Risk controls for your organisation

WorkSafe expects employers to set up a system for controlling hazards and risks. The system will ensure you use effective controls suited to your organisation. The system will also ensure you maintain those controls.

You will have to adapt the method outlined in WorkSafe’s risk management guidance so it will work in your workplace. Factors that will influence your control measures include:

• what the organisation does
• the way the organisation is managed and organised
• the size of the organisation
• the number of hazards and hazardous processes
• the types of hazards and risks
• the level of harm the hazards and risks may cause.

Establish formal risk management processes

Some organisations have large numbers of employees and layers of management. They may also have many hazardous processes. Such organisations will benefit from detailed and documented formal risk control processes. Following formal processes will help provide consistent results.

Large or small, your business might have complex hazards. Or perhaps the hazards could cause major harm. In such cases, you should have fully documented and formal risk control processes. Formal processes will ensure full analysis and understanding of hazards and risks. They help make sure control measures are checked carefully and work well.

Not all organisations have high-risk processes. These businesses can use a less formal approach to their risk control process. A less formal approach may rely on a minimum set of procedures and documentation.

Various people will be involved in the steps to control hazards and risks in your workplace. All of them require the skills to help with the process. This may mean you need to brief them on the approach adopted for the workplace. Or it may mean you need to provide extra training. In some circumstances, it may be necessary to engage an occupational health and safety (OHS) specialist.

Managing the risk management process

The risk management process takes work. It can be easier to control risks by dividing the workplace into separate areas. You can then apply the method outlined in this guidance to each area.

You could divide the workplace based on:

• specific work processes, for example, machining parts on a lathe or order picking
• work locations, for example, warehouse, office, kitchen
• work roles, for example, nurses, call centre workers
• production or service delivery processes, for example, waste collection, drum cleaning, classroom teaching.

Some hazards might be present across the whole organisation. Others might only be present in a particular area or role. Make sure you do a review to identify and control hazards and risks that affect all areas and roles. Do not let hazards and risks fall between the cracks. Also, make sure actions to control hazards and risks in one area do not create hazards and risks in another area.

In working out what order to take action, focus first on the areas that have the potential to:

• cause the greatest harm
• cause harm more frequently.

Keeping records

Documenting the results of hazard identification, risk assessment and risk controls has benefits. In some cases, the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 will require you to keep certain records. In such cases, you must keep those records.

In any case, keeping basic records does the following:

• Provides a good way to find flaws and gaps in the process.
• Helps focus induction and specific training on key hazards.
• Provides a basis for preparing safe work procedures.
• Enables duty holders to show how they decided what is reasonably practicable.
• Provides a base level of information. This can help when you have to review your risk control measures. For example, a change to laws or change to business activities.
• Allows new staff to understand why risk control decisions have been made.
• Can show others that OHS hazards and risks in the organisation are under control. For example, investors, shareholders, customers and regulatory bodies such as WorkSafe.

Test your risk control plan

The following questions may help you with your risk control plan. You should be able to answer 'yes' to every question. If you answer 'no' to a question, make the necessary changes so the answer becomes 'yes'.

Does your risk control plan have the following features?

• Have existing controls been checked to ensure they are adequate?
• Did employees and any HSRs help prepare the risk control plan?
• Are the roles and responsibilities for preparing the risk control plan clear?
• Has the employer approved and signed off on the plan?
• Are there enough resources to carry out the plan? For example, information, instruction and training.
• Have OHS professionals been engaged to help prepare the plan, if needed?
• Have employees and HSRs been informed about the risk control plan?
• Have all the hazards in the workplace been identified?
• Are all the hazards listed in the risk control plan?
• Are new plant, substances and processes assessed before being introduced to the workplace? This will help stop hazards before they enter the workplace.
• When assessing risks, have all the factors that will affect the risks been considered?
• Have steps been taken to control immediate risks?
• Do control measures focus on controlling risks at their source?
• Do the control measures in the plan reduce risks so far as is reasonably practicable?
• Have timeframes in the risk control plan been established?
• Are the plan's timeframes monitored to ensure delays or problems are addressed?
• Does the risk control plan include a review of the effectiveness of risk controls?
• Have ongoing processes been set up to maintain safety improvements?