WHS Compliance
WHS Risk Assessment: Hazard Identification and Controls
Risk assessment is the cornerstone of workplace health and safety. Under WHS laws, every employer must systematically identify hazards, assess risks, and implement controls. This guide walks you through the process step by step.
What the Law Says
The Work Health and Safety Act 2011, Section 17 defines the hierarchy of controls that must be applied when managing risks. The WHS Regulations require PCBUs to identify reasonably foreseeable hazards, eliminate risks so far as reasonably practicable, and if elimination is not practicable, minimise risks using the hierarchy of controls: substitution, isolation, engineering controls, administrative controls, and personal protective equipment.
What Employers Must Do
Identify all workplace hazards
Walk through the workplace, review incident reports, consult workers, and consider physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic, and psychosocial hazards.
Assess the risk of each hazard
Consider the likelihood of harm occurring, the severity of potential consequences, and who might be affected.
Apply the hierarchy of controls
Eliminate the hazard if possible. If not, apply controls in order: substitution, isolation, engineering, administrative, and finally PPE.
Document your risk assessment
Record identified hazards, assessed risk levels, control measures, responsible persons, and review dates in a risk register.
Consult with workers
Workers must be consulted in the risk assessment process. They have practical knowledge of hazards that may not be obvious to management.
Review regularly
Review risk assessments after incidents, near misses, changes to work processes, introduction of new equipment, or at least annually.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Mistake: Treating risk assessment as a one-off exercise
Fix: Risk assessment must be ongoing and responsive to changes. Static risk assessments become outdated and dangerous.
Mistake: Jumping straight to PPE
Fix: PPE is the last resort in the hierarchy of controls, not the first. Always consider elimination, substitution, and engineering controls first.
Mistake: Not involving workers
Fix: Workers know the hazards best. Failing to consult them misses critical information and breaches WHS consultation requirements.
Mistake: Assessing but not implementing controls
Fix: A risk assessment without implemented controls is just paper. Ensure every identified risk has a documented, implemented control measure.
Penalties and Consequences
Failure to conduct adequate risk assessments can result in WHS penalties of up to $1.5 million for a body corporate (Category 2) and $3 million for Category 1 offences. Individual officers face up to $300,000 and/or 5 years imprisonment. Beyond penalties, workplace injuries result in workers compensation costs, lost productivity, and potential criminal liability.
When to Get Professional Help
Jordan Firme Business Consultants conducts comprehensive WHS risk assessments and helps employers build risk management systems that meet regulatory expectations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Risk assessments should be reviewed after any incident, near miss, or change to work processes, equipment, or workplace layout. At minimum, conduct a formal review annually. High-risk activities may require more frequent assessment.
The hierarchy of controls ranks control measures from most effective to least effective: elimination (remove the hazard), substitution (replace with something less hazardous), isolation (separate people from the hazard), engineering controls (physical controls), administrative controls (policies and procedures), and PPE (personal protective equipment).
Anyone competent to do so can conduct a risk assessment. For simple hazards, a trained manager or supervisor may be sufficient. For complex or high-risk hazards, consider engaging a qualified WHS professional.
While documentation is not explicitly required for all risk assessments under the WHS Act, it is strongly recommended and is required for certain high-risk activities. Documentation provides evidence of compliance and helps with review and improvement.
A hazard is anything that has the potential to cause harm (e.g., a wet floor, noise, chemicals). A risk is the likelihood that the hazard will actually cause harm, combined with the severity of that harm. Risk assessment evaluates both.
Need Help With Risk Assessments?
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