Free plant risk assessment

• The MapTrack plant risk assessment contains 14 checks across 3 sections. Sections covered: MECHANICAL HAZARDS, ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT, OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE.
• Plant description, make, model and identifier or serial number, and its location
• Assessment number, date and the assessor, plus the standards and manuals referenced
• Life-cycle phases assessed: operation, maintenance, cleaning, transport, commissioning, decommissioning

Learn more about compliance and inspections in MapTrack.

• Whole-of-life view: assessing operation, maintenance, cleaning and transport catches the hazards that only appear off the normal running cycle.
• Hierarchy of controls: each hazard is matched to a control and re-rated, so you can see whether guarding or isolation has actually cut the risk enough.
• Guarding decisions: identifying moving-part and entanglement hazards drives the guarding and interlock decisions rather than leaving them to chance.
• Asset-linked: tying the assessment to the plant's identifier means the controls, SWP and maintenance sit against the same asset in your register.
• SWP foundation: the assessed hazards and controls become the basis for the safe operating procedure the operators are trained on.
• Regulatory fit: the model WHS Regulations place plant-specific duties on operators, and a documented assessment is objective evidence those duties are met.
• Change trigger: reassessing after a modification or repair keeps the controls matched to the plant as it actually is, not as it left the factory.

• Plant description, make, model and identifier or serial number, and its location
• Assessment number, date and the assessor, plus the standards and manuals referenced
• Life-cycle phases assessed: operation, maintenance, cleaning, transport, commissioning, decommissioning
• Hazard rows: mechanical, entanglement, crushing, electrical, pressure, noise, dust and ergonomic
• How each hazard arises and who is exposed, including operators, maintainers and bystanders
• Initial risk rating using a likelihood and consequence matrix
• Control measures for each hazard, applied down the hierarchy from elimination to PPE
• Residual risk rating after controls, and whether it is low enough to operate
• Guarding, isolation, emergency stops and safe operating procedure requirements
• Actions outstanding, responsible person, due date and assessor sign-off

1. Record the plant and gather its documentation

   Capture the plant make, model and identifier, its location, and pull together the operator manual, the manufacturer's information and any prior assessments. Working from the manufacturer's data means you assess the plant against how it was designed to be guarded, isolated and maintained rather than guessing at the hazards from the outside.

2. Identify hazards across the whole life cycle

   Walk the plant and list its hazards not just in normal operation but during maintenance, cleaning, clearing blockages, transport, commissioning and decommissioning. Many plant injuries happen when a guard is off for cleaning or a machine is being cleared, so a running-only assessment misses the phases where workers are most exposed.

3. Rate each hazard for risk

   Score each hazard using a likelihood and consequence matrix to set an initial risk rating, and note who is exposed, including operators, maintainers and people nearby. A consistent matrix lets you prioritise the guarding and isolation work by which hazards carry the highest risk rather than treating every hazard as equal.

4. Apply controls down the hierarchy

   For each hazard, choose controls working down the hierarchy: eliminate the hazard, substitute, engineer it out with guarding and interlocks, use administrative controls such as a safe operating procedure, then PPE. Record the control and re-rate the residual risk, and raise an action with an owner and due date for any control not yet in place.

5. Set the SWP and review the assessment

   Turn the assessed hazards and controls into the safe operating procedure operators are trained on, and have the assessor sign off. Reassess the plant after any modification, major repair, incident or change in use, and on a set review cycle, so the controls stay matched to the plant as it actually is.

Practical answers about the form, record keeping and using MapTrack.

This form is a starting point. Check the current requirements that apply to your equipment, work and location. The form alone does not establish compliance.

• Model Work Health and Safety Act (enacted in each state and territory; in Victoria, the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004)
• Model Work Health and Safety Regulations, Chapter 5 Plant and structures (Part 5.1), with general risk management under Part 3.1 (in Victoria, the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017)
• Safe Work Australia Model Code of Practice: Managing the risks of plant in the workplace
• AS/NZS 4024 Safety of machinery series (multi-part), e.g. AS/NZS 4024.1601:2014 (guards)

• Model Code of Practice: Managing risks of plant in the workplace (Safe Work Australia)
• Model WHS Regulations (Safe Work Australia)
• Model Work Health and Safety Act (Safe Work Australia)
• AS 4024 series, Safety of machinery (Standards Australia listing)

MapTrack publishes this template. The linked authorities publish their own guidance; they haven't endorsed this form.

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