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Businesses of all sizes need a system to identify and manage ongoing risks from physical and psychosocial hazards. 

Having a system in place helps your business comply with work health and safety (WHS) laws.

Involve everyone in health and safety

A healthy and safe workplace is one where everyone gets involved in WHS matters.

You need to consult with:

  • anyone who works for your business. For example, employees, consultants or volunteers
  • health and safety representatives (HSRs) if you have them
  • other businesses you’re working with that share responsibility for people’s WHS. For example, a labour hire company and host employer must both ensure a worker’s safety.   

These people can help you find workplace hazards and the best way to control them. Asking for their input shows that you take their health and safety seriously.

By law, you must consult when you’re:

  • identifying physical and psychosocial hazards and assessing their risks
  • making decisions about ways to control those risks
  • making decisions about workplace facilities, such as toilets and break rooms
  • proposing changes that may affect the health or safety of workers.

1. Identify hazards in your workplace

This means finding anything in your workplace that could harm people.

Hazards can be physical or psychological. They can come from a range of situations or things, such as:

  • the physical work environment, such as a loud workplace
  • the equipment, materials and substances you use, such as chemicals
  • how workers complete tasks, such as lifting heavy boxes
  • job traits that expose workers to traumatic events or materials, such as reading victim statements
  • harmful behaviours, such as conflict from poor workplace interactions.

2. Assess risks

Think about what hazards there are in your workplace. Then consider:

  • what could happen if someone encounters the hazard
  • how likely it is for someone to encounter the hazard.

Do a risk assessment to find out:

  • how dangerous a risk is
  • whether any control measures you are using work
  • what you should do to control the risk
  • how soon you need to do something.

3. Control risks

The most effective control measure is to:

  • remove the hazard and any risk it creates
  • avoid introducing hazards in the first place.

If you cannot eliminate the hazard, you must minimise the risks as much as you can, such as:

  • replace the hazard with something safer
  • physically separate the hazard from people
  • use an engineering control (for example, use a trolley to move a heavy box instead of carrying it).

If there are still risks you must use administrative controls such as using safe work procedures. You should also provide training and supervision so your workers know how to do their work safely.

Minimise any remaining risk by using suitable personal protective equipment such as gloves or hard hats.

4. Review controls

Check your control measures regularly to make sure they’re working as planned. Don’t wait for something to go wrong. It’s a good idea to schedule in regular inspections of your workplace. During your inspections, check for new hazards and review your control measures.

You must also review your control measures if you find issues or if things change, for example if you introduce new equipment or activities.

5. Record and report safety issues

Keeping records of your risk management process is a great way to find issues and improve safety in your workplace.

You must keep records in relation to certain hazards including:

  • energised electrical work
  • diving work
  • hazardous chemicals
  • plant
  • equipment.

You must report any workplace deaths, serious injuries or illnesses, or dangerous incidents to your state or territory WHS regulator. Read our information on what you need to do if there is an incident in your workplace.

6. Support return to work

Return to work is about supporting workers who have had a work-related injury or illness to:

  • get back to work
  • stay at work while recovering.

If you employ staff, you must have a current workers compensation insurance policy and a return-to-work program.

7. Make your workplace healthier

Consider having health initiatives in your business, such as:

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