Step 1: Identify Hazards
Overview
Hazard identification is the first critical step in managing work health and safety risks. A hazard is anything that has the potential to cause harm to people—whether physical injury, illness, or psychological harm.
[!important] Legal Foundation Under section 19 of the WHS Act, PCBUs must identify hazards as part of their primary duty of care to ensure health and safety so far as is reasonably practicable.
Effective hazard identification requires looking beyond obvious dangers to consider how work processes, equipment, substances, and workplace conditions interact to create risks.
Common Types of Construction Hazards
Construction workplaces present numerous hazards across different categories:
Physical Work Environment
Falls and Gravity Hazards:
- Working at heights on scaffolding, roofs, or elevated platforms
- Unprotected edges, penetrations, and fragile surfaces
- Slips, trips, and falls on construction sites
Confined Spaces:
- Excavations, trenches, tanks, and pits
- Poor ventilation leading to oxygen deficiency
- Accumulation of hazardous atmospheres
Extreme Temperatures:
- Heat stress from working outdoors in summer
- Cold exposure during winter work
- Radiant heat from welding and hot work
Noise:
- Equipment such as concrete saws, jackhammers, and grinders
- Cumulative exposure causing permanent hearing damage
Equipment, Plant, and Substances
Machinery and Equipment:
- Mobile plant (excavators, loaders, cranes, forklifts)
- Power tools (circular saws, nail guns, grinders)
- Vehicles and traffic on site
Electrical Hazards:
- Live electrical work and energized equipment
- Underground and overhead power lines
- Temporary electrical installations
- Damaged cables and equipment
Hazardous Substances:
- Respirable crystalline silica from cutting, grinding, or drilling concrete, masonry, or stone
- Asbestos in existing structures being renovated or demolished
- Solvents, adhesives, paints, and coatings
- Cement and concrete causing skin burns
- Welding fumes and metal dust
Work Tasks and Processes
Hazardous Manual Tasks:
- Repetitive lifting of formwork, building materials
- Sustained awkward postures (overhead work, kneeling, bending)
- High force activities (using jackhammers, manual excavation)
- Vibration from power tools
Demolition and Excavation:
- Structural collapse during demolition
- Underground services (gas, water, electricity, telecommunications)
- Ground collapse in excavations
- Falling debris
Hot Work:
- Welding, cutting, and grinding creating sparks
- Fire and explosion risks near combustible materials
- Fumes and gases in enclosed spaces
Work Design and Management
Psychosocial Hazards:
- Excessive time pressure and tight deadlines
- Inadequate rest breaks and fatigue from long hours
- Job insecurity and uncertainty
- Bullying, harassment, or aggressive behavior on site
- Work-related violence from the public or other workers
- Inadequate support and poor communication
Organizational Factors:
- Inadequate training and supervision for workers
- Unclear responsibilities and communication failures
- Multiple PCBUs working simultaneously without coordination
- Changes to work scope or methods without consultation
How to Find Hazards
1. Inspect the Workplace
Regular site inspections are essential for identifying hazards as conditions change constantly on construction sites.
Structured Walkthrough Approach:
Walk through the site at different times (start of shift, during peak activity, end of day) to observe:
- Access and egress: Are pathways clear? Are ladders secure? Can emergency vehicles access the site?
- Working at heights: Are edge protection, scaffolding, and fall arrest systems installed correctly?
- Excavations: Are trenches shored or battered? Is there edge protection? Have services been located?
- Plant and equipment: Is machinery guarded? Are operators licensed? Is plant maintained?
- Materials storage: Are materials stacked safely? Can they tip or roll? Are heavy items stored at ground level?
- Electrical: Are cables protected from damage? Are RCDs fitted? Is equipment tagged and tested?
- Housekeeping: Are walkways clear of debris? Is rubbish removed regularly? Are spills cleaned immediately?
- Environmental conditions: Is there adequate lighting, ventilation, and weather protection?
