Free workplace hazard report
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See the first part of the workplace hazard report below. Download the full version above.
What is a workplace hazard report?
A workplace hazard report is a formal document used to identify, record and escalate hazards found in the workplace. The report captures the hazard description, exact location, risk level, affected workers, immediate controls applied and recommended corrective actions. Hazard reporting is a fundamental obligation under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, which requires persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) to identify hazards, assess risks and implement controls to eliminate or minimise risks so far as is reasonably practicable.
Effective hazard reporting relies on every worker being empowered and encouraged to report hazards without fear of reprisal. Under Section 28 of the WHS Act, workers have a duty to take reasonable care for their own health and safety and to cooperate with the PCBU in meeting WHS obligations, which includes reporting hazards. A structured hazard report form makes it easy for workers to provide the information needed for risk assessment and corrective action. When hazard reports are reviewed, actioned and closed out systematically, the organisation builds a continuous improvement loop that progressively reduces workplace risks.
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Benefits of using this workplace hazard report
- Early intervention: identify hazards before they cause injuries, enabling proactive risk management rather than reactive incident response.
- Legal compliance: meet WHS Act obligations for hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control.
- Worker engagement: a structured reporting process encourages workers to actively participate in workplace safety.
- Risk visibility: a register of reported hazards gives management visibility into the types and locations of risks across the business.
- Continuous improvement: tracking hazard reports over time reveals patterns and systemic issues that can be addressed at their root cause.
- Audit evidence: completed hazard reports demonstrate due diligence for regulatory audits and legal proceedings.
Benefits of digitising forms in MapTrack
When you move your reports 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 workplace hazard report
This workplace hazard report covers 11 key areas:
- Reporter details: name, position, department, date and time of report.
- Hazard location: site, building, area, floor, specific location description.
- Hazard description: detailed description of the hazard observed, what could go wrong and who could be affected.
- Hazard category: physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic, psychosocial, electrical, environmental.
- Risk assessment: likelihood (rare, unlikely, possible, likely, almost certain) and consequence (insignificant, minor, moderate, major, catastrophic).
- Risk rating: calculated from likelihood and consequence (low, medium, high, extreme).
- Immediate actions taken: any temporary controls applied at the time of reporting (barricading, signage, isolation).
- Recommended corrective actions: permanent controls recommended to eliminate or reduce the hazard.
- Responsible person and due date: who is responsible for implementing corrective actions and by when.
- Close-out: confirmation that corrective actions have been completed, verified and effective.
- Signatures: reporter, supervisor and safety manager.
How to use this workplace hazard report
- Identify the hazard and apply any immediate temporary controls to make the area safe.: If the hazard presents an immediate danger, take steps to protect workers. This may include barricading the area, applying warning signage, isolating equipment or removing people from the hazard zone. Do not attempt to fix the hazard yourself if it requires specialist skills.
- Complete the hazard report form with a clear description of the hazard, its location and who could be affected.: Describe the hazard in specific terms. Avoid vague language. State exactly what the hazard is, where it is located, what could happen if it is not controlled and which workers or visitors could be affected. Include photographs if possible.
- Assess the risk level using the likelihood and consequence matrix.: Estimate the likelihood of the hazard causing harm and the potential consequence if it does. Use the risk matrix to determine the risk rating (low, medium, high, extreme). This helps prioritise corrective actions and determines escalation requirements.
- Recommend corrective actions and assign a responsible person and due date.: Suggest permanent controls to eliminate or reduce the hazard, following the hierarchy of controls: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls and PPE. Assign a specific person to implement each action and set a realistic due date.
- Submit the report to your supervisor and safety manager for review and action.: The supervisor should review the report, verify the risk assessment and ensure corrective actions are appropriate. The safety manager tracks the report to close-out, confirming that actions have been completed, verified and are effective. File the completed report in the hazard register.
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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Back to download formHow often should you complete this report?
A workplace hazard report should be completed every time a hazard is identified, regardless of the risk level. There is no scheduled interval. The trigger is the observation of a hazard. Organisations should review their hazard register at least monthly to identify trends, track corrective action completion and assess the effectiveness of controls.
Frequently asked questions
- Who can report a workplace hazard?
- Any person at the workplace can and should report a hazard. Under the WHS Act, workers have a duty to cooperate with the PCBU on safety matters, which includes reporting hazards. Contractors, visitors and members of the public can also report hazards. The reporting process should be accessible and straightforward so that no hazard goes unreported regardless of who observes it.
- What is the difference between a hazard and an incident?
- A hazard is a source or situation with the potential to cause harm, such as a wet floor, exposed wiring or an unsecured load. An incident is an event that has already occurred and resulted in injury, illness, damage or a near miss. Hazard reporting is proactive because it aims to identify and control risks before an incident occurs. Incident reporting is reactive because it documents what happened after the event.
- How should hazard reports be prioritised?
- Prioritise hazard reports based on the risk rating derived from the likelihood and consequence assessment. Extreme and high-risk hazards require immediate action, and work should not continue in the affected area until controls are in place. Medium-risk hazards should be actioned within days. Low-risk hazards should be recorded, tracked and addressed within the normal maintenance or improvement cycle.
- Is this workplace hazard report template free?
- Yes. This workplace hazard report template is completely free to download and use. Open the HTML file in any browser and print to PDF. No MapTrack account is required. If you want digital hazard reporting with photo capture, automatic notifications and corrective action tracking, MapTrack can help.
Applicable regulatory standards
This template aligns with the following regulations and standards:
- WHS Act 2011, Section 19 - Primary duty of care
- WHS Act 2011, Section 28 - Duties of workers
- WHS Regulations 2011 - Chapter 3, Part 3.1 (Hazard identification and risk management)
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