Conduct health and safety risk assessments
All staff have obligations under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld) to:
- eliminate health and safety risks where possible
- minimise risks as far as reasonably practicable when elimination isn’t possible.
UQ’s Health and Safety Risk Management Procedure outlines how we manage risks, including the responsibilities of staff, supervisors and heads of organisational units.
We use UQSafe-Risk to manage health and safety risk assessments.
When to complete a risk assessment
The Health and Safety Risk Assessment Procedure explains when risk assessments are needed. They help identify potential harm to people and the sources or processes causing it.
A risk assessment is required when:
- there’s uncertainty about a task or activity that may cause harm
- multiple hazards exist and their interactions are unclear
- there are changes to the workplace, task or activity
- an incident or near miss has occurred.
In low-risk office environments, a detailed risk assessment may not be needed if effective controls are already in place. For example, UQ offices typically follow well-established safety and emergency procedures.
Training guide: When to complete a risk assessment (PDF, 102.13 KB)
How to complete a risk assessment
Use UQSafe to create and document risk assessments for work and research.
- Risk assessments must be completed by the person performing the task (the Risk Owner)
- Managers and supervisors must ensure assessments are completed when required, and review and approve them
To complete a risk assessment:
- decide if a formal risk assessment is needed
- identify hazards and risk factors
- discuss hazards and controls with those involved
- draft the assessment in UQSafe R2 (staff login required)
- send it for peer review (e.g. subject experts or your Safety Team)
- submit it to your supervisor for approval.
Training guide: Create a Risk Assessment in UQSafe
Approval of risk assessments
Once submitted, the risk assessment is automatically sent to the Risk Approver (usually the supervisor).
Supervisors must ensure:
- the name is clear and follows naming conventions
- basic details (location, organisational unit) are correct
- the task/process/activity is clearly described (attachments allowed)
- relevant documents are referenced and attached
- all foreseeable hazards are identified and described
- controls are appropriate and based on the Hierarchy of Controls
- the calculated risk level is reasonable
- complex/high-risk tasks have expert input
- relevant regulations, codes of practice, and standards are considered.
Training guide: Create a Risk Assessment in UQSafe
Safety Team verification
Local Safety Teams must review and verify a sample of risk assessments in their area.
If improvements are needed, they must consult with the Risk Owner and Risk Approver.
If major changes are required, a Formal Review should be conducted.
Training guide: UQSafe risk assessment verification
