Risk Assessment and Method Statement Free Template Download

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In military speak, safe work method statements (SWMS) combined with risk assessments can be like enfilade fire from a defilade position. Pretty awesome if you can achieve them. SWMS are used to instruct safety procedures for known work place hazards and risks in construction. Risk assessments are used for identifying risks in the workplace and and can be used when a SWMS may not have been developed yet. We have some risk assessment and method statement free template downloads over here or you could read up some more on free swms templates.

Like all workers, soldiers are constantly balancing their risk between safety and productivity. Thats why enfilade fire from a defilade position is so inviting. This is the ultimate situation for a soldier to be in as enfilade fire means you have exposed the enemy along their longest access while being in a defilade position where the enemy cannot fire upon you. This minimises the risk of the solider being injured or killed while inflicting maximum damage to the enemy. Military tactics can be used in many contexts.

A construction worker faces life and death everyday as well though not to the same extreme as a solider. However, in Australia 186 workers were killed in 2013. Thats a sobering thought and emphasises why safety is so important. As convoluted as legislation can be it cannot be denied that safety is important. On one hand, if we swung the safetyodromitor completely towards being safe we could possibly lose productivity, or if the safetyodromitor was all about productivity we could compromise safety. The wise man says that it has to be somewhere in between or the intelligent man says we can do both.

The tool we have developed here at SafeWorkPro was born out of years of frustration with a paper-based process that compromised both safety and productivity. Cole Contracting has just made the finalists list for the Queensland Safe Work Awards 2014! Our tool streamlines the risk assessment and SWMS process by making it available on many devices like iOS and Android phones. It gets workers on the job quicker, safer, and compliant while making improvements to both safety and productivity.

Risk Assessment Matrix Template

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Having a hard time understanding what a risk assessment matrix template is? Don’t worry you are not the only one confused, but getting a grip on the OHS risk assessment matrix is a central part of any health and safety program. All you need is an example of risk assessment matrix. This risk assessment matrix template is set up with the likelihood of a risk occurring on one side and the consequence involved on the other. The severity of each factor is given a number and when multiplied together, the value of the total risk involved is estimated. This isn’t to say that the safety risk assessment matrix is perfect. In fact it is considered to be overly broad in definition but that’s where a software solution may be helpful. In the meantime check out our matrix template below to get started.

How to improve your risk assessment & management

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According to How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks on Safe Work Australia there are 4 key factors involved in managing risks. The list of responsibilities to conduct proper risk management includes; management commitment, a step-by-step process, consulting your workers and consulting, co-operating and co-ordinating activities with other duty holders.

Management commitment is about demonstrating to your employees your investment in creating a safe working environment for high risk construction work. This task should be easy to fulfill when using SafeWorkPro as workers can easily access any procedures or documents you create as soon as you have published them. In doing this you are instantaneously able to  communicate new or changes of safety standards to your workers. Additionally, the dashboard of the application offers statistics to demonstrate key indicators of safety performance on your site.

As a site manager it is also your duty to create a step-by-step process for risk management. The risk assessment planning process of identifying, assessing, controlling and reviewing measures is easy with our software. You can create new workplace risk assessments for your particular job or worksite using our document builder or alternatively fill out a questionnaire to complete a safety document from one of our free SWMS templates.

The final responsibilities to manage involves ensuring effective communication lines between both you and your workers, as well as you and other duty holders. As workers create safety documents, they are sent directly to the database where all admin users may have access to them. Our application also has a push notification feature to alert admin users of workers completing safety documents with high risk ratings creating risk assessment hazards. Our key to improving your consulting, co-operating and communication lies in using technology to share data on work safety.

Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS)

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A Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) is a set of work procedures that identify hazards and control measures with known tasks. It is a way to identify risks associated with a worksite and how best to manage them. SWMS must include the names of the people at the workplace, arrangements for the management of any incidents should they arise, health and safety rules specific to the worksite and ways to collect and review the document.

There are 18 high risk construction activities that require a SWMS under Work Health and Safety Regulations however each industry has different guidelines for the proper management of those risks. For example Master Builders has written their own guidelines for the management of health and safety risks associated with the construction building industry. For the safe management of hazards and risks associated with electrical work, Safe Work Australia has suggested their own codes of practice. Each industry has different health and safety management guidelines so it’s important to keep updated. But what does a Safe Work Method Statement look like? The following 2 images are an example template SWMS supplied by Safe Work Australia. Have a look on pages 46 and 47 of the Construction Work Code of Practice.

What is a Work Related Injury Worksafe?

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There are specific definitions outlined in the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 that prescribe what constitutes a work related injury or illness. This is of particular importance when it comes to assessing one’s potential to be applicable for Worksafe injury insurance. When it comes to OHS policy around this issue, the worksafe Australia codes of practice are quite […]

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OHS Training and Supervision Checklist

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Safety training is a valuable part of any organisation’s safe work resources. Ensuring that both workers and managers are aware of proper protocols, OHS regulations and laws, will result in a safe and productive workplace. These are crucial aspects of workplace safety and are enshrined by the worksafe Australia codes of practice. 

What are the core components of workplace safety training?

There’s more to safety in a workplace than merely health and safety representative training. A truly safe and compliant workplace will be one that shares occupational health and safety responsibilities across the entire workforce. Nonetheless there are core elements to OHS training and supervision that are common across all workplaces. The following list contains these core elements but it should be noted that with every industry or workplace, there are different risks involved that may affect the implementation of this safety checklist.

