Work Health And Safety Questionnaire

A low risk workplace is one where workers are not likely to be exposed to hazards that could result in serious injury or illness. For example, offices, shops and libraries. Work-related injuries and illnesses are likely to be minor in nature.

If your workplace is not low risk, then it is high risk (there is no in-between).

A high risk workplace is one where workers may be exposed to hazards that could result in serious injury or illness. Examples of workplaces that may be considered high risk are ones in which workers:

• Use hazardous machinery such as mobile plant or power tools
• Use hazardous substances, for example chemical manufacture, laboratories, horticulture, petrol stations and food manufacturing
• Are at risk of falls, for example construction, stevedoring, arboriculture
• Carry out hazardous forms of work, for example working in confined spaces, welding, demolition, electrical work, abrasive blasting, diving, hot works
• Carry out work that involves repititive movements, bending, lifting, pushing, pulling or other hazardous manual tasks
• Are exposed to the risk of physical violence, for example working alone at night, cash handling, or having customers who are frequently physically aggressive
• Might be exposured to pathogens or other biological hazards, for example medical or veterinary work
• Work in or around extreme heat or cold, for example foundries, commercial kitchens, and prolonged outdoor work
• Carry out remote or isolated work, for example farmers and agricultural workers, park rangers and field scientists, cleaners, long-distance freight transport drivers, and security guards

If your workplace includes low-risk working areas as well as higher risk areas (for example a workplace with an administrative
office plus a workshop), choose ‘high risk workplace’.

A confined space is an enclosed (or partially enclosed space) that:

• Is not designed or intented to be occupied by a person
• Is, or is designed or intended to be, at normal atmospheric pressure while any person is in the space
• Is, or is likely to, be a risk to health and safety from:
  • At atmosphere that does not have a safe oxygen level
  • Contaminants, including airborne gases, vapours and dusts, that may cause injury from fire or explosion, or
  • Harmful concentrations of any airborne contaminants
  • Engulfment

Confined space can be dangerous to work in if the risks aren’t managed properly, particularly because the dangers are often invisible. There are strict legal requirements for working in confined spaces that you will need to be aware of if any of your workers ever enter them.

Some common examples of confined spaces at workplaces are:

• Vats and tanks
• Pipes, ducts, flues and chimneys
• Silos and containers
• Pressure vessels
• Underground sewers
• Wet or dry wells
• Pits, shafts, trenches and tunnels

These spaces would be considered confined spaces if they meet the criteria above.

Electrical work means:

• Connecting or disconnecting electrical equipments to/from electrical supply wiring
• Installing, removing, adding, testing, replacing, repairing, altering or maintaining electrical equipment

Energised electrical work means work carried out when part of the electrical equipment being worked on is connected to electricity.

Work ‘near’ overhead or underground powerlines means a situation where it is reasonably possible that a person, either directly or indirectly, could come within an unsafe distance of energised electrical lines.

The SafeWork Australia General Guide for Working in the Vicinity of Overhead and Underground Electrical Lines describes how to assess approach distances that can help you to determine what would be considered ‘unsafe’.

The approach distances vary depending on:

• The qualifications and authorisation of the person doing the work
• The voltage of the powerlines
• The specific rules in your state

If you need to do work near overhead or underground powerlines Acacia Safety Consulting can help you interpret the specific rules that apply to you and what safety controls you will need to put in place.

There are two types of diving work in the WHS Regulations.

General diving work, which means work carried out in or under water while breathing compressed gas. This includes incidental diving work and limited scientific diving work.

High risk diving work, which means work carried out in or under water or any other liquid while breathing compressed gas, and involves:

• Construction work
• Testing, maintenance or repair work of a minor nature in relation to a structure
• Inspection work to see if construction work is necessary
• Recovery or salvage of a large structure or large item of plant for commercial purposes.

High risk diving work does not include minor work carried out in the sea or the waters of a bay or inlet or a marina that involves cleaning, inspection, maintaining or searching for a vessel or mooring.

The definition of construction work in the WHS Regulations is quite long and complicated. The main part of the definition is:

Construction work means any work carried out in connection with the construction, alteration, conversion, fitting-out, commissioning, renovation, repair, maintenance, refurbishment, demolition, decommissioning or dismantling of a structure.

Click here for examples of construction work.

A structure is anything that is constructed. It can be fixed or moveable, temporary or permanent. Example of structures include:

• Buildings
• Masts
• Towers
• Framework
• Pipelines
• Roads and pathways
• Ships and submarines
• Foundations, earthworks
• Formwork and falsework
• Airfields
• Docks, harbours, channels, bridges viaducts, lagoons and dams
• Sewers

The definition of construction work specifically includes activities that occur alongside construction work, not just the construction itself. Some examples are:

• Installation or testing in relation to construction work
• Removal of demolition waste
• On-site pre-fabrication or testing of elements
• Assembly or disassembly of pre-frabricated elements
• Installation, testing or maintenance of essential services
• Excavation work
• Site preparation, including landscaping

Construction work does not include:

• The manufacture of plant
• Off-site pre-fabrication
• Off-site assembly of pre-fabricated elements
• Planning and design activities done prior to construction starting
• Testing, maintenance or repair works of a minor nature
• Mining

A good rule of thumb to follow is that if it is work done on a construction site, it is likely to be construction work. Here are some examples of what is (and is not) construction work.

