Product Overview

Summary: This High-Risk Activity Assessment SOP provides a structured, defensible process for identifying, assessing, and controlling high-risk tasks before work begins. Designed for Australian workplaces, it helps organisations meet WHS due diligence obligations, reduce serious incident potential, and embed a consistent risk assessment approach across projects and sites.

High-risk activities – such as working at height, confined space entry, hot works, energised electrical tasks, lifting operations, and work around mobile plant – carry a heightened potential for serious injury, fatality, or major property damage. This High-Risk Activity Assessment Safe Operating Procedure establishes a clear, repeatable framework for assessing these activities before they commence, ensuring hazards are systematically identified, risks are evaluated, and robust control measures are implemented in line with the hierarchy of control.

The SOP is tailored to Australian WHS legislation and common high-risk work scenarios across construction, manufacturing, utilities, local government, and facilities management. It provides step-by-step guidance on when and how to conduct a high-risk activity assessment, who must be involved, how to document decisions, and how to integrate permits, Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS) and Job Safety Analyses (JSAs). By adopting this procedure, businesses can demonstrate due diligence, improve consistency across supervisors and sites, and significantly reduce the likelihood of serious incidents, regulatory enforcement, and costly project delays.

Key Benefits

• Ensure high-risk activities are systematically identified, assessed, and controlled before work starts.
• Reduce the likelihood of serious incidents, near misses, and regulatory breaches associated with high-risk tasks.
• Standardise how supervisors and teams conduct and document risk assessments across all sites and projects.
• Demonstrate compliance with WHS legislation, high risk work licensing requirements, and client prequalification standards.
• Improve communication and consultation between supervisors, workers, contractors, and HSRs regarding high-risk work.

Who is this for?

• WHS Managers
• Health and Safety Advisors
• Site Supervisors
• Project Managers
• Construction Managers
• Operations Managers
• Team Leaders
• Safety Representatives (HSRs)
• Facilities Managers
• Maintenance Supervisors

Hazards Addressed

• Falls from height during roof work, scaffolding, ladder use, and elevated work platforms
• Crush and struck-by injuries from mobile plant, forklifts, and lifting operations
• Entrapment and asphyxiation risks associated with confined space entry
• Electrocution and arc flash from energised electrical work
• Fire and explosion hazards from hot works, flammable atmospheres, and ignition sources
• Structural collapse or failure during demolition, excavation, or temporary support work
• Exposure to hazardous chemicals during handling, transfer, and maintenance activities
• Manual handling and ergonomic risks during high-risk maintenance or shutdown tasks
• Environmental hazards such as unstable ground, weather extremes, and poor visibility on worksites

Included Sections

• 1.0 Purpose and Scope
• 2.0 Definitions (High-Risk Activity, Risk Rating, Controls, PCBU, etc.)
• 3.0 Legislative and Standards References
• 4.0 Roles, Responsibilities and Competency Requirements
• 5.0 Triggers for a High-Risk Activity Assessment
• 6.0 Pre-Assessment Preparation and Information Gathering
• 7.0 Step-by-Step High-Risk Activity Assessment Process
• 8.0 Risk Rating Methodology and Acceptance Criteria
• 9.0 Selection and Implementation of Control Measures (Hierarchy of Control)
• 10.0 Integration with SWMS, JSAs and Permit-to-Work Systems
• 11.0 Consultation, Communication and Worker Involvement
• 12.0 Documentation, Recordkeeping and Version Control
• 13.0 Monitoring, Review and Continuous Improvement of Assessments
• 14.0 Emergency Planning and Escalation for High-Risk Activities
• 15.0 Training, Induction and Competency Verification
• 16.0 Audit, Compliance Checks and Corrective Actions

Legislation & References

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth and harmonised state/territory variants)
• Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011 (Cth and harmonised state/territory variants)
• Safe Work Australia – How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks: Code of Practice
• Safe Work Australia – Construction Work: Code of Practice
• Safe Work Australia – Confined Spaces: Code of Practice
• Safe Work Australia – Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces: Code of Practice
• Safe Work Australia – Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace: Code of Practice
• AS/NZS ISO 45001:2018 Occupational health and safety management systems
• AS 4024 series – Safety of machinery (where relevant to plant-related high-risk tasks)