The following training and supervision procedures indicate a compliant workplace:

  • Every worker goes through a safety induction process
  • All workers are adequately trained in relevant safe work procedures prior to commencing work
  • Workers are able to demonstrate their understanding of safe work procedures
  • Workers are adequately supervised by a health and safety officer

 

The following training and supervision procedures indicate a semi-compliant workplace:

  • Workers undergo an incomplete or inconsistent safety induction process
  • Some workers are unable to adequately demonstrate their understanding of safe work procedures
  • Inadequate supervision results in some safe work procedures not being followed

 

The following training and supervision procedures indicate a non-compliant workplace that requires immediate action:

  • No workers undergo a safety induction or training
  • Risks and hazards are not bought to the attention of workers
  • Workers are unable to demonstrate their understanding of safe work procedures
  • There is no supervision offered

 

For advice and information, go to Workplace Health and Safety Queensland’s training resource.

Safety Document Software Development

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Good ideas don’t just appear overnight. Like a massive red gum tree growing from a tiny seed in the ground, so too do good ideas evolve into useful tools. Risk assessment software exists in many different forms but they are all share the common aim of making Australian businesses compliant with OHS legislation Australia – specifically the WHS Act.

Why do we Need Risk Assessments?

Risk assessments are a way to monitor the proper risk assessment standards of Australian businesses and ensure workers are as safe as is reasonably practicable. It’s also a way for risks in construction to be managed based on the high standards set out in Safe Work Australia’s codes of practice. But the paperwork involved in construction risk assessments cost time and money – something we are keen to fix at SafeWorkPro.

How to Improve Productivity?

Construction safety software is the most effective way of getting rid of the paperwork problem but more often than not, compliance software is overly complicated and difficult to use. To ensure our software is the quickest, safest and most compliant, we listened to what construction contractors actually said. They wanted health and safety management software which was easy to use, complied with current OHS legislation Australia, combined all the different risk assessment forms into one place without needing a bunch a storage or filing.

What we developed is SafeWorkPro – a simple tool available to download on any smart phone or tablet device that does the entire risk assessment process twice as fast – giving you more time to get the job done.

The Types of Asbestos

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Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that comes in six different forms and is made up of fibres up to 200 times thinner than human hair. When it comes to asbestos in homes, not all types are as equally dangerous to humans but most can be found within any domestic building built before 1990. Each type of asbestos comes with certain precautionary measures that should be carefully considered. For the purpose of this article, only the types of asbestos commonly used in construction and therefore subject to an asbestos risk assessment, will be outlined.
Asbestos only becomes harmful to health when the fibres become disjointed from building material and are inhaled into the body (usually through the lungs). The best way to define asbestos is according to the specific level of danger it presents and the nature of its use.

Non-friable Asbestos

Non-friable Asbestos is found in both domestic and commercial/industrial buildings but is not considered dangerous if it remains in a stable condition. What makes it less dangerous than other forms of asbestos is that the fibres which cause disease, are actually bonded by cement, vinyl or other materials. Because the fibres are bonded, non-friable asbestos tends to be more solid and only represents a risk if the material is disturbed or damaged. Common materials containing non-friable asbestos include:
  • AC wall sheeting (other wise known as fibro or asbestos cement)
  • Artificial brick cladding
  • Gutters
  • Putty
  • Garages/sheds
  • Concrete formwork
  • Beams
  • Waterproofing materials
  • Telecommunication trenches
  • Fences
  • Plumbing
  • Switchboard backing boards
  • Building boards

 

Asbestos containing materials (ACM) like these usually consisted of between 5 – 20 per cent asbestos. However this is not the case for vinyl tiles where the asbestos was used in the layer between the floor and the tile itself. It is estimated that between 8 – 30 per cent of this layer contains asbestos therefore due diligence is required when dealing with it.

Note: If non-friable asbestos has degraded to the extent where minimal pressure reduces it to dust, then it should only be disposed of by someone with A Class asbestos training.

Friable Asbestos

Friable or loosely bound asbestos is generally considered to be the most dangerous form of asbestos. Primarily used in commercial and industrial buildings for fire proofing, sound proofing and insulation, friable asbestos can be reduced to dust and released into the surrounding air with very little physical effort. Friable asbestos is so dangerous because no other materials have been used to bond it together, meaning the asbestos fibres are released into the atmosphere more easily. Although mostly used in non-domestic buildings, friable asbestos is also found in old heaters, hot water systems, piping, fireplaces, vinyl floor coverings, insulation and stoves.

Low Density Board

This type of asbestos falls somewhere in between friable and non-friable but still carries the significant risk of asbestos poisoning. Similar in appearance to AC sheeting, low density board is a lightly compressed material that can contain up to 70 per cent asbestos. Used in both domestic and commercial/industrial buildings, low density board can be damaged, bent and dented with very little physical pressure. This in turn means that it has the potential to release airborne fibres far more easily.

For more information on asbestos related high risk work and the safest disposal methods, check out the SafeWorkPro Blog.

Safe Work Procedures Checklist

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Safe work habits revolve around constantly checking the workplace for hazards and reviewing the OHS procedures in place. This is evident in the worksafe Australia codes of practice but if you are entering a new workplace or re-evaluating an old one, getting health and safety standards right can be challenging. Therefore it is highly important that a […]

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Method Statement Template Free

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Do you need a method statement free template? That’s good news and sounds like you are committing to making your workplace safe. We have plenty of method statement template free downloads for you to use. Yes, they are free! But what is the catch you ask?

The templates still need to be signed off by a qualified trades person (QTP). A QTP within your business must review the method statement example and ensure that they are satisfactory for your business. You will need to make some adjustments, as all construction method statements are different. This step is still required if you decide to purchase any method statement for construction instead, so be wary of that.

We are committed to improving safety at the workplace and we believe that by providing these free method statement examples that more businesses will be able to make better safety procedures. In turn, you will need to decide if you will be burdened with a paper-based process or streamline with a software-based solution like the one we provide.