Risk register and risk assessments

Use this page to access the University’s health and safety risk register, complete a risk assessment and find risk management requirements, guidance and templates.

Last reviewed: August 2026

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Risk register or risk assessment?

Resource	Purpose	When to use it
University Health and Safety Risk Register	Provides an enterprise-level overview of the University’s principal health and safety hazard categories, risks, controls and opportunities.	Use it to understand University-wide risks and identify risks relevant to your faculty, division or local area.
Faculty or division risk register	Records the health and safety risks relevant to a faculty or division and the controls used to manage them.	Maintain and review it as part of local health and safety governance and planning.
Risk assessment	Examines the hazards and risks associated with a particular task, activity, process, item of equipment or work environment.	Complete one before work begins or when a new or changed risk needs to be assessed.

The University-wide risk register does not replace local risk registers or activity-specific risk assessments.

University Health and Safety Risk Register

The University Health and Safety Risk Register identifies significant hazard categories associated with University activities and operations. It records:

key hazards and risks
inherent risk ratings
relevant legislation, standards and guidance
University-wide management system controls
opportunities for improvement
residual risk ratings.

The Director, Health & Safety is responsible for maintaining and publishing the University-wide register.

View the University Health and Safety Risk Register

Faculty and division risk registers

The relevant Dean or Head of Division must ensure that a faculty or division health and safety risk register is developed and maintained.

The register must incorporate:

risks identified through local risk assessments
relevant risks from the University-wide register
the activities and hazards associated with each risk
inherent risk ratings
applicable legislation, standards and University requirements
existing and additional controls
residual risk ratings.

Read the guidance on completing a health and safety risk register (PDF)

When is a risk assessment required?

Complete a risk assessment:

before introducing or changing a system of work
before acquiring, manufacturing or introducing plant and equipment
before acquiring or using new chemicals or substances
before acquiring or leasing a building
before establishing or acquiring a new business or operational entity
when the workplace or work environment changes
when a hazard, incident, injury or near miss is identified
when new information about a hazard or risk becomes available
when existing controls may no longer be effective
when concerns are raised by workers, students, Health and Safety Representatives or others
when a hazard-specific legal or University requirement requires an assessment.

Risk assessments must also be reviewed when the work changes, an incident occurs, new information becomes available or the effectiveness of existing controls is uncertain.

How to complete a risk assessment

1. Check for an existing assessment

Check ERMS and your local risk register to determine whether the activity or hazard has already been assessed.

An existing assessment may be used if it remains current and accurately reflects the activity, work environment, people exposed and controls in place.

2. Define the activity

Clearly describe the task, activity, process, equipment or work environment being assessed.

Consider routine and non-routine work, including cleaning, maintenance, foreseeable emergencies and abnormal operating conditions.

3. Identify the hazards

Identify what could cause injury or illness and who could be affected.

Use available information such as:

incident and hazard reports
workplace inspections
equipment instructions and safety data sheets
legislation and University requirements
previous assessments and audit findings
advice from workers, students, supervisors and subject-matter experts.

4. Consult affected people

Consult affected staff, students and Health and Safety Representatives, where reasonably practicable.

People who perform or supervise the work can provide important information about how the activity is undertaken and whether proposed controls will be practical.

5. Assess the inherent risk

Assess the risk before considering existing controls.

Use the University risk matrix to determine the most realistic:

likelihood of the event occurring
consequence if the event occurs.

The combination of likelihood and consequence determines the inherent risk rating.

6. Identify and assess existing controls

Record the controls already in place and consider whether they are implemented, maintained and effective.

7. Identify additional controls

Eliminate the hazard or risk so far as is reasonably practicable.

If elimination is not reasonably practicable, reduce the risk by applying the hierarchy of control and considering higher-order controls first.

8. Assess the residual risk

Assess the expected level of risk after all existing and proposed controls have been implemented.

The residual risk rating determines whether further action, escalation or approval is required.

9. Record and monitor actions

Record each additional control in an action plan and assign:

a responsible person
a priority
a completion date
any required resources
a review date.

Monitor actions until they are completed and confirm that the controls are effective.

Which system or form should I use?

ERMS

Risk assessments must be entered and stored in ERMS where the person completing the assessment has University access.

ERMS can be used for assessments involving one hazard category or multiple hazard categories. It also allows additional controls, responsible people and completion dates to be recorded.

Complete or review a risk assessment in ERMS

Hazard-specific risk assessment

Use a hazard-specific assessment when the activity is predominantly associated with one hazard category. These forms include prompts relevant to the particular hazard.

General risk assessment

Use the general risk assessment when:

there is no suitable hazard-specific form
the activity involves several different hazard categories
no single hazard category predominates.

Download the General Risk Assessment Form (Word)

Hard-copy assessments should be transferred to ERMS when access becomes available.

Risk ratings and required actions

Risk rating	Acceptance	Required response	Recommended timeframe
Extreme	Not acceptable	Cease or isolate the source of risk immediately. Implement further controls and monitor their effectiveness.	Immediate action; further controls within one month
High	Generally not acceptable	Escalate the risk and implement additional controls so far as is reasonably practicable.	Within one to three months
Medium	Generally acceptable	Implement additional controls where reasonably practicable and continue monitoring.	Within three to six months
Low	Acceptable	Maintain, monitor and review existing controls.	Ongoing

If an extreme or high risk cannot be adequately controlled, refer it to a more senior manager and seek advice from your local Health and Safety Business Partner.

Hierarchy of control

Consider controls in the following order:

Eliminate the hazard or activity.
Substitute it with something safer.
Isolate people from the hazard.
Introduce engineering controls.
Introduce administrative controls, including procedures, supervision and training.
Provide appropriate personal protective equipment.

Higher-order controls must be considered before relying on administrative controls or personal protective equipment. A combination of controls will often be required.

Some hazards, including psychosocial hazards, hazardous manual handling, falls, confined spaces, plant, hazardous substances, asbestos, construction work and crystalline silica have specific risk-control requirements. Always use the applicable legislation and University hazard-specific requirements.

Common hazard-specific assessments

Supporting documents

Need assistance?

If you are unsure which assessment to use, how to assess a risk or how to manage an extreme or high risk, contact your supervisor or local Health and Safety Business Partner.

Find Health & Safety contacts

Unique hierarchy of controls

This section provides an overview of the hierarchy of control and its application across different health and safety risk areas. The hierarchy offers a useful foundation, starting with elimination and progressing through substitution, isolation, engineering controls, administrative controls and personal protective equipment (PPE). While this framework applies broadly, specific hazards often require tailored approaches to risk control.

The following diagrams show how control measures should be considered for a range of hazards, including psychological health, hazardous manual handling, prevention of falls, confined spaces, plant, hazardous substances, asbestos, construction work and crystalline silica. The intent is to support a consistent understanding of the preferred order of controls, while recognising that, in practice, a combination of measures may be needed to reduce risks so far as is reasonably practicable.

A key message is that higher-order controls should always be considered first. Information, instruction, training, administrative controls and PPE remain important, but they should not be relied upon as the primary control where more effective risk controls are reasonably practicable.

Unique Hierarchy Type	Pyramid
General
Psychosocial
Hazardous Manual Handling
Prevention of Falls ₁
Confined Spaces
Plant
Hazardous Substances & Lead
Asbestos – in situ
Asbestos – activity
Construction work
High risk crystalline silica