The Basic Risk Assessment Questions

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Understanding OHS laws and regulations is a prime concern for anyone involved in high risk construction work. When done properly, risk assessments make worksites safe and reduce the likelihood of injury or worse. Knowing how to perform a risk assessment is not the only aspect to safe work practices that should be considered. There are other risk assessment questions worth addressing.

What is a risk assessment form?

This basic question has a basic answer. A risk assessment form is a series of documents that aim to identify the risks and hazards evident on a worksite, list the types of high risk construction work involved and outline the measures to be put in place that will eliminate or at least reduce these risks. Risk assessments consist of a safe work method statement and a risk assessment matrix. A safe work method statement is a certified document that must outline what the high risk work is, the risk involved and the control measures to be implemented.  Risk assessment matrices place a numerical value on the level of risk associated with each type of high risk work based on their likelihood and consequence.

What is a risk analysis?

This is the process of interpreting just how severe the consequence of a risk or hazard could be. It involves using a risk assessment matrix to place a numerical value on how serve a specific hazard could be. This is done to give workers a better understanding of the risks involved, in turn encouraging safe work practices.

Why do we need risk assessments?

Although they are just another type of paperwork, risk assessments are essentially a way to make safe work practices part of an average worker’s daily routine. By instilling the risk assessment process into the everyday habits of a worker, it is hoped that the type of safe work practices required in any job will be better understood and used more regularly.

Why are risk assessments carried out?

Other than the promotion of safe work practices, risk assessments are carried out as a way to formalise compliance with OHS laws. By having a written record of your risk assessments, regulators are able to check the extent to which a construction business has complied with safe work standards. Also if an accident were to occur, the risk assessment can be used in legal proceedings as a record of compliance. This point underlines the importance of storing risk assessments clearly and efficiently – if you cannot display compliance then you may face penalties.

What is a risk assessment tool?

This is anything that aids or streamlines the risk assessment process. It can take many forms but to date the most efficient method of risk assessment appears to be that offered by software. Risk assessment software takes the paperwork associated with risk management and converts it to a digital form. This basically means that instead of writing a risk assessment on paper, the formwork is completed on an digital tool – like a smartphone app. This is a quicker method of writing a risk assessment but also streamlines the compliance process for managers who, instead of filing paperwork, simple save and store PDF files. Learn more about risk assessment software.

If you would like to learn more about the risk assessment process, check out the SafeWorkPro Blog.

A Risk Assessment Productivity Case Study: how to save time and money

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Your business has a problem that you may not even realise exists. It bites way at your productivity, drains your resources and cripples the moral of your workforce. This problem is so embedded into your business model that the prospect of any alternative seems unnecessary and even unpleasant.

In construction, risk assessments are just part of the job. Completing safe work method statements, formulating risk management strategies and then consulting with your workforce is all part of the typical risk assessment workflow. The paperwork is a hassle, filing takes time and compliance requests are just one of those annoyances you have to put up with, right?

Wrong.

You may feel comfortable with the old way of doing risk assessment forms but unfortunately the paper-based method, although tried and tested, is wasteful and costing your business time and money. Whether you’re a business owner, site manager or tradie, risk assessments in the workplace are unnecessarily long and time consuming.

The Problem with the Paper-Based Risk Assessment Process

The sheer number of different safe work method statements (SWMS) in circulation is enough to give you a headache. Organising them all into one place costs money in terms of administrative overhead, not to mention the amount of office space filing takes up. Each worksite is unique and comes with different hazards and risks. Finding the right paperwork for the job takes an almost supernatural sense of premonition. Unfortunately you are not a fortune-teller so predicting how the risks in construction will change as a job develops can throw all your paperwork into a tailspin and render it utterly useless. Also, and let’s be honest here, all this paperwork is just bloody annoying.

Take our risk assessment case study for example. Using an electrical contractor that employees 12 workers, we estimated that our risk assessment software could save this business between $10k to $17k every year. We looked at how much time was spent of paper-based risk assessments and then at how much this process cost. The old saying ‘time is money’, has never been so true but if you’re still not convinced, just check out the below flowchart.

