People and Culture

Work Health and Safety Risk Management

The Work Health and Safety Hazard Identification and Risk Management Guideline provides a consistent and proactive approach to identifying and managing hazards to prevent harm to workers, students, contractors and visitors at ECU.

The benefits of proactive risk management include:

• Ensuring persons are not exposed to hazards at the University so far as is reasonably practicable
• Preventing and reducing the number and severity of workplace injuries and illnesses
• Promoting worker health, wellbeing and capacity to work
• Fostering innovation, quality and efficiency through continuous improvement.

ECU Hazard Risk Register

An ECU level Hazard Risk Register is available in Riskware that outlines the broad range of university-wide hazards and their controls to reduce the risk of harm to the University community. This register can be helpful to inform other risk assessments being undertaken.

Critical Risks and Controls Standard

ECU has identified 14 critical WHS Risks that could pose an inherently serious safety risk if uncontrolled, such as Working at Heights and Working with Electricity.  A WHS Critical Risks and Controls Standard has been developed to inform workers of these critical WHS risks which defines the essential critical controls and cardinal rules that must be in place to prevent a serious incident from occurring.

As the critical WHS risks and controls cover a broad range of activities, all staff should familiarise themselves with this standard and its requirements to ensure we all do our best to keep ourselves, our colleagues and our students safe.

The Work Health and Safety team are available to discuss any specific activities and how the critical WHS risks and controls may apply.

Riskware

The WHS Risk Register module of ECU’s Riskware online system is used for recording, approving and reviewing Hazard Risk Assessments and Hazard Risk Registers.

Click here to log in to Riskware.

Information on how to use Riskware and available training can be found on the Riskware Information Page.

For Staff requiring assistance with conducting WHS risk assessments, please contact the Work Health and Safety team on extension 2302 (WHS Enquiries on teams) or whs@ecu.edu.au.

For HDR Students requiring support please contact your Research Student Support Coordinator or Research Supervisor.

When do I need to complete a Hazard Risk Assessment?

A guide is available to help understand when to complete a Risk Assessment and which RiskWare module should be used. A Health and Safety Hazard Risk Assessments should be completed:

• To resolve a specific  identified hazard
• When a health and safety issue is raised
• When commencing or changing an activity including:
  • Teaching activities (e.g. per Unit)
  • Research activities including clinical trials and grant applications
  • Purchasing new plant or equipment
  • Travel activities (e.g. study tours, fieldwork)
  • Events (e.g. Open day)
  • New projects (e.g. infrastructure), and
• Where a JSA results in a residual rating of Substantial or above

Hazard Risk Registers are a summary of all hazards identified by Schools and Centres, approved by the Executive Dean or Director, and are undertaken by Schools and Centres in consultation with their local WHS Committee and the Work Health and Safety Team.

How to conduct a Hazard Risk Assessment

The Work Health and Safety Risk Assessment Procedure provides step by step instructions on how to conduct these assessments. The WHS Risk Register module of ECU’s Riskware online system is used for recording, approving and reviewing WHS Hazard Risk Assessments and Hazard Risk Registers. The WHS risk module will guide you through the process of conducting a hazard risk assessment following the below steps.

1. Identifying hazards. If hazards are not identified, the opportunity to analyse, evaluate and control the associated risks is missed.  The Health and Safety Hazard Prompt Sheet is a tool that can be used to identify hazards as part of this process.  To report hazards refer to the Hazard Identification and Reporting page.
2. Identifying current controls already in place to reduce the risk level.  The Hierarchy of Controls is used to categorise controls from most to least effective
3. Assessing the level of current risk, considering controls in place using ECU’s Risk matrix
4. Evaluating the effectiveness  of current controls
5. Where required, developing and implementing additional proposed controls to further reduce the risk, assigning these to a responsible person with a due date.
6. Approval.  Risk assessments need to be assigned to and approved by a Supervisor or Line Manager with the appropriate level of authority to approve the risk according to the acceptance criteria on ECU’s Risk Matrix.

Throughout all steps of the risk management process it is important to communicate and consult with the people who may be impacted by the hazard.  Risk assessments also require review at regular intervals.