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Free risk register template

Download a free risk register template. Identify, assess and track workplace risks with likelihood, consequence and controls. PDF ready.

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These templates are free general guides provided as-is. They do not constitute legal, safety or compliance advice. You are responsible for ensuring any form meets your specific workplace obligations, industry standards and applicable regulations.

Updated 26 Oct 2026

Risk Register Template

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Record all identified risks. Rate Likelihood (1-5) and Consequence (1-5). Risk Rating = Likelihood x Consequence.

#Risk DescriptionLikelihoodConsequenceRisk RatingControlsResponsibleStatus
e.g.Excavator - 8 tonne----S. Carter-
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The PDF includes all 22 numbered rows, ready to print or fill on screen.

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How to use: download the PDF, print or complete digitally on any device.

  • PDF format, ready to print or fill on screen
  • Use as-is or customise to suit your operation
  • Go digital in MapTrack for photos, reminders and audit trails

Don't just download it - use it live. Start a free workspace with this risk register template already built, so your crew can run it from a phone.

Jarrod Milford

Jarrod Milford

Co-Founder & Commercial Director

Updated 26 October 2026
Also see:Compliance and inspections →Best inspection software →MapTrack vs SafetyCulture →

Short answer

A risk register lists the risks identified across a site, project or organisation: description, category, likelihood, consequence, inherent rating, controls, residual rating, owner and review date. Managers commonly review it quarterly, and again after incidents or changes. Section 17 of the model WHS Act requires risks to be eliminated so far as is reasonably practicable, or otherwise minimised.

Checked against Model WHS Act (Model WHS Bill as at 5 December 2025 (includes the Model WHS Legislation Amendment (Incident Notification) 2025)) on by the MapTrack templates team. How we check templates

Key takeaways

  • The MapTrack risk register template has 7 columns and room for 22 entries. Columns: Risk Description, Likelihood, Consequence, Risk Rating, Controls, Responsible, Status.
  • Regulation 38 requires controls to be reviewed when they fail, before changes creating new risks, for new hazards, when consultation shows a need, or on a qualifying request.
  • Rate each risk before and after controls to estimate what remains, then check the controls work through inspection, consultation, testing and records.
  • Rank controls using the hierarchy: eliminate first, then substitution, isolation and engineering controls, then administrative controls, then PPE.
  • Monthly, quarterly and annual review cycles by risk level are common practice; the law sets review triggers, not a calendar.
  • Give every risk an owner: the person best placed to monitor and control it, not only the safety manager.

Enter your email below to download this risk register template as a ready-to-use PDF.

Used by construction, mining and field service teams

Saunders InternationalMineral ResourcesSupagasHacer GroupMetro TunnelUltrabuilt

What is a risk register template?

A risk register is a management tool used to identify, assess, prioritise and track risks across a workplace, project or organisation. Each entry records the risk description, risk category, likelihood, consequence, inherent risk rating, controls in place, residual risk rating, risk owner and review date. The risk register provides a centralised view of all identified risks and their current control status, enabling management to allocate resources to the highest-priority risks and demonstrate that risks are being actively managed.

Under the WHS Act 2011, PCBUs must identify hazards, assess risks and implement controls. A risk register is the practical tool for meeting this obligation at an organisational level. While individual risk assessments address specific hazards, the risk register aggregates all risks into a single document that can be reviewed by management, safety committees and regulators. ISO 31000 (Risk management) provides the framework for risk management processes, and a risk register is a core output of that process. Organisations that maintain a current, reviewed risk register make better decisions because they have visibility into the full spectrum of risks and can prioritise accordingly.

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Benefits of using this risk register template

  • Centralised visibility: see all identified risks in one place, enabling informed decision-making about priorities and resource allocation.
  • Regulatory compliance: demonstrate that risks have been identified, assessed and are being actively managed as required by the WHS Act.
  • Prioritisation: risk ratings help management focus attention and resources on the highest-priority risks.
  • Accountability: assigning a risk owner to each entry ensures someone is responsible for monitoring and controlling the risk.
  • Continuous improvement: regular reviews of the register identify new risks, reassess existing risks and verify that controls remain effective.
  • Audit readiness: a maintained risk register is key evidence for safety audits, certification assessments and legal proceedings.

Benefits of digitising forms in MapTrack

When you move your registers from paper to MapTrack, you get:

  • Field users can easily scan a QR code to complete a form on mobile. Unlimited users.
  • Email the right people when a form is submitted, with an automation you set up.
  • File every completed form against the asset, location or person it covers.
  • Download any completed form as a PDF, with failed answers listed at the top.
  • Fill in forms offline; they upload when the device is back online.
  • 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.
  • Set who can view, fill in or edit forms with user roles.
  • Upload a paper form (PDF, Word, Excel or a photo) and MapTrack's AI builds a digital version for you to check.
  • Email safety managers when a hazard report is submitted, with an automation you set up.
  • Keep every hazard and incident report against the site it came from, with photos.
  • Turn a hazard report into a corrective-action work order with its own review step.