How Risk Assessment Software Can Help

Now all this isn’t to say you should just stick your head in the ground and forget about the risk management process altogether. You could try but sooner or later the regulators would catch up and you’d be facing some pretty serious penalties. Instead it’s time to think about how practical risk assessment software can help you identify risks and neutralise them. Check out just how much quicker the software alternative is below.\

That’s right, technology has the answer but don’t go running for the hills just yet. At SafeWorkPro we’ve developed safety management software that is so simple even your mate’s work dog could figure it out. We’ve achieved this through active consultation with tradies and contractors, not computer technicians who have never even touched a hammer before. SafeWorkPro’s risk management tool can be used on any smart phone or tablet device, and works to streamline the entire risk assessment process. Your safe work method statements are stored digitally – ready to be accessed and implemented into your risk assessment at any point. Then it’s as simple as of scrolling through various options, signing it and sending it away to the manager for storage as a PDF file. All this is done without the hassle of multiple forms or filing, and leaves you with more time to get the job done.

SafeWorkPro gets you on the job quicker, with more safety and in total compliance.

Workcover Risk Assessment Matrix

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Every state and territory in Australia has its own form of Workcover which means that this is only a broad example of a industry standard risk assessment matrix. Although Workcover deals with risk assessment reports for matters of workers’ compensation, it is not directly involved in the process of writing risk assessments. Nonetheless each state or territory’s Workcover does provide a risk assessment guide for matrices but some are better than others. For instance take a look at this example of risk assessment matrix from Workcover NSW.

It’s very simple and does not serve as a exemplary industry benchmark for a compliance risk assessment matrix but it does serve to convey the underlying meaning of what is a risk assessment matrix. Each risk or hazard is allocated a number. The higher the risk, the higher the number and the same rule is applied to the likelihood of a risk occurring. Then these numbers are multiplied together and an aggregated number for the total risk involved in any workplace is given. For a more thorough risk assessment matrix example check out the below template from SafeWorkPro.

The Technology to Improve Productivity

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Occupational health and safety is a time consuming task that every business, construction or otherwise, has to deal with on a daily basis. In construction, the time-cost associated with the mandatory risk assessment process is demanding for both workers on the job and managers back at the office. But safety and productivity are not mutually exclusive and do not need to come at the cost of one another.

There is technology to improve productivity and it isn’t space age nor is it overly complicated. It is in fact, quite simple.

Software risk assessment makes knowing how to improve productivity much easier. Risk assessment tools like SafeWorkPro utilise powerful but easy to use technology to streamline the risk assessment process. It cuts out the paperwork involved and replaces it with an easy to use tool available to download on any smartphone. Automated forms save risk assessment entries, storing them as PDFs to make displaying compliance as easy as sending an email.

The benefits are clear:

  • Workers spend less time on risk assessment paperwork and more time on the job
  • The backend administration of risk assessment forms is digitalised making filing and storage easier
  • Displaying compliance in safety audits or inspections is as easy as sending an email
  • Workers and managers can share critical safety information in real time
  • The software can be downloaded to any smartphone or tablet device, and works without an internet connection
  • Cost effective and easy to use

The goal of any construction technology that seeks to improve productivity is to advance what risk assessment systems already exist. Remaining compliant and in line with current OHS laws is critical for not only preventing workplace injuries but also ensuring construction businesses are not penalised. This is the simple brilliance of risk assessment software, but there is so much more to it than these initial benefits.

For more information on the type of risk assessment software you need, just ask these five questions.

How Can Safety Audit Software Help You?

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How do you know if your risk assessment in the workplace complies with OHS legislation Australia? Risk assessment in construction is not an exact science and mistakes can be made. As a manager or business owner, it’s your legal responsibility to ensure your workforce is safe and compliant, or else you risk the regulator’s wrath.

How to Complete a Risk Assessment?

The traditional method involves streams of paperwork that is both a hassle to fill out, file and find if regulators ever submit a compliance request. There are safe work method statements (SWMS), risk assessment matrices not to mention the risk assessment process itself. A compliant risk assessment workflow involves all of these different bureaucratic functions but it doesn’t have to stunt your productivity. In fact with the help of construction risk assessment software, your productivity should improve.

