-world approach to Work Health and Safety (WHS).
We build genuine working relationships with our clients and take the time to understand their operations, people, contractors, risks and how work is actually carried out. This allows us to provide clear, relevant advice that reflects the needs and risk profile of each business.
Our experience spans diverse, high-risk and multinational organisations. We know effective WHS is not measured by the volume of documentation. It depends on whether responsibilities are understood, controls are effective, leaders are engaged and systems support people to work safely.
We help businesses:
• Identify gaps and clarify responsibilities
• Assess and strengthen risk controls
• Improve risk-based decision-making
• Simplify and align WHS processes
• Build capability across leaders, workers and contractors
The result is a WHS approach that is proportionate, workable and embedded in day-to-day operations - not just written on paper.
Who Are We?
Holistic Focus was founded by Managing Director Matthew Ford, a safety professional with more than 17 years’ experience across heavy industry, mining and aviation.
Matthew has held senior leadership roles in health, safety and training within the mining sector, where he has led teams, managed safety programs and supported organisations to identify and control significant operational risks. His experience has given him a practical understanding of the challenges businesses face when balancing safety, compliance, productivity and day-to-day operations.
He has also worked within a major rescue helicopter service, where he developed a strong understanding of human factors and their influence on safety, performance and decision-making. This experience reinforced the importance of considering how people, systems, equipment and working conditions interact when managing risk.
Before specialising in safety, Matthew worked as a critical care registered nurse in intensive care units and emergency departments. This experience gave him a clear understanding of the real consequences of risk, the importance of sound decision-making and the need for people and systems to perform effectively under pressure.
As a trade-qualified carpenter, Matthew also brings practical experience of high-risk work. This background helps him understand the realities of operational environments and the importance of safety requirements being clear, proportionate and workable in practice.
This combination of senior management experience leading safety functions in large and complex organisations, frontline operational experience and technical knowledge shapes the approach of Holistic Focus. We look beyond documentation and compliance to understand how work is actually carried out, where risks sit and what practical improvements will make a meaningful difference.
Holistic Focus was created to provide organisations with clear advice, workable solutions and a practical way forward.
