Construction projects are complex, with unique challenges and risky manoeuvres. With so many teams sharing their part in the progress and with tight deadlines, there's a real need to manage workplace risks to avoid major setbacks and delay penalties.
How do you define risk assessment?
In construction industry projects, risk assessment aims to identify dangerous factors, including hazards that will cause someone injury, illness, harm, or other damage at the workplace.
Digital Take 5s are a quick and easy tool to help mitigate risk at the construction workplace. With the Shadow Forms app, every individual in your team can use this as their risk assessment tool, identifying and controlling hazards immediately without filling out laborious paper forms.
Our SWMS explainer covers when a SWMS is required, with links to the regulators.
Step 1: Stop and complete a Take 5 checklist before any task
Pause and engage your brain before starting any task, thinking carefully about potential hazards. The app includes a checklist to help identify risks to yourself, equipment, property and surroundings.
Step 2: Go through the questions and think about your task
Enter your name, location, and the date and time of the checklist. Work through each question to identify any relevant permits, training, or special PPE required before starting.
Step 3: Identify the hazards that can cause harm
For any task you've identified as a potential hazard, use the built-in risk rating popup to assess severity and likelihood, and determine whether the risk is high, medium or low.
Step 4: Control the risk
Plan and implement controls for managing the risk, prioritising eliminating the hazard wherever possible, and check that new controls don't introduce further hazards.
Step 5: Proceed and monitor
Engage with your supervisor or tradesperson in charge and proceed with the task, monitoring the effectiveness of controls and repeating the process if conditions change.
Where digital forms help
A Take 5 only works if it's done before the task starts, and a paper copy is easy to skip or lose. In the app it's quick to complete on your phone, and every completed form lands on your dashboard once the device is online.
Want to try one first? Download our free Take 5 template.
Try it free for 14 days, no card required, and we'll set it up with you.