 Construction Work Examples

 High Risk Work Licence Classes

A licence is required for asbestos removal work involving more than 10m² of non-friable asbestos or any amount of friable asbestos.

Examples of non-friable asbestos:

• Asbestos cement
• Asbestos cement sheeting (‘fibro’)
• Vinyl asbestos floor tiles

Examples of friable asbestos:

• Insulation around hot water pipes
• Asbestos rope
• Loose-fill asbestos, like Mr Fluffy

A hostile environment for electrical equipment is an environment which might expose the equipment to operating conditions that might cause damage or reduce its lifespan.

This includes environments where the equipment might be exposed to moisture, heat, vibration, mechanical damage, corrosive conditions or dust.

Examples of these environments include

• Workshops and factories
• Construction sites
• Commercial kitchens and office kitchens
• Warehouses
• Residential areas of hotels, motels, hostels, boarding houses and other forms of accomodation
• Outdoor areas and agricultural environments
• Laboratories, surgical and treatment areas
• Art and performance studios and theatres

Non-hostile environments for electrical equipment are those that are dry, clean and well-organised. Some examples include

• Offices
• Retail shops
• Telecommunications centres
• Classrooms
• Libraries

• Is used in a low-risk environment (such as an office, retail shop, classroom, library, etc.)
• Is not moved to different locations
• Is not moved frequently during normal use
• Is not part of an amusement device

Examples of low-risk electrical equipment include

• Printers and photocopiers
• Desktop computers and monitors
• Floor lamps
• TVs

Engineered stone refers to artificial products that contain crystalline silica. It is created by combining natural stone materials with other chemical constituents such as water, resins or pigments. It does not include

• Concrete and cement products
• Bricks, pavers and other similar blocks
• Ceramic and porcelain wall and floor tiles
• Roof tiles
• Grout, mortar and render
• Plasterboard

Engineered stone is commonly used as an alternative to natural stone benchtops in kitchens or bathroom vanities. Types of engineered stone include

• Caeserstone
• Essastone
• Quantum Quartz
• Silestone
• Smartsone
• Hanstone

Engineered stone has been banned in Australia, effective from 1 July 2024, due to the risk of silicosis. However, engineered stone products will still be present in existing installations so the safety requirements around processing it will still apply.

Processing engineered stone means cutting, grinding, trimming, sanding, abrasive polishing or drilling useing power tools or other mechanical equipment.

Industrial lift trucks are powered mobile plant designed to move goods, materials or equipment. They are equipped with an elevating load carriage and for normal use, are equipped with a load-holding attachment.

There are different types of powered industrial lift trucks including ride-on forklifts, pedestrian-operated trucks, straddle carriers and reach trucks.

Mobile cranes, earthmoving machinery and manually-powered lift trucks like pallet lifters are not industrial lift trucks. For the purposes of this question, reach stackers, multi-purpose tool carriers and telehandlers are not industrial lift trucks.

For this question, pressure equipment means pressure equipment (e.g. boilers and pressure vessels) that are classified as hazard level A, B, C or D according to Section 2.1 of AS 4343:2014. It does not include pressure piping, heritage boilers and any pressure equipment excluded from AS/NZS 1200:2015.

Typical hazard levels from AS 4343 are:

Hazard Level A – High Hazard

Large vessels and also some vessels containing above the threshold quantities for major hazard facilities. Examples include 4000 tonne ethane vessels, 7000 tonne butane or propane vessels, 25,000 tonne ammonia vessels, 200 tonne chlorine vessels and large power boilers.

Hazard Level B – Medium Hazard

Most shop fabricated boilers and pressure vessels.

Hazard Levels C and D – Low and Extra Low Hazards

Small pressure equipment or equipment with low hazard contents (e.g. small air receivers)

Hazard Level E – Negligible Hazard

All negligible-hazard pressure equipment not no classified in hazard levels A, B, C and D. This equipment is excempt from specific regulatory controls but is covered by general plant safety regulations.

If you are not sure of the hazard level of your pressure equipment or whether this question applies to you get in touch with us. We can help you understand how the WHS Regulations and the Australian Standards apply to your equipment.

Hazard levels for pressure equipment are defined in Section 2.1 of AS 4343:2014.

Typical hazard levels from AS 4343 are:

Hazard Level A – High Hazard

Large vessels and also some vessels containing above the threshold quantities for major hazard facilities. Examples include 4000 tonne ethane vessels, 7000 tonne butane or propane vessels, 25,000 tonne ammonia vessels, 200 tonne chlorine vessels and large power boilers.

Hazard Level B – Medium Hazard

Most shop fabricated boilers and pressure vessels.

Hazard Levels C and D – Low and Extra Low Hazards

Small pressure equipment or equipment with low hazard contents (e.g. small air receivers)

Hazard Level E – Negligible Hazard

All negligible-hazard pressure equipment not no classified in hazard levels A, B, C and D. This equipment is excempt from specific regulatory controls but is covered by general plant safety regulations.