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“Bloody amazing! We used to spend 1-2 days a week tracking and managing our generators alone.”
Saunders International

Steve McAllister

Asset Coordinator, Saunders International

What to include in a risk register template

This risk register template covers 12 key areas:

  • Risk ID: unique identifier for each risk entry.
  • Risk description: clear, specific description of the risk event and its potential impact.
  • Risk category: safety, operational, financial, environmental, reputational, legal, strategic.
  • Likelihood: rating scale (rare, unlikely, possible, likely, almost certain) with definitions.
  • Consequence: rating scale (insignificant, minor, moderate, major, catastrophic) with definitions.
  • Inherent risk rating: likelihood x consequence before controls (low, medium, high, extreme).
  • Controls in place: description of current controls (elimination, substitution, engineering, administrative, PPE).
  • Residual risk rating: likelihood x consequence after controls.
  • Risk owner: person responsible for monitoring and managing the risk.
  • Review date: next scheduled review date for this risk entry.
  • Status: open, under treatment, closed, escalated.
  • Action plan: additional controls planned, responsible person and due date.

How to use this risk register template

  1. Identify risks through hazard identification, incident reviews, audits and consultation.: Gather risk information from workplace inspections, incident and near-miss reports, audit findings, worker consultation, industry data and regulatory changes. Each identified risk should be recorded as a separate entry in the register with a clear, specific description.
  2. Assess each risk using the likelihood and consequence matrix.: Rate the likelihood and consequence of each risk before controls (inherent risk). Use consistent definitions for each rating level to ensure objectivity. The inherent risk rating provides the baseline against which control effectiveness is measured.
  3. Document current controls and assess the residual risk.: For each risk, list the controls currently in place. Classify controls using the hierarchy of controls (elimination, substitution, engineering, administrative, PPE). Re-rate the likelihood and consequence with controls in place to determine the residual risk rating.
  4. Assign a risk owner and set a review date for each entry.: Nominate a specific person as the risk owner responsible for monitoring the risk and ensuring controls remain effective. Set a review date based on the risk level. High and extreme risks should be reviewed monthly, medium risks quarterly, and low risks annually.
  5. Review the register regularly and update as conditions change.: Review the full register at least quarterly with the management team or safety committee. Update risk ratings when conditions change, when incidents occur, when new information becomes available or when controls are modified. Close risks that have been eliminated and add new risks as they are identified.

In MapTrack, you can digitise safety inspections and compliance forms. Each submission is stored as a timestamped PDF against the asset record.

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How often should you complete this register?

The risk register should be reviewed in full at least quarterly. Individual risk entries should be reviewed according to their risk level: extreme and high risks monthly, medium risks quarterly, low risks annually. The register should also be updated whenever a new risk is identified, an incident occurs, or there are significant changes to operations, site conditions or legislation.

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Frequently asked questions

A risk assessment is a process applied to a specific hazard, task or activity to identify risks and determine controls. A risk register is a centralised document that aggregates all identified risks across the organisation or site. Individual risk assessments feed into the risk register. The register provides a portfolio view of all risks, their ratings, controls and owners, enabling management-level oversight and prioritisation.

There is no fixed number. A risk register should contain every significant risk that has been identified. A small site might have 20 to 30 entries, while a large construction project or mining operation might have hundreds. The key is that risks are described at a useful level of specificity. Risks that are too broad are difficult to control, while risks that are too granular make the register unwieldy.

The PCBU or senior management has overall accountability for risk management. In practice, the safety manager or risk manager typically maintains the register. However, individual risk entries should be owned by the person best placed to monitor and control that specific risk. The management team or safety committee should review the full register at scheduled intervals.

Yes. This risk register template is completely free to download and use. Enter your email on this page and it downloads as a ready-to-print PDF. No MapTrack account is required. If you want digital risk management with automated review reminders and dashboards, MapTrack can help.

The full register should be reviewed at least quarterly by the management team or safety committee, with individual entries reviewed at intervals proportional to their rating: extreme and high risks monthly, medium risks quarterly, low risks annually. The WHS Regulations 2011 require risk reviews when controls are not effective, when a new hazard or risk is identified, when significant work changes occur, or after consultation indicates a review is needed. ISO 31000:2018 expects review intervals to be documented and consistently applied.

Inherent risk is the rating of likelihood times consequence before any controls are counted. Residual risk is the same rating after the controls currently in place are taken into account. Record both for every entry: the inherent rating is the baseline, and the gap between it and the residual rating shows how much the controls are actually doing. Re-rate the residual risk whenever controls change.

From workplace inspections, incident and near-miss reports, audit findings, consultation with workers, industry data and regulatory changes. Record each risk as a separate entry with its own ID and a clear, specific description of the risk event and its potential impact. Add new risks as they are identified rather than waiting for the next scheduled review, and close risks that have been eliminated.

