Product Overview

Summary: This SOP sets out clear, practical guidelines for the safe placement, monitoring and maintenance of bait stations in Australian workplaces. It helps businesses control pests effectively while minimising exposure risks to workers, visitors, children, pets and non-target wildlife, and supporting compliance with WHS and pesticide regulations.

Effective pest management is critical in Australian workplaces, particularly in food handling, healthcare, education, warehousing and hospitality environments. Poorly located bait stations can create serious WHS risks, contaminate products, harm non-target animals and breach regulatory requirements. This Safe Operating Procedure provides a structured, defensible approach to bait station placement, ensuring pest control programs are both effective and safe for people and the environment.

The procedure covers the full lifecycle of bait station deployment, from pre-placement site assessment and risk identification through to installation, labelling, mapping, inspection and recordkeeping. It outlines how to select appropriate locations, maintain secure access, protect children and vulnerable persons, prevent contamination of food and surfaces, and manage bait stations around water, native fauna and public areas. By implementing this SOP, businesses can demonstrate due diligence under WHS legislation, support HACCP and food safety programs, and work confidently with in-house or contracted pest controllers using consistent, best-practice standards.

Key Benefits

• Ensure bait stations are placed, secured and maintained in line with Australian WHS and pesticide safety requirements.
• Reduce the risk of accidental exposure, ingestion or contact by workers, visitors, children, pets and native wildlife.
• Support reliable, auditable pest management records for regulatory inspections, client audits and certification (e.g. HACCP, ISO).
• Standardise how contractors and internal staff plan, install and monitor bait stations across multiple sites.
• Minimise product contamination, brand damage and business disruption arising from poorly controlled pest activity.

Who is this for?

• Pest Control Technicians
• Facilities Managers
• WHS Managers
• Operations Managers
• Food Safety and Quality Managers
• Property and Asset Managers
• Hospitality and Accommodation Managers
• Aged Care and Healthcare Facilities Managers
• Warehouse and Logistics Supervisors
• School and Childcare Centre Managers

Hazards Addressed

• Accidental ingestion of rodenticide or insecticide baits by workers, visitors, children or pets
• Dermal or eye contact with toxic baits during handling or maintenance
• Secondary poisoning of non-target wildlife (birds of prey, native mammals, reptiles)
• Contamination of food, food-contact surfaces and packaging with bait or bait station residues
• Environmental contamination of soil and waterways from misused or poorly located bait stations
• Trip hazards or obstructions created by poorly sited or unsecured bait stations
• Biological hazards from pest activity (disease vectors, droppings, contamination) due to ineffective bait placement

Included Sections

• 1.0 Purpose and Scope
• 2.0 Definitions and Terminology (Bait Types, Stations, Restricted Areas)
• 3.0 Roles and Responsibilities (PCBU, Pest Controller, Supervisors, Workers)
• 4.0 Applicable Legislation, Standards and Codes of Practice
• 5.0 Pre-Placement Site Assessment and Risk Identification
• 6.0 Selection of Bait Types and Station Designs
• 7.0 Bait Station Placement Criteria and Exclusion Zones
• 8.0 Installation, Securing, Labelling and Numbering of Bait Stations
• 9.0 Site Mapping, Documentation and Signage Requirements
• 10.0 Inspection, Monitoring and Replenishment Procedures
• 11.0 Controls to Protect Children, Vulnerable Persons, Pets and Wildlife
• 12.0 Environmental Protection Measures (Waterways, Sensitive Areas)
• 13.0 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Safe Handling of Baits
• 14.0 Cleaning, Maintenance and Decommissioning of Bait Stations
• 15.0 Incident, Exposure and Spill Response Procedures
• 16.0 Training, Competency and Contractor Management
• 17.0 Recordkeeping, Reporting and Audit Requirements
• 18.0 Review, Continuous Improvement and Change Management

Legislation & References

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth) and corresponding state and territory WHS legislation
• Safe Work Australia – How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks: Code of Practice
• Safe Work Australia – Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace: Code of Practice
• APVMA (Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority) requirements for the use of registered pesticides
• AS/NZS 4801: Occupational health and safety management systems (superseded but still commonly referenced)
• AS/NZS ISO 45001: Occupational health and safety management systems – Requirements with guidance for use
• Food Standards Code (FSANZ), particularly for pest control in food premises
• HACCP-based food safety program guidelines for pest control