BlueSafe
Veterinary Safety Risk Assessment

Veterinary 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

Veterinary Safety Risk Assessment

Product Overview

Identify and control organisational risks associated with Veterinary Safety through a structured, management-level Veterinary Safety Risk Assessment that supports planning, governance and systems development across your practice or animal facility. This document helps demonstrate Due Diligence under the WHS Act, reducing organisational exposure to operational liability and improving compliance outcomes.

Risk Categories & Hazards Covered

This document assesses risks and outlines management controls for:

  • WHS Governance, Duties and Consultation: Assessment of officer due diligence, PCBU obligations, health and safety representative (HSR) engagement, consultation processes and safety committee structures across veterinary operations.
  • Clinical Risk Management & Veterinary Procedures Governance: Management of procedural risk for examinations, surgery and treatment, including clinical protocols, consent processes, clinical audit and incident review systems.
  • Hazardous Chemicals & Cytotoxic Substances Management: Assessment of chemical procurement, storage, decanting, labelling, SDS access, cytotoxic handling, waste disposal and spill response arrangements.
  • Radiation & Radioactive Substances – Veterinary Use: Governance of diagnostic imaging and therapeutic radiation, including licensing, shielding, exposure monitoring, equipment maintenance and controlled area access.
  • Animal Handling, Restraint & Behavioural Risk Management: Systems for assessing animal temperament, safe restraint methods, bite and kick prevention, isolation procedures and behaviour-related incident reporting.
  • Use of Anaesthetics, Sedatives & Tranquiliser Guns: Controls for selection, storage and administration of anaesthetic and sedative agents, use of dart and tranquilliser guns, monitoring of staff exposure and emergency reversal protocols.
  • Zoonoses, Infection Prevention & Disease Control: Management of zoonotic disease risks, vaccination programs, hygiene protocols, isolation and quarantine procedures, PPE policies and infection surveillance.
  • Manual Tasks, Ergonomics & Rehabilitation Workloads: Assessment of lifting and transferring animals, awkward postures, repetitive tasks, workstation ergonomics, rostering practices and return-to-work arrangements.
  • Facility, Mobile Clinic & Vehicle Safety Management: Governance of fixed clinics, farms and field locations, mobile treatment units, vehicle use, site access, slips, trips and falls, and maintenance of plant and equipment.
  • Occupational Violence, Psychological Health & Fatigue: Controls for client aggression, animal-related trauma, workload pressures, on-call demands, fatigue management, critical incident support and psychosocial risk management.
  • Training, Competency & Supervision Systems: Frameworks for induction, clinical competency assessment, refresher training, supervision of junior staff and students, and verification of licences and authorisations.
  • Emergency Preparedness & Response: Planning for medical emergencies, anaesthetic complications, animal escapes, fires, chemical spills, radiation incidents and after-hours response arrangements.
  • Contractor, Supplier & Client Interface Management: Protocols for managing third-party service providers, visiting specialists, waste contractors, pharmaceutical suppliers and client presence in treatment areas.

Who is this for?

This Risk Assessment is designed for Veterinary Practice Owners, Hospital Directors, Practice Managers and Safety Officers responsible for planning, governing and monitoring veterinary operations and services.

