How to Review the Safety Controls
Review the Safety Controls
The control measures that you put in place should be reviewed regularly to make sure they work as planned. Don’t wait until something goes wrong.
There are certain situations where you must review your control measures under the WHS Regulations and, if necessary, revise them. A review is required:
when the control measure is not effective in controlling the risk
before a change in the workplace that is likely to give rise to a new or different health and safety risk that the control measure may not effectively control
if a new hazard or risk is identified
if the results of the consultation indicate that a review is necessary
if a health and safety representative requests a
You may use the same methods as in the initial hazard identification step to check controls. Consult your workers and their health and safety representatives and consider the following questions:
Are the control measures working effectively in both their design and operation?
Have the control measures introduced new problems?
Have all hazards been identified?
Have new work methods, new equipment or chemicals made the job safer?
Are safety procedures being followed?
Has instruction and training provided to workers on how to work safely been successful?
Are workers actively involved in identifying hazards and possible control measures? Are they openly raising health and safety concerns and reporting problems promptly?
Is the frequency and severity of health and safety incidents reducing over time?
If new legislation or new information becomes available, does it indicate current controls may no longer be the most effective?
If problems are found, go back through the risk management steps, review your information and make further decisions about risk control. Priority for review should be based on
the seriousness of the risk. Control measures for serious risks should be reviewed more frequently.
Quality assurance processes may be used if you design, manufacture or supply products used for work to check that the product effectively minimizes health and safety risks. Obtain feedback from users of the product to determine whether any improvements can be made to make it safer.
Keep Records
Keeping records of the risk management process demonstrates potential compliance with the WHS Act and Regulations. It also helps when undertaking subsequent risk assessments.
Keeping records of the risk management process has the following benefits. It:
allows you to demonstrate how decisions about controlling risks were made
assists in targeting training at key hazards
provides a basis for preparing safe work procedures
allows you to more easily review risks following any changes to legislation or business activities
demonstrates to others (regulators, investors, shareholders, customers) that work health and safety risks are being
The detail and extent of recording will depend on the size of your workplace and the potential for major work health and safety issues. It is useful to keep information on:
the identified hazards, assessed risks, and chosen control measures (including any hazard checklists, worksheets and assessment tools used in working through the risk management process)
how and when the control measures were implemented, monitored and reviewed
who you consulted with
relevant training records
any plans for
There are specific record-keeping requirements in the WHS Regulations for some hazards, such as hazardous chemicals. If such hazards have been identified at your workplace, you must keep the relevant records for the time specified.
You should ensure that everyone in your workplace is aware of record-keeping requirements, including which records are accessible and where they are kept.