How to Improve Productivity?

We’ve developed a digital alternative to the paper-based method that saves time and money. Called SafeWorkPro, it’s simple risk assessment software designed in consultation with construction workers and managers. One of its many features is as safety audit software – a function that stores risk assessments, SWMS and other related documents as a PDF. Should any regulator request risk assessment documents, you can access them in one computer file and email it instantly. It cuts out administrative overhead and gives you more time for other jobs.

A lot of mistrust gets thrown at risk software because the paper-based method, although seriously flawed, has been around for years. But to improve productivity while remaining compliant, you’ll need to move into the digital world with SafeWorkPro.

Construction Safety Software: avoid the sting of regulation

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High risk construction work is a never-ending list of potential dangers and could be hazards that eventually result in tedious paperwork. Some workers just ignore risk assessment for construction and instead hope the painful sting of regulation doesn’t find them. With all the paperwork that’s involved, risk assessments take too much time and when you’re on the job, time is money. So who can even afford doing a totally compliant risk assessment in construction anyway?

But let’s think about construction risk assessments differently for a moment. In Queensland, if you are a worker with a noncompliant construction risk assessment form, you could face a fine of $50 000 and that’s just if your worksite is not up to the standards of OHS legislation Australia. If an injury or death were to occur, then you’d be looking at $300 000 and a five-year jail term.

Now let’s ask a different question: who can afford not doing a totally compliant risk assessment in construction?

The answer is no one.

A dozen national and sub-national regulators monitor compliance with the construction risk management process. But the required paperwork including risk assessment forms, safe work method statements and the numerous types of the OHS risk assessment matrix, take up too much of your time and drain productivity. There is an alternative however and it comes in the form of construction risk assessment software. This takes the paperwork out of the risk assessment process without compromising your safety. Find out more about the software solution right here.

Risk Assessment Documents

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Here at SafeWorkPro we recognise the limited time business owners have. At times it can feel like risk assessment forms get either lost in the filling cabinet and are just unavailable. There is a solution to this problem through risk assessment software, but just in case you are not looking for that, we though a simple risk assessment form would also be helpful.

Blank risk assessment forms are hard to come by but for your convenience we’re offering free risk assessment forms. That’s right – a standard risk assessment form free of charge with no catch or hidden commitment. Check out SafeWorkPro’s Resources for your free safe work methods statements or our Blog for more free risk assessment forms.

Asbestos Risk Assessment

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Asbestos disposal is a type of high risk construction work that comes with its own OHS risk assessment form. Like most examples of risk assessment forms, there is no standardised safe work method statement template applicable for every condition. But there are many basic steps that serve as the starting block for any SWMS asbestos removal job.

Firstly the proper documentation must be prepared. This step obviously involves the completion of a SWMS by the person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU). The SWMS must be available onsite and kept by the PCBU until all high risk work is complete. A licensed asbestos removalist is responsible for the asbestos removal control plan, which should also be available for everyone on the worksite. Lastly, any person who undertakes work in this area, including asbestos testing, must have adequate training through the specified VET course for assessors, or through a tertiary education in OHS, science, building, construction or environmental health.

The next step is the asbestos register. Each state and territory has its own regulatory standards for the registration of asbestos removal or any asbestos related work. For asbestos removal Brisbane, for example, the WHSQ must be informed and PCBU’s must:

  • Know how to identify asbestos or any asbestos-containing materials (ACM) on site including friable asbestos
  • Keep and update a dated register of the location of any ACM, risk assessments, control measures and the details of the competent person who undertakes the assessment
  • Review the asbestos register at least once every five years

Although each state has different regulatory authorities surrounding asbestos OHS issues in the workplace, they are all based on the same framework detailed by Safe Work Australia. SafeWorkPro has provided a free SWMS example for asbestos removal to help your worksite get quick, safe and compliant today.

Risk Assessment Format

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Learning how to perform a risk assessment does not have to be a painful experience. It’s all about simplicity. The best risk assessment format is one that remains basic enough so that anyone can easily understand it. Training risk assessment programs are recommended for more complex jobs but for the simpler worksites these tips will teach you how to write a risk assessment.