[!tip] Construction Site Checklist Use a site-specific checklist covering common hazards for your work activities. SafeWork NSW provides industry-specific checklists that can be adapted to your site.
Immediate Action Items:
If you identify straightforward problems during inspection, take immediate action—for example, removing trip hazards, barricading unsafe areas, or isolating damaged equipment.
For situations involving immediate danger (structural instability, energized exposed conductors, uncontrolled excavation collapse), immediately:
- Remove all persons from the danger area
- Secure the area to prevent entry
- Notify the site supervisor and principal contractor
- Do not resume work until the hazard is controlled
2. Consult Your Workers
Workers performing tasks daily have direct knowledge of hazards and risks that management may not observe.
Effective Consultation Methods:
Toolbox Talks: Regular pre-start meetings where workers discuss the day's tasks, identify potential hazards, and agree on controls. Document key hazards raised and actions taken.
Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs): HSRs elected by workers can systematically gather feedback from their work groups about safety concerns, near misses, and improvement suggestions.
Incident and Near Miss Reporting: Encourage workers to report all incidents and "near misses" without fear of blame. These events reveal hazards that may not be obvious during inspections.
Worker Surveys: Anonymous surveys can identify psychosocial hazards like bullying, excessive time pressure, or inadequate support that workers may hesitate to raise directly.
[!example] Construction Example A concreting crew reported that the concrete pump hose frequently whipped when pressure surged, creating a struck-by hazard. This was not visible during management site walks but was a daily concern for workers. Consultation led to implementing a hose restraint system.
3. Review Available Information
Manufacturer Information:
- Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for all chemicals and substances
- Operating manuals and maintenance schedules for plant and equipment
- Installation instructions for scaffolding, formwork, and temporary structures
Industry Guidance:
- SafeWork NSW Codes of Practice for construction-specific hazards
- Industry association publications (e.g., Master Builders, Housing Industry Association)
- Union safety bulletins highlighting emerging risks
Workplace Records: Analyze your existing records to identify patterns:
- Incident and injury reports: What tasks cause injuries? What time of day? Which workers?
- Workers' compensation claims: What are the most common injury types?
- Health monitoring results: Are workers showing signs of exposure to silica, noise, or chemicals?
- Maintenance logs: Is equipment failing regularly? Are guards damaged?
- Inspection reports: Are the same hazards identified repeatedly?
4. Consult Supply Chains and Networks
Upstream Consultation:
Designers and Engineers: Engage early to influence design decisions that eliminate hazards—for example, designing permanent roof anchor points, specifying prefabrication to reduce work at heights, or selecting low-silica materials.
Suppliers: Discuss packaging and delivery methods to minimize manual handling. For example, having bricks delivered on pallets with lifting points reduces manual handling risks.
Subcontractors: Before they commence work, subcontractors should provide Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS) for high-risk construction work, identifying hazards and controls specific to their scope.
Downstream Consultation:
Principal Contractors: If you are a subcontractor, consult with the principal contractor about site-wide hazards (traffic management, crane lifts, confined spaces, services) and coordination requirements.
Adjacent Businesses: On multi-occupancy sites or urban construction, consult with neighboring businesses about potential impacts (noise, dust, vibration, access restrictions).
[!example] Supply Chain Coordination A principal contractor identified that multiple subcontractors needed to perform silica-generating work (saw cutting, grinding) on different levels simultaneously. Early consultation led to scheduling this work sequentially with coordinated dust controls rather than multiple crews working at once.
5. Consider Design and Planning Opportunities
The most effective hazard identification occurs during design and planning phases, before hazards are introduced to the workplace.
Good Work Design Principles:
Designing work to suit human capabilities and limitations:
- Task design: Can tasks be rotated to reduce repetition? Can rest breaks be scheduled?
- Work systems: Are there adequate resources, clear procedures, and communication systems?
- Physical environment: Is there adequate space, lighting, ventilation, and temperature control?
