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Bushfire Safety Risk Assessment

This risk assessment covers organisational bushfire risk management, including planning, consultation, preparedness, emergency arrangements, travel and review.

Activities covered include

  • Define bushfire risk accountabilities and escalation arrangements
  • Maintain communication, location and welfare-check processes for remote work
  • Report, monitor and review bushfire hazards, events and controls

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Bushfire Safety 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 organisational bushfire risk management, including planning, consultation, preparedness, emergency arrangements, travel and review. It supports planning by identifying changing bushfire conditions and documenting risk management considerations for sites, workers, contractors and visitors.

Activities & Risks Covered

This assessment addresses activities and risks including:

  • Define bushfire risk accountabilities and escalation arrangements
  • Consult workers, supervisors, contractors and shared duty holders
  • Plan and assess site-specific bushfire risks
  • Provide bushfire-related induction, training and supervision
  • Prepare and test bushfire emergency arrangements
  • Maintain communication, location and welfare-check processes for remote work
  • Plan journeys affected by bushfire conditions
  • Manage contractor and visitor bushfire information and arrangements
  • Inspect and maintain preparedness resources, signage and site conditions
  • Report, monitor and review bushfire hazards, events and controls

Who is this for?

For workers, supervisors, contractors and businesses undertaking work at sites, in remote locations or while travelling during bushfire conditions.

Activities & Hazards Covered

Activity Potential Hazards
Governance
  • Bushfire risk is not defined as a corporate WHS risk with clear accountabilities, escalation triggers or due diligence oversight.
  • No formal process to identify seasonal bushfire exposure across sites, field work, accommodation, travel and client locations.
  • Officers and managers do not verify whether bushfire controls are implemented, tested and reviewed.
  • Business continuity decisions override WHS risk controls during declared fire danger periods or local emergencies.
Consultation
  • Workers, HSRs and supervisors are not consulted on local bushfire hazards, practical control measures or emergency arrangements.
  • Contractors, host employers and other duty holders do not coordinate responsibilities where workplaces, access roads or emergency arrangements are shared.
  • Changes to bushfire controls are issued without confirming worker understanding or site practicality.
Planning and Risk Assessment
  • Risk assessments do not account for changing fire danger, weather, vegetation, terrain, smoke, isolation or reduced emergency access.
  • Generic assessments are used across different sites and do not reflect local triggers, community warnings or vulnerable persons.
  • Work is planned without considering whether tasks should be deferred, relocated or re-scoped during bushfire conditions.
Competency and Training
  • Workers are not trained to recognise bushfire escalation, emergency warnings, smoke impacts, withdrawal criteria or reporting requirements.
  • Inductions do not cover site-specific bushfire arrangements, communication methods or emergency contacts.
  • Supervisors are not trained to make consistent go or no-go decisions or to manage changing conditions in the field.
Emergency Planning
  • Emergency plans do not address bushfire-specific scenarios such as rapid fire spread, smoke infiltration, blocked access routes or loss of power and communications.
  • Emergency arrangements are not tested, displayed or understood by workers and contractors.
  • First aid, rescue coordination and welfare arrangements are inadequate for remote or isolated locations affected by bushfire.
Communication and Remote Work
  • There is no reliable communication system for workers in remote, isolated or mobile work during bushfire conditions.
  • Call-in, location tracking or welfare check processes are absent, inconsistent or not monitored.
  • Workers rely on a single communication method that may fail during network outages or power loss.
Journey Management
  • Workers drive into or through bushfire-affected areas without an approved journey risk process.
  • Route planning does not consider road closures, reduced visibility, isolation, fatigue, vehicle breakdown or emergency refuge options.
  • Travel decisions are left to individual judgement without clear authority to delay or cancel travel.
Contractor and Visitor Management
  • Contractors and visitors arrive on site without bushfire induction, site rules or emergency information.
  • Contractor selection and engagement do not verify bushfire capability, supervision arrangements or communication systems.
  • Multiple PCBUs implement conflicting controls, creating confusion during an emergency.
Maintenance and Preparedness Systems
  • Inspection and maintenance systems do not ensure critical firefighting, warning, communication, vehicle and first aid resources are ready for bushfire season.
  • Site housekeeping and grounds management are not scheduled or verified, increasing exposure to unmanaged fuel loads and access issues.
  • Emergency signage, maps, lighting or assembly information are outdated, missing or inconsistent.
Monitoring, Reporting and Review
  • Bushfire-related hazards, near misses, warning events and control failures are under-reported or not investigated.
  • There is no audit or assurance process to verify compliance with bushfire procedures, emergency planning and remote work controls.
  • Lessons from drills, incidents, seasonal changes or external events are not incorporated into system updates.

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: How to manage work health and safety risks — 3. Step 2 — How to assess risks; p. 15.
  • 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: Managing the work environment and facilities — 1.2 Managing risks associated with the work environment and facilities; 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 — Assessing plant risks — work practices and procedures; p. 20.
  • Model guidance: Model Code of Practice: Managing the risk of fatigue at work — Provide sufficient breaks while at work; p. 30.
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

Building and ConstructionLandscaping ContractorsFarming and AgricultureCivil Construction and EarthworksGardening and Lawn CareMining and Resources

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