1: A simple risk assessment works best

A decent risk assessment guide will tell you that complicated language will detract from the overall quality of risk assessment documents.Keeping it short, sharp and too the point will save a lot of headaches. A simple risk assessment is one that uses plain English and considers these factors:

• How well the audience reads
• Information that’s presented in way which anyone can understand
• How overly technical language can confuse readers
• That risk assessments and risk management plans should not take any longer than 16 minutes (why 16 mins exactly? Find out here)

2: Generic risk assessments save time

Using straightforward, simple language not only makes it easier for any reader to understand the risk assessment document but also saves time. High risk construction work is busy business so workers do not have a lot of time on their hands. Clear action words written in an active tone on a step by step basis will simplify the entire risk assessment process and let workers get back on the job quickly.

• Active tone: Remove all rubbish
• Passive tone: All rubbish must be removed

3: Use a risk analysis table

Tables are a great way to clearly break down data and different risk management methods. A risk analysis table breaks the risk management framework into clearly defined steps that workers can go through at their ease. See the below image for an example.

This is all well and good but ultimately even the most effective paper-based risk assessment process is flawed when compared to the digital alternative. To learn about the more efficient and cost-productive risk assessment software, click here.

The Software-Based Approach to a Dynamic Risk Assessment Definition

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Any type of construction site risk assessment will have to contend with quickly changing circumstances that may alter or amplify workplace hazards. One of the most effective risk mitigation techniques has proven to be the use of a dynamic risk assessment to address the continually changing nature of high risk construction work.

There are various types of risk management that aim to provide workers and managers alike with the tools and techniques needed to address rapidly changing work environments. But for Australian construction businesses, the dynamic method is best suited to meet the strict demands of health and safety law. Here at SafeWorkPro, we’ve implemented a dynamic approach in the next update to our risk analysis software

But what exactly is a dynamic approach to risk assessments?

There are 5 stages of risk assessment that are incorporated into the dynamic approach (as outlined by Health + Safety at Work).

1: Conduct a risk evaluation of the situation or worksite

Consider the following factors:

  • What is the current understanding of the workplace or situation? Are there any other previously conducted risk assessments to evaluate?
  • What are the specific tasks required to be undertaken and what are the hazards associated with each?
  • What is the risk level associated with each task and who is most likely to be affected?
  • What resources are available that could assist in minimising risk?

2: Choose what systems of work will be used.

Consider the following factors:

  • What is the most appropriate system of work to be practically used?
  • Has the selected system of work been based on adequate planning?
  • Are the personnel conducting the work adequately trained in the task being carried out?

3: Assess the selected systems of work.

Consider the following factors:

  • Do the risks involved outweigh the benefit of conducting work?
  • Are all individuals involved aware of their specific role and responsibilities?
  • Are the safe operating procedures well understood by all involved parties and/or individuals?
  • If the answer to these questions is ‘no’, then proceed to step 4. Otherwise work can begin.

4: Implement additional controls.

Consider the following factors:

  • Can any additional risk control measures be implemented? (eg PPE or specialist equipment)
  • What level 3 risk management processes – as outlined in Safe Work Australia’s codes of practice – can be applied as well?
  • Can any of these additional controls be used in conjunction with other measures?

4: Review control measures and systems of work.

Consider the following factors:

  • If risks remain, do their cost outweigh the benefit of continuing work?
  • Are there any safe, reasonably practicable alternatives to the current system of work or implemented control measures?

These are the fundamental steps behind a dynamic risk assessment but as you can see, there are many points to consider. Implementing a dynamic approach to any construction job can come at the cost of productivity. Both workers and managers alike understand that conducting risk assessment – dynamic or not – takes time which when added up over the course of a working year, can result in a large strain on resources. However there are ways to reduce this cost while promoting safe work practices.

This comes in the form of risk analysis software like that used in SafeWorkPro. Our system creates digital risk assessments and safe work method statements that can be updated in real time by workers, giving it a significantly powerful dynamic nature. This in turn not only decreases the time cost of conducting dynamic risk assessments, but also achieves this is a way that promotes workplace safety. For more information, read about what is SafeWorkPro.