Free take 5 / start work risk assessment
Jump to download form ↓Enter your email below to download this take 5 / start work risk assessment as a ready-to-use PDF.
Free Take 5 safety assessment form (PDF-ready). Five quick checks before any task: stop, look, assess, control, proceed. Download free.
Last updated: 2026-02-21
Commercial Director
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, alerts and audit trails
Download free PDF template
Trusted by teams across Australia and New Zealand
We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.
Preview the template
See the first part of the take 5 / start work risk assessment below. Download the full version above.
What is a take 5 / start work risk assessment?
A Take 5 (also known as a Take 5 for Safety, Start Work Risk Assessment or Personal Risk Assessment) is a quick, five-step process that a worker completes before starting any task. The five steps are: Stop (am I fit for work - physically, mentally, emotionally?), Look (what are the hazards around me?), Assess (what could go wrong and who could be harmed?), Control (what controls are in place - elimination, substitution, engineering, admin, PPE?), and Proceed (is it safe to proceed? If not, do not start - report to your supervisor). Take 5 assessments are one of the most widely used safety tools on Australian construction, mining, manufacturing and industrial sites. They take only a few minutes and are designed to make workers stop and think before they act.
Benefits of using this take 5 / start work risk assessment
- Prevents complacency: forces workers to pause and think about hazards before starting a task, even familiar ones.
- Quick and simple: takes only a few minutes; designed for field use with minimal paperwork.
- Empowers workers: gives every worker the authority (and responsibility) to stop work if it is not safe.
- Covers the hierarchy of controls: prompts workers to consider elimination, substitution, engineering, admin and PPE controls.
- Regulatory compliance: demonstrates that workers have assessed risks before commencing work, supporting WHS obligations.
- Audit trail: signed Take 5 forms provide evidence that risk assessments were conducted for each task.
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.
Book a demo to see how MapTrack handles checklists.
Try MapTrack free for 30 days
Full access to every feature. No credit card required. Per-asset pricing so you scale as your fleet grows.
- No credit card required
- 30 days free trial
- Cancel anytime
What to include in a take 5 / start work risk assessment
This take 5 / start work risk assessment covers 9 key areas:
- Worker details: name, date, time and task/job description.
- Location/site: specific area where the task will be performed.
- Step 1: STOP: Am I fit for work? (physically, mentally, emotionally).
- Step 2: LOOK: What are the hazards? (checklist: fall, crush, electrical, heat, chemical, noise, confined space, moving plant, manual handling, other).
- Step 3: ASSESS: What could go wrong? Who could be harmed?
- Step 4: CONTROL: Controls in place (elimination, substitution, engineering, admin, PPE).
- Step 5: PROCEED: Safe to proceed? (Yes/No). If no - do not start, report to supervisor.
- Worker signature: worker sign-off confirming assessment completed.
- Supervisor sign-off: supervisor acknowledgement with date.
How to use this take 5 / start work risk assessment
- STOP: Before you start, ask yourself: Am I fit for work? Am I fatigued, distracted, rushed or under the influence of medication? If not fit, report to your supervisor.
- LOOK: Look around your work area. Identify all hazards - falls, crush points, electrical, heat, chemicals, noise, confined spaces, moving plant, manual handling, slips/trips. Tick each hazard that applies.
- ASSESS: For each hazard, assess what could go wrong and who could be harmed. Write a brief description.
- CONTROL: Identify the controls in place to manage each hazard. Work down the hierarchy: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, PPE.
- PROCEED: Are all hazards controlled? Is it safe to proceed? If yes, sign and start work. If no, do not start - report to your supervisor immediately.
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 template
Enter your email above to download the full take 5 / start work risk assessment as a PDF.
Back to download formHow often should you complete this checklist?
A Take 5 should be completed before starting any task, activity or job - especially when the task, environment or conditions have changed. Common trigger points include: at the start of each shift, before each new task, when moving to a different location, after a break, when new equipment or materials are introduced, after a near miss or incident, or when weather conditions change. Many organisations require a Take 5 for every task. The principle is simple: stop and think before you act. If you are unsure whether it is safe to proceed, do not start - report to your supervisor.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a Take 5 safety assessment?
- A Take 5 (also called a Take 5 for Safety, Start Work Risk Assessment or Personal Risk Assessment) is a quick, five-step process completed by a worker before starting any task. The five steps are: Stop (am I fit for work?), Look (what are the hazards?), Assess (what could go wrong and who could be harmed?), Control (what controls are in place or needed?), and Proceed (is it safe to proceed?). If it is not safe to proceed, the worker must stop and report to their supervisor. Take 5 assessments take only a few minutes and are one of the most widely used safety tools on Australian construction, mining and industrial sites.
- When should a Take 5 be completed?
- A Take 5 should be completed before starting any new task, when conditions change (e.g. weather, new equipment, different location), at the start of a shift, when returning from a break, or whenever a worker feels uncertain about the safety of a task. Many organisations require a Take 5 before every task. The goal is to pause, think about hazards and controls, and only proceed when it is safe to do so.
- What hazards does a Take 5 cover?
- A Take 5 covers all hazards relevant to the task being performed. Common hazard categories include falls from height, crush and pinch points, electrical, heat and cold stress, chemical exposure, noise, confined spaces, moving plant and vehicles, manual handling, slip/trip hazards and working alone. The worker selects the hazards relevant to their specific task and environment, then identifies the controls in place to manage each hazard.
Need to digitise safety inspections and compliance forms?
Register every asset in MapTrack, attach digital forms, and get a complete history of every inspection, service and compliance record.
Compliance and inspections · All templates · Pricing · Book a demo