Risk Assessment and Safety Audits Training Course

Participants can identify workplace hazards systematically using multiple information sources and inspection methods.

• Hazard categories covering physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic, and psychosocial exposures
• Workplace inspections structured by people, plant, materials, methods, and environment
• Process mapping used to locate hazards at each work stage
• Consultation questions that reveal informal practices, workarounds, and hidden exposure
• Incident records and near-miss data used to identify recurring hazards
• Change triggers requiring renewed hazard identification before work proceeds

Participants can estimate risk consistently and apply defined criteria to prioritise action.

• Risk matrix design using credible likelihood and consequence descriptors
• Existing control effectiveness assessed before assigning residual risk ratings
• Exposure frequency, duration, and population vulnerability considered during risk estimation
• Risk acceptance criteria linked to approval authority and escalation thresholds
• Uncertainty recorded where information, competence, or monitoring data remain limited
• Priority rankings converted into proportionate treatment and review actions

Participants can select controls that address hazard sources rather than relying on administrative measures alone.

• Hierarchy of controls applied from elimination through personal protective equipment
• Substitution decisions tested for secondary hazards and operational consequences
• Engineering controls specified with performance requirements and maintenance needs
• Administrative controls written as observable steps, limits, and responsibilities
• Personal protective equipment selected using hazard, fit, compatibility, and training criteria
• Control combinations assessed for dependency, failure modes, and user burden

Participants can produce task-based assessments that link work steps, hazards and controls.

• Job safety analysis separates work into observable sequential task steps
• Hazards identified for routine, non-routine, start-up, and shutdown activities
• Critical controls assigned to each task step and responsible role
• Pre-task briefings confirm changing conditions, competence, and control availability
• Stop-work criteria defined for loss of control or unexpected conditions
• Task assessments reviewed after changes, incidents, or worker feedback

Participants can maintain risk registers that support ownership, review and management decisions.

• Risk register fields defined for hazards, controls, ratings, owners, and dates
• Inherent and residual risk ratings distinguished within documented assessment records
• Action plans specify deliverables, accountable owners, deadlines, and verification evidence
• Overdue actions escalated using agreed risk thresholds and governance routes
• Risk review cycles aligned with operational change and performance data
• Dashboard measures distinguish open risks, overdue actions, and verified closures

Participants can assess control requirements for common high-risk work activities.

• Permit-to-work systems checked for isolation, authorisation, and handback controls
• Lockout-tagout arrangements verified against energy sources and stored energy
• Work-at-height assessments address access, fall prevention, rescue, and weather
• Confined-space controls cover atmosphere testing, entry, standby, and rescue
• Lifting operations assessed for load planning, exclusion zones, and competent persons
• Hot-work permits linked to combustible materials, fire watch, and post-work checks

Participants can assess chronic health exposures and specify appropriate exposure controls.

• Exposure routes identified for airborne contaminants, noise, vibration, and radiation
• Occupational hygiene monitoring plans specify agents, workers, methods, and frequency
• Safety data sheets reviewed for hazardous properties, limits, and handling controls
• Ergonomic assessments examine force, repetition, posture, duration, and recovery
• Health surveillance triggers linked to exposure profiles and legal requirements
• Psychosocial hazards assessed through workload, control, support, and role clarity

Participants can assess and verify safety controls for contracted and shared-site work.

• Contractor prequalification evaluates competence, incident history, and safety arrangements
• Scope-of-work documents define interfaces, controls, responsibilities, and acceptance criteria
• Shared-site hazards coordinated through inductions, permits, meetings, and inspections
• Contractor risk assessments reviewed for task specificity and control adequacy
• Performance meetings track observations, incidents, actions, and repeated nonconformities
• Demobilisation checks confirm removal of hazards, waste, and temporary controls

Participants can assess risks created by change and test emergency control arrangements.

• Management-of-change screening identifies equipment, process, people, and layout changes
• Pre-startup reviews confirm safeguards, procedures, competence, and emergency readiness
• Temporary changes controlled through expiry dates, approvals, and restoration plans
• Emergency scenarios developed from credible events and vulnerable populations
• Evacuation, shelter, rescue, and communication arrangements tested against scenarios
• Post-drill reviews identify response gaps, action owners, and retest requirements

Participants can distinguish safety audits from inspections and plan audits against clear criteria.

