A hazard is anything with the potential to harm a person, such as a deep trench, a ladder or a running saw. A risk is the chance that someone is actually harmed when exposed to that hazard, together with how serious the harm could be. You can’t remove every hazard from a worksite, but you can manage the risk each one creates.
The difference in plain words
The approved How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021 (Qld) describes a hazard as a situation or thing that has the potential to harm a person, and a risk as the possibility that harm (death, injury or illness) might occur when a person is exposed to a hazard. A code of practice is guidance, not law, but a court can rely on it when deciding what is reasonably practicable (section 275 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)).
| Hazard | Risk | |
|---|---|---|
| Question it answers | What could hurt someone? | How likely is it, and how bad would it be? |
| Example | An open trench 1.8 metres deep | A worker being buried when the wall collapses |
| Does it change? | It stays until you remove the thing or the situation | It goes up or down with your controls, the people exposed and the conditions |
| How you write it | A thing or situation: “unguarded saw blade” | What could happen: “hand cut by the blade” |
Five worksite examples
These are illustrations of the idea, not assessments of your site. The hazards, wording, ratings and controls are examples written for this guide, not figures from the law or the code of practice, and your own ratings depend on your people, plant and conditions. The likelihood and consequence levels follow the scale explained in our risk assessment examples for construction work.
| Hazard | Who could be harmed | Risk (what could happen) | Likelihood | Consequence | Main controls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excavator digging beside a buried electricity cable | Operator, spotter, nearby workers | Bucket strikes the cable: electric shock, burns, fire | Possible | Catastrophic | Get current underground services information, expose the cable by potholing before machine digging, use a spotter |
| Wet concrete on a slab pour | Concreters, labourers | Skin contact with wet concrete causes burns or dermatitis | Very likely | Moderate | Pump the concrete and use long-handled tools so people spend less time in it; waterproof boots and gloves; clean water to wash skin straight away |
| Welding fume in a workshop | The welder and anyone nearby | Breathing the fume harms the lungs over time | Very likely | Major | Extraction at the work, keep others out of the fume, a suitable respirator as the last layer |
| Ladder used 2.5 metres off the ground | The person on the ladder | A fall causes fractures or a head injury | Possible | Major | Use a platform or scaffold instead where reasonably practicable; ladder only for short, light tasks, set on firm ground |
| Forklift working in a yard | Pedestrians, the driver | A pedestrian is struck or crushed | Possible | Catastrophic | Separate walkways and forklift routes with barriers; speed limits; trained operators |
Why the difference matters under Queensland law
The law is built around risk. Section 17 of the Act says a person with a duty to ensure health and safety must eliminate risks so far as is reasonably practicable and, if that is not reasonably practicable, minimise them so far as is reasonably practicable. The Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld) sets out the steps for a duty holder:
- regulation 34: identify reasonably foreseeable hazards that could give rise to risks;
- regulation 35: eliminate the risks so far as is reasonably practicable, otherwise minimise them;
- regulation 36: when you can’t eliminate a risk, work down the hierarchy of control (substitute, isolate, engineering controls, then administrative controls, then personal protective equipment);
- regulations 37 and 38: keep control measures effective, and review them when they stop working, before a change that may create a new risk, or when a new hazard or risk is found.
Many hazards can never be removed. A crane lifts heavy loads and a saw cuts. Safety work is mostly about shrinking the risk the hazard creates. Our guide on how to identify hazards in the workplace covers the first step, and the hierarchy of controls guide covers the order to choose controls in.
How a risk is rated
A risk rating combines two questions: how likely is the harm, and how serious would it be? The code of practice lists five likelihood levels: certain to occur, very likely, possible, unlikely and rare. For seriousness it asks whether the hazard could cause death, serious injury, or only injuries needing first aid, and it also points to how often people are exposed, for how long and how many people are exposed. Neither the Act nor the Regulation sets a required risk matrix, so pick a simple one and use it the same way every time.
The same hazard can carry very different risks. Here is one trench before and after controls:
| Situation | Likelihood | Consequence | Risk rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trench 1.8 metres deep, walls unsupported, open to anyone | Possible | Catastrophic | High |
| Same trench with all sides shored, benched or battered, the area secured and an inspection each shift | Rare | Catastrophic | Medium |
Notice that the consequence does not change. A collapse would still be fatal, so the controls work by making a collapse far less likely and keeping people out of the danger zone. For a trench at least 1.5 metres deep, regulation 306 of the Regulation requires the work area to be secured from unauthorised access, so far as is reasonably practicable, and all sides to be supported by shoring, benching or battering unless a geotechnical engineer gives written advice that the sides are safe from collapse.
“Reasonably practicable” in plain words
You are not expected to remove every risk at any cost, but you must do what is reasonably able to be done. Section 18 of the Act says to weigh up all relevant matters, including:
- how likely the hazard or risk is to occur;
- how much harm it could do;
- what you know, or ought to know, about the hazard, the risk and ways of controlling it;
- whether suitable ways to eliminate or minimise the risk are available;
- the cost of those ways, including whether the cost is grossly disproportionate to the risk.
The code of practice adds that cost can be considered but can’t be used as a reason for doing nothing.
Where near misses and incidents fit
An uncontrolled hazard is a risk waiting to turn into an incident. A near miss is the same hazard giving you a warning: nobody was hurt this time, but the risk was real. That is why near-miss reports are one of the best ways to find hazards you hadn’t spotted, and why every report is worth reviewing against your risk ratings. Be careful with the label, though. A near miss that exposes someone to a serious risk, for example through electric shock or the collapse of an excavation, can be a dangerous incident (section 37 of the Act). A notifiable incident is a death, a serious injury or illness, or a dangerous incident (section 35), and you may have to notify the regulator. Our guide on notifiable incidents in Queensland explains when, and the guide on reporting injuries, incidents and near misses covers the everyday reporting habit.
Three mix-ups to avoid
- Writing a hazard where a risk belongs. “Working at heights” is a hazard. “A fall that causes serious injury” is the risk. Writing both points the controls at the right thing.
- Assuming a guarded hazard has gone. A guard on a saw reduces the risk but the blade is still a hazard, so the guard needs checking every time.
- Treating a low rating as permanent. A change to the workplace, the work environment or the way work is done can create a new or different risk. Regulation 38 requires control measures to be reviewed and, as necessary, revised before a change at the workplace that is likely to give rise to a new or different risk, and when a new relevant hazard or risk is identified.
Put it into practice
Record hazards with our free hazard report form template, rate and control them on the free risk assessment template, and set out how your business manages both in the hazard management policy template. To see the method on real tasks, read our risk assessment examples for construction work, and for timing see when a risk assessment should be carried out.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Check the current law or talk to WorkSafe Queensland for your situation.
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