How to Put Together an OHS Risk Register
What is an OHS Risk Register
An OHS Risk Register is a list of the items, equipment and activities that pose a risk to
health and safety of people at the site.
The register does not need to be exhaustive, but should focus on those items,
equipment and activities which have the potential to cause the most harm or are
encountered regularly.
Why have an OHS Risk Register
The register is designed to facilitate the identification of risks and the review of the
control measures.
By having a register it is then easy to:
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Review the risks from time to time to ensure that everything is still as safe as
possible
Demonstrate to others that risks have been identified and considered.
Key Terms
Controls are any things, processes, training or instructions which are designed to
reduce the level risk.
PPE is personal protective equipment, such as:
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Gloves
Protective goggles
Hearing protection.
Reasonably Practicable is a determination based on:
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The likelihood of the hazard or risk occurring
The degree of harm from the hazard or risk
Knowledge about ways of eliminating or minimising the hazard or risk
The availability and suitability of ways to eliminate or minimise the risk
Cost.
How to Put Together an OHS Risk Register
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Risk is a potential for harm. This is usually measured in terms of likelihood and
consequence.
How to Put Together an OHS Risk Register
1. Identify the items, equipment or activities which present OHS risks.
Many of these will be common to all workplaces, such as:
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Electrical equipment
Floor surfaces, steps and ramps
Cleaning chemicals
Others will be somewhat more specific, such as:
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Lawnmowers
Ladders
Power tools
Chainsaws
Manual tasks
Cleaning gutters
Working in the sun for long periods
As mentioned above, this list does not need to be exhaustive, but does need
to include the items, equipment and activities which have the potential to
cause the most harm or are encountered regularly.
2. Identify the risk and possible consequences
For each of the items, equipment or activities identified in the previous step
define what could actually cause harm – this is the risk – e.g.:
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Falling over
Exposure to heat
Rotating parts/blades
Loud noises
An individual item, equipment or activity may pose multiple types of risks.
Then identify what the actual harm would be for each, e.g.:
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Injury due to fall
Dehydration, heat stroke, sun burn, skin cancer
Cuts, entanglement, serious bodily harm
Loss of hearing.
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3. Identify the controls that are currently in place
List all controls that are in place to reduce the level of the risk, these could
include:
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Complete elimination of the item, equipment or activity
Substitution with an item, piece of equipment or activity that poses less
risk
Methods of separating people from the risk
Training and instruction on ways for those exposed to the risk to
manage that risk
PPE.
As part of this process it may be necessary to consider whether or not there is
any evidence that the controls are being applied, or that people have been
made aware of the controls.
4. Consider whether the level of risk is acceptable
Given the potential consequences and effectiveness of the controls currently
in place make a decision as to whether the risk is being appropriately
managed.
In deciding this you must consider:
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How often the task is done
How likely the harmful consequences are to occur
Whether the controls reduce the likelihood and/or impact of the
possible consequences
If there are other ‘reasonably practicable’ controls which could be
implemented.
In making this decision it might be necessary to contact industry experts,
safety specialists or government bodies, such as WorkSafe.
In some circumstances it may be necessary to cease or restrict the use of the
item or equipment, or performance of the activity until the level of risk is
bought back to an acceptable level.
5. If the level of risk is not acceptable
When the level of risk has not been appropriately controlled you must then
record the further controls that need to be put in place or investigated.
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Further Development of the OHS Risk Register (OPTIONAL)
Another step that can be taken to improve the quality of the risk register is to ‘assess’
the risk.
This is done using a risk matrix (shown on next page) which gives a ‘score’ based on
the likelihood of the event occurring and the severity of those consequences.
If used, this should be applied to the risk both before and after the controls are in
place as a method of evaluating the effectiveness of the controls.
While this scoring system is somewhat subjective it is important to apply it correctly
and consistently.
For example:
You can score the risk based either on the worst possible consequence or the
consequence which gives the highest score – lifting heavy boxes may cause
a Major injury in Rare circumstances but can also causes strains and sprains
on fairly regular basis, a Minor injury with a Possible likelihood – whichever you
choose you must stick with for the before and after score, and ideally be
applied to the whole register.
Eliminating a risk or substituting it for a lesser one are generally the only ways
to reduce the consequences. Controls such as PPE, training, supervision and
instruction will usually only reduce the likelihood.
On the Risk Register Template the relevant columns for assessing the risk are ‘L’ for
likelihood, ‘C’ for consequence and ‘S’ for score.
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South Gippsland Shire Council Risk Matrix
Consequence
Probability
1. Negligible
2. Minor
3. Moderate
4. Major
5. Catastrophic
5. Almost
certain
Medium
Medium
High
Extreme
Extreme
4. Likely
Medium
Medium
High
High
Extreme
3. Possible
Low
Medium
Medium
High
High
2. Unlikely
Low
Low
Medium
Medium
Medium
1. Rare
Low
Low
Low
Medium
Medium
Probability
Estimate how likely the consequence is to happen:
1. Rare – Event may occur in exceptional circumstances. Once in 3
years or more
2. Not likely – Event not expected to occur. May happen twice a year
3. Possible – Event might occur. Expected to happen 3 times in 6
months
4. Likely – Event likely to occur. 5 times in any given month
5. Almost Certain – Event expected to occur. 5 times in any given
week
How to Put Together an OHS Risk Register
Consequence
What sort of harm could be caused:
1. Negligible - First aid required
2. Minor - Minor injury
3. Moderate - Medical treatment or lost time injury
4. Major - Serious injury or illness. Lost time of over 1 year
5. Catastrophic - Death or permanent emotional and /
or physical disability
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