If you are not sure of the hazard level of your pressure equipment or whether this question applies to you get in touch with us. We can help you understand how the WHS Regulations and the Australian Standards apply to your equipment.

For this question, gas cylinders means gas cylinders covered by Section 1 of AS 2030.1:2009. These are rigid vessels not exceeding 3000 litres in capacity, designed for the storage and transportation of compressed, dissolved and liquefied gas.

Amusement devices means plant operated for hire or reward that provides entertainment, sightseeing or amusement through movement of the equipment, or when passengers or other users travel or move on, around or along the equipment. Specifically, it refers to amusement devices classified under Section 2.1 of AS 3533.1:2009.

Types of amusement devices referred to in this question include

• Most powered mechanical amusement devices (e.g. rollercoasters and show rides)
• Most non-powered (manually operated) mechanical amusement devices (e.g. bungy
  trampolines)
• Inflatable devices (continuously blown) with a platform height of 3 metres or more
• Mobile climbing walls
• Bungy jumping devices

The definition of amusement devices does not include

• Miniature train and railway systems owned and operated by model reailway societies, clubs or associations
• Rides or devices that are used a form of transport that is regulated under another Act
• Boats or flotation devices that are
  • soley propelled by a person who is in or on the boat or device, and
  • that is not attached to any mechanical elements or equipment outside the boat or device, and
  • that does not rely on any artificial flow of water to move
• Plant specifically designed for a sporting, professional stunt, theatrical or acrobatic purpose or activity
• Coin-operated or token-operated devices that
  • is intended to be ridden, at the one time, by not more than 4 children who must be under the age of 10 years, and
  • is usually located in a shopping centre or similar public location, and
  • does not necessarily have an operator

If you’re not sure whether your amusement device meets this criteria, get in touch with us. We can help you understand how the WHS Regulations and Australian Standards apply to your equipment.

Some amusement devices do not have to be registered under the WHS Regulations. Exempt amusement devices are

• Playground devices
• Water slides where water facilitates patrons to slide easily, predominantly under gravity, along a static structure
• Wave generators where patrons do not come into contact with the parts of machinery used for generating water waves
• Inflatable devices with platform heights of less than 3 metres

Other requirements in the WHS Regulations still apply to these amusement devices.

Passenger ropeway means a powered ropeway used for transporting, in a horizontal or inclined plane, passengers moved by a carrier that is

• Attached to or supported by a moving rope, or
• Attached to a moving rope but supported by a standing rope or other overhead structure

The definition includes the prime mover, any associated transmission machinery and any supporting structure and equipment.

Passenger ropeways do not include

• A cog railway
• A cable car running on rails
• A flying fox or similar device

Hazardous chemical is a broad term referring to a range of substances that may produce negative health effects or cause physical hazards. Hazardous chemicals are found in all kinds of workplaces, and include things like:

• Paints
• Cosmetics
• Drugs
• Cleaning chemicals
• Detergents
• Pesticides
• Herbicides
• Fuels
• Gases
• Adhesives

Hazardous chemicals may also be inadvertently generated at the workplace, for example hydrogen sulphide in a sewer, diesel exhaust fumes from truck engines, toxic fumes or vapours from welding rods, off-gassing of solvent vapours from glues in timber products, or dust released from machining raw materials.

It is sometimes easier to consider what is not considered a hazardous chemical for the purpose of the WHS Regulations:

• Food and beverages in a package and form intended for human consumption
• Tobacco or products made from tobacco
• Therapeutic goods at the point of intentional intake by humans
• Veterinary chemical products at the point of intentional administration to animals
• Hazardous chemicals contained with batteries when those batteries are incorporated into plant and equipment
• Fuels, oils or coolants within vessels fitted to vehicles, plant, appliances or other devices
• Fuel in a fuel container of a domestic or portable appliance, if not more than 25kg or 25L
• Hazardous chemicals in portable firefighting or medical equipment for use in the workplace
• Hazardous chemicals that are part of the integrated refrigeration system of refrigerated freight containers
• Potable liquids that are consumer products at retail premises

Schedule 11 hazardous chemicals are a group of substances with specific requirements under the WHS Regulations. A list can be found in Schedule 11 of the WHS Regulations, along with threshold quantities at which placarding and hazardous chemical manifests are required.

Schedule 11 hazardous chemicals include specific types of

• Flammable gases
• Gases under pressure
• Flammable liquids
• Self-reactive substances
• Flammable solids
• Pyrophoric liquids and pyrophoric solids
• Self-heating substances and mixtures
• Substances which in contact with water emit flammable gases
• Oxidising liquids and oxidising solids
• Organic peroxides
• Acutely toxic substances
• Substances causing skin corrosion
• Substances that are corrosive to metals
• Unstable explosives
• Unstable chemicals
• Aerosols

If you are not sure whether your workplace deals with Schedule 11 hazardous chemicals, get in touch with us. We can help you understand the definition and whether or not there are specific requirements that apply to your workplace.