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Animal Handling Risk Assessment

This risk assessment covers animal handling activities from planning and accessing animal areas through to movement, loading, equipment use and incident response.

Activities covered include

  • Plan animal handling work and communicate changing conditions
  • Lift, carry, push and hold related items
  • Prepare for incidents and emergency response

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Animal Handling Risk Assessment
  • 100% Compliant with Australian WHS Acts & Regulations
  • Fully Editable MS Word & PDF Formats Included
  • Pre-filled Content - Ready to Deploy Immediately
  • Customisable - Easily Add Your Logo & Site Details
  • Includes 2 Years of Free Compliance Updates

Product Overview

This risk assessment covers animal handling activities from planning and accessing animal areas through to movement, loading, equipment use and incident response. It supports identifying animal, manual task, hygiene and work-area hazards when planning controls and managing risks.

Activities & Risks Covered

This assessment addresses activities and risks including:

  • Plan animal handling work and communicate changing conditions
  • Access yards, pens, paddocks and other animal areas
  • Approach, restrain and handle animals
  • Move animals through work areas
  • Load and unload animals
  • Lift, carry, push and hold related items
  • Manage hygiene and exposure to animal body substances
  • Inspect and use pens, gates, restraints and handling equipment
  • Coordinate work around visitors, contractors and the public
  • Prepare for incidents and emergency response

Who is this for?

Suitable for contractors, workers, supervisors and businesses carrying out animal handling activities.

Activities & Hazards Covered

Activity Potential Hazards
Planning animal handling work
  • Unpredictable animal behaviour causing kicks, bites, crushing or dragging
  • Inexperienced or untrained workers handling unsuitable animals
  • Poor communication leading to workers entering unsafe areas
  • Task changes, weather, noise or unfamiliar surroundings increasing animal agitation
Accessing yards, pens, paddocks and animal areas
  • Being struck, crowded or crushed when entering enclosed or open animal areas
  • Slips, trips and falls on uneven, muddy or contaminated surfaces
  • Broken fencing, gates or latches allowing animals to escape
  • Other workers or visitors entering the area unexpectedly
Approaching and restraining animals
  • Kicks, bites, head strikes, trampling or sudden movement during close contact
  • Manual handling strain from holding or restraining animals
  • Entanglement in lead ropes, halters, crushes or restraint devices
  • Failure of restraint equipment
Moving animals through work areas
  • Crushing against rails, gates, walls, vehicles or other animals
  • Animals bolting, baulking or turning back
  • Workers being knocked down in confined spaces
  • Poor visibility, noise or congestion affecting control
Loading and unloading animals
  • Falls from ramps or platforms
  • Animals rushing, slipping or reversing suddenly
  • Workers being crushed between animals, rails, gates or vehicles
  • Ramp or gate failure during loading operations
Manual tasks, lifting and carrying related items
  • Musculoskeletal injury from lifting feed, tack, cages, carriers or supplies
  • Strain from pushing, pulling, holding or restraining animals
  • Awkward posture in confined or low-clearance areas
  • Sudden force if the animal moves while being handled
Animal health, hygiene and biological exposure
  • Exposure to zoonotic disease from saliva, blood, faeces, urine, bedding or contaminated equipment
  • Infection through cuts, bites, scratches or splashes to eyes, nose or mouth
  • Dust, allergens and respiratory irritation in stables, pens or enclosed areas
  • Contact with sick or injured animals
Use of equipment, pens and handling infrastructure
  • Injury from damaged crushes, cages, gates, barriers, leads or other handling gear
  • Pinch points, sharp edges and trapped hands
  • Unexpected release of animals due to faulty latches or restraints
  • Poor maintenance making controls ineffective
Working around visitors, contractors and the public
  • Unauthorised persons entering handling areas
  • Distraction or sudden movement causing animal agitation
  • Children or visitors being struck, bitten or knocked over
  • Poor coordination between workers and contractors
Incident response and emergency arrangements
  • Delayed response to bites, kicks, crushing injuries or falls
  • Exposure to blood and body substances during first aid
  • Failure to isolate an aggressive or injured animal after an incident
  • Poor communication during emergencies

Need to tailor this risk assessment?

Use the BlueSafe Portal to add site-specific activities, hazards, controls, responsibilities and review details before the assessment is put into use.

Acceptance Guaranteed: If your client or principal requests changes during document review, BlueSafe will help revise the document at no extra cost and support resubmission until it is accepted.

Legislation & References

The template records model guidance used to inform the documented controls. Applicable WHS/OHS laws and adopted Codes vary by state or territory, so confirm the current local requirements when tailoring the assessment:

  • Model guidance: Model Code of Practice: Hazardous manual tasks — 4.1 The hierarchy of control measures; p. 31.
  • Model guidance: Model Code of Practice: Managing the work environment and facilities — 2. The work environment; p. 13.
  • Model guidance: Model Code of Practice: First aid in the workplace — 3. First aid equipment, facilities and training; p. 12.
  • Model guidance: Model Code of Practice: Work health and safety consultation, cooperation and coordination — 3. What is effective consultation?; p. 13.
  • Model guidance: Model Code of Practice: Managing risks of plant in the workplace — Plant hazard identification — Traffic movements in the workplace; p. 17.
  • Model guidance: Model Code of Practice: How to manage work health and safety risks — 3. Step 2 — How to assess risks; p. 15.
  • Model guidance: Model Code of Practice: Confined spaces — 3.4 Assessing the risks; p. 24.
Standard Risk Assessment Features (Click to Expand)
  • Activity-specific hazard identification and control measures
  • Initial and residual risk ratings
  • Assigned responsible persons for each activity
  • Risk matrix and assessment classification
  • Review, monitoring and sign-off fields
  • Site-specific customisation before use

Suitable for Industries

Disability and Aged CareFarming and AgricultureHospitality and Events

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