Free hazard identification form
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Free hazard identification form (PDF-ready). Record workplace hazards, risk ratings, existing controls and recommended actions. Download free.
Commercial Director
Updated 3 May 2026
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What is a hazard identification form?
Hazard identification is the process of finding, listing and characterising things in the workplace that have the potential to cause harm. Under Australian WHS legislation, a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) must identify reasonably foreseeable hazards that could give rise to risks to health and safety. Hazard identification is the first step in the risk management process, followed by risk assessment and risk control. A hazard identification form provides a structured way to document each hazard, its location, category, risk level and the controls in place or required.
Effective hazard identification relies on input from workers at all levels, not just safety officers. A structured form makes it easy for anyone on site to report a hazard with enough detail for a supervisor to assess and act on it. Over time, the aggregate data from hazard identification forms reveals patterns and systemic issues that targeted interventions can address, driving continuous improvement in workplace safety.
Safe Work Australia's Code of Practice for Managing WHS Risks specifically lists workplace inspection and hazard reporting as primary methods for meeting hazard identification obligations. Organisations that embed structured hazard identification into daily operations, rather than treating it as a periodic exercise, consistently achieve lower incident rates and stronger regulator confidence during compliance audits.
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Benefits of using this hazard identification form
- Legal compliance: meet your duty under Australian WHS Act and regulations to identify reasonably foreseeable hazards.
- Proactive safety: find hazards before they cause injuries, illness or damage.
- Risk reduction: documented hazards feed directly into risk assessments, ensuring controls are applied where they matter most.
- Worker engagement: giving all workers a simple way to report hazards increases safety participation and builds a stronger safety culture.
- Audit readiness: a completed hazard register demonstrates due diligence to regulators, auditors and insurers.
- Continuous improvement: reviewing hazard reports over time reveals trends and recurring issues, allowing your organisation to target systemic fixes.
Benefits of digitising forms in MapTrack
When you move your checklists from paper to MapTrack, you get:
- Field users can easily scan a QR code to complete a form on mobile. Unlimited users.
- Automatically get alerts when faults are identified.
- Link every form digitally as a PDF to the relevant asset, location or person.
- Receive a digital PDF copy with every submission to your email.
- Ability to share forms digitally.
- Build conditional logic (show or hide questions based on answers).
- Take pictures or attach photos. Not possible with a paper-based form.
- Electronic signatures.
- Edit forms later without reprinting.
- Restrict permissions (who can view, complete or approve).
- Build forms with AI (describe what you need and MapTrack suggests the form).
- Escalate critical hazards instantly to safety managers via push notification.
- Maintain an auditable safety register that satisfies WHS regulator requests.
- Correlate incident trends across sites with built-in safety analytics.
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What to include in a hazard identification form
This hazard identification form covers 10 key areas:
- Workplace area: site name, department or specific location where the hazard was observed.
- Task or activity: the work being performed when the hazard was identified.
- Hazard description: a clear, factual description of what could cause harm.
- Hazard category: physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic, psychosocial or environmental.
- Risk rating: high, medium or low, based on likelihood and potential consequence.
- Existing controls: what measures are already in place to manage the hazard.
- Recommended actions: additional controls or corrective actions needed.
- Responsible person: who is accountable for implementing the recommended actions.
- Due date: when the corrective action must be completed.
- Status: whether the action is open, in progress or closed.
How to use this hazard identification form
- Walk the workplace and observe conditions, activities and equipment.: Physically inspect the work area at a time when normal operations are underway. Look for anything that could cause harm, including physical hazards, chemical exposures, ergonomic issues and environmental factors. Talk to workers about the tasks they perform and any concerns they have.
- Record each hazard on the form with a clear, factual description.: Describe exactly what could cause harm and who could be affected. Be specific, for example "unguarded drop of 2.5 m at the loading dock edge" rather than "fall risk". Include the location, the task or activity associated with the hazard and the hazard category.
- Rate each hazard using the likelihood x consequence risk matrix.: Assess how likely the hazard is to cause harm and the potential severity of the outcome. Record the risk level (high, medium, low) to prioritise which hazards need immediate action and which can be scheduled for later review.
- Document existing controls and recommend additional actions.: Record what controls are already in place to manage each hazard. If those controls are inadequate, document the additional actions needed, assign a responsible person and set a due date. Follow the hierarchy of controls: elimination, substitution, engineering, administrative then PPE.
- Submit the completed form to your supervisor or safety officer for review.: The supervisor reviews the hazard, confirms the risk rating and ensures corrective actions are adequate and assigned. High-risk hazards should be escalated to the safety manager or site manager for immediate attention.
- Follow up on corrective actions and update the hazard status.: Track each hazard through to close-out. Verify that corrective actions have been implemented and are effective. Update the status from open to in progress to closed. Transfer the hazard to the site hazard register for ongoing tracking.
In MapTrack, you can digitise safety inspections and compliance forms. Each submission is stored as a timestamped PDF against the asset record.
Get the free templateEnter your email above to download the full hazard identification form as a PDF.Back to download formHow often should you complete this checklist?
Hazard identification should be conducted whenever a new hazard is observed, when work activities or conditions change, when new equipment or processes are introduced, after an incident or near miss, and as part of regular scheduled workplace inspections. Under the WHS Act, the PCBU has an ongoing duty to identify hazards. In practice, most organisations conduct formal hazard identification as part of monthly site inspections and encourage workers to submit hazard identification forms at any time through an open reporting system. The hazard register should be reviewed at least monthly to ensure all identified hazards are being tracked and managed.
Frequently asked questions
Applicable regulatory standards
This template aligns with the following regulations and standards:
- WHS Act 2011
- Safe Work Australia - Code of Practice: How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks
- ISO 31000 - Risk management
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