A clear, specific description of the risk event and its potential impact. Pitch it at a useful level of detail: risks described too broadly are hard to control and hard to own, while risks that are too granular make the register unwieldy. A good test is whether one risk owner can monitor the listed controls for that entry and say at each review whether they are still working.

Applicable regulatory standards

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

  • Model Work Health and Safety Act (Model Work Health and Safety Bill)

    Edition: Model WHS Bill as at 5 December 2025 (includes the Model WHS Legislation Amendment (Incident Notification) 2025)

    Eliminate risks so far as reasonably practicable, or minimise them, and what reasonably practicable means.

    • s 17: Duty holders must eliminate risks so far as is reasonably practicable, or otherwise minimise them.
    • s 18: Explains what reasonably practicable means and the matters weighed in deciding it.

    Safe Work Australia (drafted by the Parliamentary Counsel's Committee)

  • Model Work Health and Safety Regulations

    Edition: Model WHS Regulations as at 5 December 2025 (cited within as the Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011)

    The risk management process, the hierarchy of controls, and when controls must be reviewed.

    • Part 3.1: Managing risks to health and safety: identify hazards, eliminate or minimise risks using the hierarchy of controls, maintain and review controls.
    • reg 36: Hierarchy of control measures: substitution, isolation and engineering controls first, then administrative controls, then personal protective equipment.
    • reg 38: Control measures must be reviewed and revised as necessary, including when they fail, before changes creating new risks, for new hazards, after consultation, or on a qualifying representative's request.

    Safe Work Australia (drafted by the Parliamentary Counsel's Committee)

  • Risk management - Guidelines

    Edition: ISO 31000:2018 (Edition 2)

    Risk management guidelines, not certifiable requirements.

    International Organization for Standardization (ISO)Sold by the publisher

  • Risk management - Guidelines

    Edition: AS ISO 31000:2018

    Identical Australian adoption of ISO 31000:2018, superseding AS/NZS ISO 31000:2009.

    Standards AustraliaSold by the publisher

  • Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic)

    Edition: Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic), version 045 (in force from 6 August 2025)

    Victoria's employer duties, which apply there instead of the model WHS Act.

    • s 21: Employer duties to employees, including providing and maintaining safe plant, systems of work and adequate welfare facilities.

    Victorian Government (Victorian Legislation)

Each source was read at its publisher and the page checked on 26 October 2026. The publisher's current text is the authority.

Check the current source

Risk register template preview

Risk register template template preview showing fields and layout

The numbers behind this risk register template

The pages below gather the figures behind this kind of check. Each figure on them carries its source and date, so you can quote it in a toolbox talk, a budget case or a board paper without chasing the original report.

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Run an industry blog, trade association site, or training resource? Drop a preview of this free risk register template straight into your page. The snippet is self-contained, needs no scripts, and links readers back to the full free template.

<div style="max-width:480px;font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,'Segoe UI',Roboto,sans-serif;border:1px solid #E5E7EB;border-radius:12px;padding:20px;background:#ffffff;">
  <p style="font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.05em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#071D49;margin:0;">Free template</p>
  <p style="font-size:18px;font-weight:700;color:#071D49;margin:6px 0 0;">Risk register template</p>
  <ul style="margin:12px 0 0;padding-left:18px;color:#374151;font-size:14px;line-height:1.6;">
    <li style="margin:4px 0;">Risk ID: unique identifier for each risk entry.</li>
    <li style="margin:4px 0;">Risk description: clear, specific description of the risk event and its potential impact.</li>
    <li style="margin:4px 0;">Risk category: safety, operational, financial, environmental, reputational, legal, strategic.</li>
    <li style="margin:4px 0;">Likelihood: rating scale (rare, unlikely, possible, likely, almost certain) with definitions.</li>
    <li style="margin:4px 0;">Consequence: rating scale (insignificant, minor, moderate, major, catastrophic) with definitions.</li>
    <li style="margin:4px 0;">Inherent risk rating: likelihood x consequence before controls (low, medium, high, extreme).</li>
  </ul>
  <p style="font-size:13px;color:#6B7280;margin:14px 0 0;padding-top:12px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;">Free <a href="https://www.maptrack.com/templates/risk-register-template" style="color:#071D49;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none;">Risk register template</a> by MapTrack</p>
</div>

Free to reuse, including commercially. This template is published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. Copy it, adapt it, put it on your own site or in your own docs. All we ask is that you credit MapTrack with a link back to this page. The snippet above already includes that credit, so if you use it as-is you’re covered.

Cite this template

Writing about this topic? You’re welcome to quote this checklist. Here’s the wording to use so your readers can find the original.

The MapTrack risk register template has 7 columns and room for 22 entries.

Short attribution
MapTrack Risk register template, https://www.maptrack.com/templates/risk-register-template
Reference list
MapTrack. (2026). Risk register template [Checklist template]. Retrieved from https://www.maptrack.com/templates/risk-register-template

Free to reuse with credit under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. If you’d rather link straight to it, the page is https://www.maptrack.com/templates/risk-register-template.

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