Monitor, review and revise risk controls
Guidance on this page explains step 4 of the risk management cycle, monitoring, reviewing and revising risk controls. The guidance is for employers. It may also help others with workplace health and safety duties. In this guidance, 'employees' includes contractors and their employees.
A series of steps
This page is part of a series on risk management. The series explains risk assessment and the control of hazards and risks at work.
Crucial process to control risks
You need to monitor, review and, if necessary, revise your health and safety controls. This process is crucial to controlling risks. Monitoring should be consistent and ongoing and reviews should be regular. If something goes wrong, you will need to revise your risk controls.
Monitoring and reviewing controls helps ensure they work as planned and control risks.
Monitoring controls is more than just checking them. You also need processes to quickly find and fix problems.
Reviewing controls involves the same methods as the initial hazard identification process:
- consulting employees and any health and safety representatives (HSRs)
- inspecting the workplace
- finding and applying available information
- testing and measuring
- surveying employees and others
- using available information
- analysing records and data.
Regular checks should reveal failures or faults in your current control measures.
Review your procedures and risk controls regularly. That way you can ensure they are working well and are still the most suitable way to control the risk.
Make sure you review risk controls in consultation with employees and any HSRs:
- before any significant changes to the workplace
- after any injuries or near-misses
- when you become aware of any new health and safety information about the hazards and risks.
Mandatory reviews of risk controls
The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 (OHS Regulations) place duties on employers to review risk controls in certain situations. They include the following:
- After any incident occurs to which Part 5 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 applies.
- When new or extra information about hazards becomes available.
- When the hazard or risk changes. This can happen if there is a change to the thing, work process or system of work that gives rise to the hazard or risk.
- When the current control measures do not adequately control the hazard or risk.
- When an HSR requests a review on reasonable grounds.
When to revise risk controls
The OHS Regulations state employers must review and, if necessary, revise their risk controls. You will know it is necessary to revise your risk controls if:
- existing controls do not control the risks, for example, there is a near-miss at work
- there are more effective controls that are reasonably practicable to use
- using these controls will reduce the risk so far as is reasonably practicable.
Different parts of the OHS Regulations require employers to review risk control measures. The parts include:
- Part 3.1, hazardous manual handling
- Part 3.2, noise
- Part 3.3, prevention of falls
- Part 3.4, confined spaces
- Part 3.5, plant
- Part 4.1, hazardous substances
- Part 4.3, lead
- Part 4.4, asbestos
- Part 5.1 construction.
See the OHS Regulations for details about when you must review and revise risk controls.
Steps to help review and revise risk controls
When reviewing and revising your risk controls, follow these steps:
Maintain an up-to-date list of all the risk controls you have in place
This step ensures you have an accurate record of controls in the workplace. It also helps you understand the existing controls. A list helps identify what is already being done to manage risks. It serves as a baseline for improvements.
Review the current state of knowledge for the task, hazard or risk and the risk controls
Being up to date with the latest information and best practices helps you identify new or improved risk controls. This step helps ensure you base your risk management on the most current and effective methods.
Review risk controls and work out what is reasonably practicable and effective for your workplace
This step helps ensure the chosen controls are:
- practical
- effective in reducing risks in your workplace.
Choose the risk controls that will eliminate or reduce the risk so far as is reasonably practicable. Follow the hierarchy of control
This step focuses on selecting the most effective risk controls. It prioritises controls that eliminate the risk entirely.
Set deadlines for the new or modified risk control measures to be in place
Deadlines help ensure that risk controls are put into practice without unnecessary delays. It helps track progress and accountability.
Monitor and review the effectiveness of the new risk controls
This step helps ensure risk controls remain effective over time. It also helps ensure you adapt your controls to any changes in the workplace. Regularly review all your risk controls and revise them where necessary.
Remember to consult employees and any HSRs when reviewing and revising risk controls.
Maintaining effective controls
It takes effort to make sure risk controls continue to work as conditions change. You'll need to put a variety of measures in place to ensure your controls remain effective over time. Those measures include the following:
Assign clear health and safety responsibilities at various levels of management. This will help ensure procedures are followed and maintained.
Regular consultation
Consult regularly with employees and any HSRs. Risk controls are more effective where there is initial and ongoing consultation.
Effective communication
Use suitable language and signs and symbols to communicate risk control procedures.
Up-to-date training and competency
Risk controls rely on all employees and supervisors being able to do the job safely. This is particularly the case with lower-level controls. Provide training to maintain skills and to ensure all employees can do their work safely.
Up-to-date hazard information
Manufacturers and suppliers may update information about hazards, such as plant and substances. Check the information to make sure your controls are still suitable. Changes to the workplace or the way work is done may also mean you have to update your risk assessments.
Checking control outcomes
To maintain health and safety at work, regularly assess your risk controls. Make sure they continue to control the risks. If you find problems, review your information. Once you've reviewed your information, make further decisions about risk control.