• Safety audits test management system conformance, implementation, and control effectiveness
• Inspections identify physical conditions while audits assess system performance
• ISO 19011 principles applied to integrity, confidentiality, evidence, and independence
• Audit criteria drawn from standards, procedures, legal duties, and contracts
• Audit scope defines locations, activities, functions, timeframes, and exclusions
• Audit objectives translated into evidence questions and sampling priorities

Participants can prepare practical audit plans, checklists and sampling strategies.

• Audit plans allocate objectives, criteria, schedule, roles, and site access
• Document review identifies high-risk areas before fieldwork begins
• Checklists convert audit criteria into concise, testable evidence questions
• Sampling plans select shifts, locations, records, contractors, and work activities
• Opening meetings establish audit purpose, logistics, confidentiality, and communication routes
• Audit trails trace requirements through procedures, implementation, and recorded evidence

Participants can gather reliable audit evidence without disrupting work or biasing responses.

• Objective evidence distinguished from opinion, assumption, and unsupported assertion
• Workplace observations compare actual practice with stated control requirements
• Interview questions use open prompts, clarification, probing, and confirmation
• Triangulation compares documents, observations, interviews, and performance data
• Photographic evidence managed with consent, context, security, and record controls
• Sampling limitations recorded when evidence cannot support broader conclusions

Participants can write clear audit findings that link requirements, evidence and risk.

• Findings structured around criteria, condition, evidence, consequence, and recommendation
• Nonconformities distinguish isolated lapses from systemic control failures
• Observations recorded where improvement is warranted without breached criteria
• Risk significance assigned using exposure, severity, control failure, and recurrence
• Evidence statements identify records, locations, dates, and interviewed roles
• Closing meetings communicate findings accurately without assigning unsupported blame

Participants can evaluate corrective actions for cause, effectiveness and sustained closure.

• Correction, corrective action, and preventive action distinguished within action management
• Five Whys analysis tests causal chains beyond immediate unsafe acts
• Cause-and-effect diagrams organise people, equipment, process, and environmental factors
• Action quality assessed for root cause coverage and control hierarchy alignment
• Effectiveness reviews verify implementation, worker use, and risk reduction
• Closure records retain evidence, approvals, residual risk, and review dates

Participants can investigate safety events and convert findings into preventive learning actions.

• Incident response preserves people, evidence, scene integrity, and reporting obligations
• Investigation scopes define event boundaries, evidence needs, and stakeholder roles
• Timeline analysis reconstructs decisions, conditions, barriers, and event sequence
• Barrier analysis identifies failed, missing, weakened, or bypassed controls
• Learning reports separate factual findings from recommendations and accountability decisions
• Lessons communicated through targeted briefings, procedure changes, and verification checks

Participants can design measures that show control performance and support management review.

• Leading indicators measure planned control activity, verification, and worker participation
• Lagging indicators analysed for severity, frequency, trends, and exposure hours
• Control assurance plans specify checks, frequency, evidence, and escalation routes
• Management review inputs include audits, incidents, risks, actions, and objectives
• Trend charts distinguish random variation from persistent control deterioration
• Safety reports connect performance data to decisions, resources, and accountability

Participants can combine risk information, audit priorities and assurance activities into a practical plan.

• Risk-based audit programmes prioritise significant hazards, weak controls, and change
• Annual audit schedules balance system coverage, operational risk, and available resources
• Audit frequency adjusted using incident trends, control performance, and past findings
• Assurance maps show first-line checks, internal audit, and management review
• Escalation protocols define notification thresholds for serious control deficiencies
• Integrated plans align risk reviews, inspections, audits, and corrective action follow-up

Participants can communicate risk decisions and audit results to workers, managers and auditors.

• Risk communication explains hazard, exposure, controls, residual risk, and required actions
• Audit reports use executive summaries, findings tables, and evidence references
• Visual risk registers highlight priority actions, owners, deadlines, and status
• Management presentations focus on decisions, resources, assurance, and unresolved risks
• Worker briefings translate technical controls into clear behavioural expectations
• Difficult findings communicated constructively while maintaining evidence and independence

Participants can build, review and present a complete risk assessment and safety audit package for a defined workplace activity or area.

• Defined work scope mapped to hazards, tasks, controls, and responsible roles
• Risk assessment completed with ratings, hierarchy-based controls, and review triggers
• Audit plan prepared with criteria, sampling, evidence questions, and timetable
• Audit evidence evaluated into findings, nonconformities, observations, and risk priorities
• Corrective action plan assigns owners, deadlines, verification evidence, and escalation
• Management presentation defends conclusions, residual risks, and assurance recommendations