Hazards & Risks Covered

Hazard Risk Description
1. WHS Governance, Duties and Consultation
  • • Lack of clear allocation of WHS due diligence responsibilities under WHS Act 2011
  • • Inadequate consultation with veterinary staff, handlers and students on health and safety matters
  • • Absence of a documented WHS management plan specific to veterinary operations (small animal, large animal, mobile, equine, rehab)
  • • Insufficient worker participation in risk assessments for specialised activities (cytotoxic drugs, radioactive materials, tranquiliser gun use)
  • • Failure to include labour hire staff, locums, students and volunteers in WHS systems and communications
  • • Inadequate incident reporting and investigation processes leading to repeat events
  • • Poor integration of WHS requirements into clinical governance and quality systems
2. Clinical Risk Management and Veterinary Procedures Governance
  • • Inconsistent risk assessment for new or high‑risk veterinary procedures (e.g. equine dentistry, tranquiliser gun operations, radioactive and cytotoxic treatments)
  • • Lack of standardised clinical protocols for disease inspection, treatment application and rehabilitation programs
  • • Poor segregation between high‑risk procedures and routine consultations leading to uncontrolled exposure of staff, clients and students
  • • Inadequate clinical handover processes between vets, shifts and locations (clinic, farm, racetrack, rehabilitation facility)
  • • Failure to obtain informed client consent regarding procedural and zoonotic risks
  • • Insufficient review of adverse clinical events and near misses to improve systems
3. Hazardous Chemicals and Cytotoxic Substances Management
  • • Inadequate chemical inventory, labelling and safety data sheet (SDS) management for veterinary pharmaceuticals, disinfectants and cytotoxic agents
  • • Improper preparation, administration and disposal of cytotoxic substances used in veterinary oncology and other treatments
  • • Lack of exposure monitoring and health surveillance for staff routinely handling cytotoxic drugs and anaesthetic gases
  • • Inadequate spill response planning for hazardous and cytotoxic agents in clinical, mobile and farm environments
  • • Use of decanted or unlabelled solutions in treatment and rehabilitation areas
  • • Non‑compliant storage of flammables, oxidisers and cytotoxic waste
4. Radiation and Radioactive Substances – Veterinary Use
  • • Non‑compliance with state and territory radiation safety legislation and licensing for use of X‑ray, CT and radioactive substances
  • • Inadequate shielding, warning systems and access control for radiology suites and radioactive material storage
  • • Poorly controlled use of radioactive tracers or substances in diagnostic or treatment procedures
  • • Insufficient training and licensing of operators, including locums and after‑hours staff
  • • Inadequate radiation dose monitoring and health surveillance for occupationally exposed workers
  • • Improper storage and disposal of radioactive waste and contaminated materials
  • • Use of mobile imaging equipment in uncontrolled environments (e.g. paddocks, stables, racetracks) without adequate planning
5. Animal Handling, Restraint and Behavioural Risk Management
  • • Unsystematic assessment of animal behaviour and temperament before examination, treatment or rehabilitation
  • • Inadequate systems for matching animal risk level (e.g. fractious horses, aggressive dogs) with handler competency
  • • Poor availability or maintenance of appropriate restraint equipment (e.g. crushes, stocks, muzzles, gates, chutes)
  • • Lack of formal procedures for high‑risk animal handling including equine dentistry and large animal disease inspection
  • • Insufficient communication with clients and handlers about their role and safety boundaries during procedures
  • • Inadequate segregation of animals in waiting, holding and rehabilitation areas leading to conflict or escape
6. Use of Anaesthetics, Sedatives and Tranquiliser Guns
  • • Absence of system‑level controls for procurement, storage, issue and recording of sedatives and immobilising agents
  • • Improper risk assessment and authorisation processes for tranquiliser gun use in field operations or wildlife work
  • • Inadequate training and competency verification for personnel authorised to use tranquiliser guns and potent sedatives
  • • Uncontrolled human exposure to anaesthetic gases and injectable sedatives in theatres and treatment areas
  • • Lack of documented emergency response procedures for accidental self‑inoculation, mis‑fire or unintentional discharge
  • • Insufficient maintenance, calibration and secure storage of tranquiliser guns and related equipment
7. Zoonoses, Infection Prevention and Disease Control
  • • Lack of a structured zoonoses and infection prevention program for staff, clients and students
  • • Inadequate screening, triage and isolation systems for animals with suspected infectious diseases
  • • Poor vaccination and health surveillance systems for workers at risk of zoonotic diseases (e.g. Q fever, rabies in relevant jurisdictions)
  • • Inconsistent cleaning, disinfection and waste management practices across clinics, mobile services and rehabilitation areas
  • • Inadequate integration of disease inspection and treatment activities into biosecurity plans on farms, feedlots and equine facilities
  • • Insufficient client education materials on zoonotic risk and infection control responsibilities
8. Manual Tasks, Ergonomics and Rehabilitation Workloads
  • • Poorly designed manual task systems for lifting, transferring and restraining animals and equipment
  • • Inadequate ergonomic design of treatment, equine dentistry and rehabilitation workstations (e.g. table height, positioning of instruments and imaging devices)
  • • High frequency repetitive tasks in grooming, dentistry, rehabilitation therapies and animal handling leading to musculoskeletal disorders
  • • Insufficient staffing levels or use of inexperienced assistants for heavy or complex animal movements
  • • Lack of structured return‑to‑work and rehabilitation planning for injured workers
9. Facility, Mobile Clinic and Vehicle Safety Management
  • • Inadequate design and maintenance of clinic buildings, stables, yards and rehabilitation facilities (slips, trips, structural failure, poor lighting and ventilation)
  • • Lack of formal systems for inspection and maintenance of mobile clinics, veterinary vehicles and horse floats
  • • Poor segregation of animal movement, vehicle traffic and pedestrian routes on properties and at clinics
  • • Absence of journey and remote area work planning for veterinarians attending farm calls and equine events
  • • Insufficient security and access control for after‑hours operations including drug storage and controlled areas
10. Occupational Violence, Psychological Health and Fatigue
  • • Exposure of staff to aggressive or distressed clients, including during financial discussions and animal euthanasia
  • • High emotional load from frequent exposure to animal suffering, euthanasia and client grief
  • • Long hours, on‑call and irregular shifts leading to fatigue, especially for rural and equine practitioners
  • • Lack of systems to manage bullying, harassment and occupational stress within veterinary teams
  • • Insufficient supervision and support for new graduates, students and junior staff dealing with complex cases
11. Training, Competency and Supervision Systems
  • • Unstructured approach to verifying competency for high‑risk tasks such as equine dentistry, radiography, cytotoxic handling and tranquiliser gun use
  • • Inadequate induction for new workers, locums and students regarding site‑specific hazards and WHS procedures
  • • Insufficient ongoing professional development in WHS, infection control and emergency response
  • • Lack of defined supervision levels for students, new graduates and less experienced staff in high‑risk clinical areas
  • • Training records not maintained, making it difficult to demonstrate compliance or identify skill gaps
12. Emergency Preparedness and Response
  • • Lack of comprehensive emergency plans addressing fire, chemical and cytotoxic spills, radiation incidents, aggressive animals and tranquiliser gun mis‑fires
  • • Inadequate first aid arrangements for staff and clients including response to needlestick, cytotoxic exposure and zoonotic incidents
  • • Poor integration of emergency arrangements with local emergency services, property owners and event organisers (e.g. equine events, race meetings)
  • • Infrequent drills and exercises resulting in poor staff familiarity with emergency roles and procedures
  • • Inadequate backup arrangements for power, IT and communications necessary for safe continuation of clinical services
13. Contractor, Supplier and Client Interface Management
  • • Contractors (e.g. maintenance, radiation service providers, waste contractors, farriers, equine dentists) operating without adequate vetting or WHS coordination
  • • Poor management of on‑site visitors, clients and students leading to exposure to clinical, chemical, radiation or animal handling risks
  • • Third‑party rehabilitation or agistment providers not meeting equivalent WHS and animal handling standards
  • • Inadequate control of external laboratories and waste disposal services for cytotoxic, radioactive and biological materials

