Risk Assessment Form for Trades & Construction

# Risk Assessment Form - Trades & Construction

## Purpose
Complete before starting work on new sites, introducing new processes, or as part of your regular WHS program.

## When to Use
A workplace risk assessment form with hazard identification, risk rating matrix, control measures, and responsible person assignment.

## Instructions
1. Review the template below and familiarise yourself with the structure
2. Replace all [bracketed placeholders] with your trades & construction business details
3. Customise the tone and formatting to match your brand
4. Save in your preferred tool (Asana or Notion)

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## Risk Assessment Form

**Purpose:** Systematically identify workplace hazards, assess risk levels, and document control measures to comply with WHS legislation and protect your team.

### Section 1: Assessment Details
| Field | Type | Required | Validation | Placeholder |
|-------|------|----------|------------|-------------|
| Assessment Title | Text | Yes | Min 5 characters | e.g., Warehouse Operations Risk Assessment |
| Site or Location | Text | Yes | - | e.g., 45 Industrial Drive, Smithfield NSW |
| Date of Assessment | Date | Yes | - | DD/MM/YYYY |
| Assessor Name | Text | Yes | - | Jane Smith |
| Assessor Role | Text | Yes | - | WHS Officer |
| Activity or Process Being Assessed | Textarea | Yes | Max 500 characters | Describe the work activity, task, or process being assessed... |
| Assessment Type | Radio | Yes | - | Initial / Periodic Review / Post-Incident / Change of Process |
| Next Review Date | Date | Yes | Must be within 12 months | DD/MM/YYYY |

### Section 2: Hazard Identification
*Add one entry per identified hazard. Use "Add Another Hazard" for multiple entries.*

| Field | Type | Required | Validation | Placeholder |
|-------|------|----------|------------|-------------|
| Hazard Number | Auto-generated | Yes | Sequential: H1, H2, H3... | - |
| Hazard Description | Textarea | Yes | Min 10 characters, Max 500 | Describe the hazard: what is it, where is it, when does it occur? |
| Hazard Category | Dropdown | Yes | - | Physical / Chemical / Biological / Ergonomic / Psychosocial / Electrical / Working at Heights / Mobile Plant / Manual Handling / Other |
| Who is at Risk? | Checkbox (multi-select) | Yes | Min 1 selected | Employees / Contractors / Visitors / Public / All |
| How Could Harm Occur? | Textarea | Yes | Max 500 characters | Describe the potential injury or illness and how it could happen... |

### Section 3: Risk Rating (per hazard)

**Likelihood Scale:**
- 1 = Rare (could happen but very unlikely)
- 2 = Unlikely (could happen but not expected)
- 3 = Possible (might happen at some time)
- 4 = Likely (will probably happen in most circumstances)
- 5 = Almost Certain (expected to happen in most circumstances)

**Consequence Scale:**
- 1 = Insignificant (no injury, minor inconvenience)
- 2 = Minor (first aid treatment, minor property damage)
- 3 = Moderate (medical treatment, temporary disability)
- 4 = Major (serious injury, hospitalisation)
- 5 = Catastrophic (death, permanent disability)

| Field | Type | Required | Validation | Placeholder |
|-------|------|----------|------------|-------------|
| Likelihood (before controls) | Dropdown (1-5) | Yes | - | Select likelihood |
| Consequence (before controls) | Dropdown (1-5) | Yes | - | Select consequence |
| Risk Score (before controls) | Auto-calculated | - | Likelihood x Consequence | e.g., 15 (High) |
| Risk Level (before controls) | Auto-calculated | - | Low (1-4) / Medium (5-9) / High (10-15) / Extreme (16-25) | - |

### Section 4: Control Measures (per hazard)
| Field | Type | Required | Validation | Placeholder |
|-------|------|----------|------------|-------------|
| Control Measures in Place | Textarea | Yes | Min 10 characters, Max 1000 | Describe what controls you will implement (use the hierarchy: Eliminate > Substitute > Isolate > Engineering > Administrative > PPE)... |
| Hierarchy of Control Level | Dropdown | Yes | - | Elimination / Substitution / Isolation / Engineering Controls / Administrative Controls / PPE |
| Responsible Person | Text | Yes | - | Name and role |
| Implementation Date | Date | Yes | - | DD/MM/YYYY |
| Likelihood (after controls) | Dropdown (1-5) | Yes | - | - |
| Consequence (after controls) | Dropdown (1-5) | Yes | - | - |
| Residual Risk Score | Auto-calculated | - | - | e.g., 6 (Medium) |

### Section 5: Sign-Off
| Field | Type | Required | Validation | Placeholder |
|-------|------|----------|------------|-------------|
| Assessor Signature | Text | Yes | - | Type full name as signature |
| Manager Approval | Text | Yes | - | Manager name |
| Workers Consulted | Textarea | Yes | Max 300 characters | List workers consulted during the assessment |

### Conditional Logic
- If any "Risk Level (before controls)" = "Extreme", require manager approval before work commences and flag to WHS Officer
- If "Risk Level (after controls)" remains "High" or "Extreme", trigger additional review with senior management
- If "Assessment Type" = "Post-Incident", link to incident report number

### Submission
- **Button text:** "Submit Risk Assessment"
- **Confirmation message:** "Risk assessment has been submitted and logged. All responsible persons will be notified of their assigned control measures."
- **Notification:** Email all responsible persons with their assigned actions, file in WHS register, schedule review date reminder

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**Complexity:** intermediate | **Setup time:** 15 minutes | **Tools:** Asana, Notion

Note: This template has been tailored for trades & construction businesses in Australia. Adjust terminology and compliance references to match your specific context.