Risk assessment
A risk assessment is the structured analysis of a hazard: what is the hazard, who could be harmed and how, what is the likelihood and consequence, what controls reduce the risk, and what residual risk remains. The output drives the hierarchy-of-control decisions and the SWMS / SOP / register entries that flow from it.
Legal context
Risk assessment is the engine of WHS practice. The Managing Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice sets out the four-step cycle: identify hazards → assess risk → control risk → review controls. The risk-assessment record names the hazard, the activities or situations where it arises, the people who could be harmed, the current controls, a likelihood × consequence rating, recommended further controls (with explicit hierarchy-of-control reasoning), the residual risk after controls, the responsible person, and the review date. Risk assessments are the source document for the entries that flow into a hazard register, SWMS, SOP, training matrix, and management review.
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Related terms
Hazard register
A hazard register is the live list of known hazards in a workplace, with their risk rating, current controls, residual risk, responsible person and review date. It is the central register that feeds risk assessments, SWMS, training matrices and inspection schedules.
Hierarchy of control
The hierarchy of control is the rank-ordered preference for risk treatment: eliminate the hazard, then substitute, then isolate, then engineer, then administer, then PPE as a last resort. Higher controls reduce risk more reliably than lower controls because they do not depend on people behaving correctly under stress.
Risk matrix
A risk matrix multiplies likelihood (how often the harm might occur) by consequence (how bad it would be if it did) to produce a risk rating — typically Low / Medium / High / Extreme. The 5×5 matrix is the dominant format in Australian WHS practice.
SWMS
A Safe Work Method Statement is a written document required by WHS Regulation 299 for any high-risk construction work. It identifies the work, the hazards, the controls (in hierarchy-of-control order), the residual risks, and the person responsible. The principal contractor must keep it for the life of the project.
Reasonably practicable
Reasonably practicable is the qualifier on almost every WHS duty: it means doing what can reasonably be done in the circumstances, having regard to the likelihood of harm, the degree of harm, what is known about the hazard, the availability and suitability of controls, and the cost of controls. Cost is always the last factor.
Platform pillars
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47 WHS and HSWA terms with legal context, FAQs and regulator references.