- Worker capabilities: Are competency requirements identified? Is training and supervision planned?
Safe Design for Structures:
Under WHS Act section 22, designers must eliminate risks or minimize risks that cannot be eliminated. This includes:
- Designing structures to avoid work at heights (e.g., roof trusses assembled on ground)
- Incorporating permanent safety features (anchor points, guardrails, access ladders)
- Selecting materials that reduce hazardous substance exposure
- Designing for safe maintenance access
Further guidance is available in the Code of Practice: Safe design of structures.
6. Anticipate Changes and Abnormal Conditions
Hazards often emerge when conditions change from normal operations.
Trigger Points for Hazard Review:
- New or modified plant and equipment: Hiring different machinery, using new tools
- New substances or materials: Different concrete mixes, unfamiliar coatings
- Changes to work methods: New construction techniques, sequence changes
- Changes to workforce: New workers, labor hire, subcontractors commencing
- Environmental changes: Seasonal weather, extreme heat or storms
- Variations to project scope: Design changes, additional work, time extensions
Abnormal and Infrequent Work:
Consider hazards during:
- Maintenance and cleaning: Accessing confined spaces, working on energized equipment
- Breakdowns and failures: Equipment malfunction, structural failure, service strikes
- Emergencies: Rescue from heights or confined spaces, fire, medical emergencies
- Commissioning and testing: First operation of services, load testing structures
[!warning] Don't Assume Normal Conditions Many serious incidents occur during abnormal situations—equipment failures, unexpected weather, or emergency responses. Identify hazards for these scenarios during planning.
Recording Identified Hazards
Create and maintain a hazard register that documents:
- Hazard description: What is the hazard and where is it located?
- Who is at risk: Workers, visitors, subcontractors, public?
- Current controls: What measures are already in place?
- Risk level: Initial assessment (to be confirmed in Step 2)
- Action required: Further assessment, additional controls, consultation needed
Update the register as work progresses, new activities commence, and conditions change.
An example risk register template is provided at Appendix D of the Code of Practice: How to manage work health and safety risks.
Common Construction Hazards Table
| Hazard Category | Construction Examples | Potential Harm |
|---|---|---|
| Manual Tasks | Lifting formwork, carrying materials, repetitive tool use, overhead work | Musculoskeletal disorders, sprains, strains |
| Gravity | Working at heights, unprotected edges, trenches, falling objects | Falls causing fractures, head injuries, death |
| Psychosocial | Time pressure, bullying, fatigue from long hours, job insecurity | Psychological injury, stress, depression, anxiety |
| Electricity | Live electrical work, damaged cables, overhead/underground services | Electrocution, burns, arc flash injuries, death |
| Machinery | Excavators, cranes, concrete pumps, power tools, site vehicles | Crush injuries, amputations, struck-by incidents, death |
| Hazardous Chemicals | Silica dust, asbestos, solvents, cement, welding fumes | Silicosis, cancer, dermatitis, respiratory disease |
| Extreme Temperatures | Outdoor work in summer heat or winter cold | Heat stroke, dehydration, hypothermia, reduced alertness |
| Noise | Concrete saws, jackhammers, grinders, heavy equipment | Permanent hearing loss, tinnitus |
| Radiation | Welding arc flash, UV exposure outdoors | Arc eye, skin burns, skin cancer |
| Confined Spaces | Excavations, pits, tanks, manholes | Oxygen deficiency, toxic atmospheres, engulfment |
Summary
Hazard identification is an ongoing process, not a one-time activity. Effective identification requires:
- Regular workplace inspections that look beyond obvious hazards to consider interactions and abnormal conditions
- Meaningful consultation with workers who understand practical challenges and emerging risks
- Analysis of records and information to identify patterns and learn from past incidents
- Engagement with supply chains to address hazards at the design stage and coordinate controls
- Anticipation of changes that introduce new or different hazards
Once hazards are identified, proceed to Step 2 to assess the risks and determine appropriate controls.