Need to add specific hazards for your workplace?

Don't worry if a specific hazard isn't listed above. Once you purchase, simply log in to your Client Portal and add your own custom hazards at no extra cost. We take care of the hard work—creating the risk ratings and control measures for free—to ensure your document is compliant within minutes.

Legislation & References

This document was researched and developed to align with:

  • Work Health and Safety Act 2011
  • Work Health and Safety Regulations 2017
  • AS/NZS ISO 31000:2018: Risk management — Guidelines
  • Model Code of Practice: How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks: Framework for identifying hazards, assessing and controlling risks in veterinary settings.
  • Model Code of Practice: Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace: Guidance on chemical storage, handling, labelling and emergency planning in veterinary practices.
  • Model Code of Practice: Managing the Risks of Plant in the Workplace: Requirements for safe use and maintenance of veterinary plant and equipment, including imaging and lifting devices.
  • Model Code of Practice: Managing the Work Environment and Facilities: Standards for veterinary clinic layout, amenities, lighting, ventilation and environmental conditions.
  • Model Code of Practice: Hazardous Manual Tasks: Guidance on assessing and controlling manual handling risks when lifting and restraining animals or moving equipment.
  • Model Code of Practice: Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work: Controls for noise exposure from animals, equipment and facility operations.
  • AS/NZS 2243 Safety in Laboratories (series): Relevant principles for biological, chemical and radiation safety in veterinary laboratory and diagnostic activities.
  • AS/NZS 3816:2018: Management of clinical and related wastes — Guidance for segregation, storage and disposal of veterinary clinical waste.
  • AS/NZS 4031 & AS/NZS 4261 (where applicable): Reusable and non-reusable containers for the collection of sharp medical items used in veterinary practice.
  • ARPANSA Radiation Protection Series (RPS) documents: Radiation safety standards and codes of practice for the use of ionising radiation in veterinary imaging.
Standard Risk Assessment Features (Click to Expand)
  • Comprehensive hazard identification for all activities
  • Risk rating matrix with likelihood and consequence analysis
  • Existing control measures evaluation
  • Residual risk assessment after controls
  • Hierarchy of controls recommendations
  • Action priority rankings
  • Review and monitoring requirements
  • Consultation and communication records
  • Legal compliance references
  • Sign-off and approval sections

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