BSBWHS411 – Canvas LMS Demo

Module 2 · Learnbuilt LMS preview

Hazards, risk and the hierarchy of control

BSBWHS411 Implement and monitor WHS policies, procedures and programs

BSBWHS411 · Module 2

Hazards, risk and the hierarchy of control

Learner Guide

In this module

Identify physical and psychosocial hazards in a work area, including emerging risks from AI and automation
Apply the four-step risk management process: identify, assess, control, review
Work down the six-level hierarchy of control and justify the level chosen
Recognise when a control is failing and act on your monitoring and reporting obligations

AQF Level 4

Certificate IV: apply knowledge and skills in varied contexts, exercise judgement, and take limited responsibility for the work of others in known and changing situations.

The risk management process and the hierarchy of control are the technical core of this unit. Every other module – communicating about hazards, consulting on them, training people to avoid them, recording what happened – connects back to this foundation. Understand these well and the rest of the unit falls into place.

Assessment readiness

By the end of this module you should be able to:

Outcome	You can…
Identify	Describe at least four methods for identifying hazards, and list the six categories of psychosocial hazard
Assess	Explain the four-step risk management cycle and why it is a cycle, not a one-off task
Control	Name the six levels of the hierarchy of control in order and explain what makes the top levels more effective
Monitor	Describe what an inadequate control looks like and your reporting and follow-up obligations
Emerging	Describe at least one way AI or automated systems can create a WHS hazard

Note: Activities throughout this guide are for your own learning and are not assessed – they will not be submitted to your trainer. Formal assessments appear separately.

Module 2 Overview · Page 1 of 5

A hazard is anything with the potential to cause harm. Finding hazards is an active, ongoing job – not a one-off inspection once a year.

How hazards are identified

Workplace inspections – systematic walkthroughs with a checklist or observation guide
Worker reports – your team sees the work up close every day and captures what formal inspections miss
Incident and near-miss data – patterns in what has already gone wrong point to unresolved hazards
Manufacturer information – manuals, safety data sheets and installation guides flag hazards you may not have met yet
Direct observation – watching how work is actually performed, not how the procedure says it should be

Psychosocial hazards

At a supervisory level you look beyond the obvious physical hazards. Psychosocial hazards are anything at work that may cause psychological harm. The model Code of Practice: Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work (Safe Work Australia, 2022) identifies six main categories.

Six-card grid of psychosocial hazard categories: high job demands, low job control, poor support, poor workplace relationships, low role clarity, and poor change management. — The six categories of psychosocial hazard. The same risk management process and hierarchy of control apply to these as to physical hazards.

Need to Know: Elimination or redesigning the work itself is the highest-ranked control for psychosocial hazards too. Administrative controls – policies, training, reporting procedures – sit lower in the hierarchy and should not be the only response where work redesign is reasonably practicable.

AI and automation – an emerging source of WHS hazards

Safe Work Australia's Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy 2023–2033 identifies AI and automation as an emerging challenge. The existing WHS framework already covers these risks, which most often appear as psychosocial hazards: algorithmic management that sets work pace, automated performance monitoring, job-displacement anxiety, and new skill demands introduced without adequate support.

Example: A retail distribution centre introduces an AI-driven order-picking system that directs workers through a headset – what to pick, in what sequence, in what time. Productivity rises, but task discretion is eliminated and workers report rising anxiety and fatigue. The WHS officer recognises the system has created high job demands and low job control, documents the hazard, and raises it with management. Structured rest breaks and a feedback channel are introduced immediately while a longer-term redesign of the pacing parameters is explored.

Activity 2.1 – Hazard spotting (Optional – not assessed)

Think about your own work area, or a workplace you know well. Identify one physical hazard and one psychosocial hazard. For each, note one control currently in place and whether you believe it is pitched at the right level of the hierarchy.

2.1 Finding Hazards · Page 2 of 5

Module 2 – Hazards, risk and control · Section 2.2

The risk management process

Once a hazard is identified, you manage the risk it creates. The model Code of Practice: How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks (Safe Work Australia, updated November 2024) sets out a four-step process.

Four-step clockwise cycle: 1. identify the hazard, 2. assess the risk, 3. control the risk using the hierarchy of control, 4. review the controls; an ongoing cycle. — The four-step risk management cycle. Review takes you back to Step 1 – it is a cycle, not a one-off project.

Step 1 – Identify the hazard

Find out what could cause harm using the methods in Section 2.1. Do not limit identification to what has already caused an incident; near misses and inspection findings are equally important inputs.

Step 2 – Assess the risk

Determine how likely the hazard is to cause harm and how serious that harm would be. Consider who is exposed, how often, how much control they have, and what controls already exist. At Level 4, you select and apply an appropriate method and exercise judgement about which factors matter most in the specific context – not just tick a form.

Step 3 – Control the risk

Select and implement control measures using the hierarchy of control (Section 2.3). Document what was decided and why.

Step 4 – Review the controls

Check the control is working as intended. Controls fail or degrade over time. Review is triggered by a change (new equipment, task or worker), a near miss or incident, or elapsed time – and takes you back to Step 1.

Need to Know: A risk assessment that was done three years ago and never revisited is not a functioning risk management process – it is a document.

Activity 2.2 – Apply the cycle (Optional – not assessed)

Apply the four-step process to one hazard from your earlier activity. Write two or three sentences on each step. For Step 3, suggest a control at two different levels of the hierarchy and explain which is more reliable and why.

2.2 Risk Management · Page 3 of 5

Module 2 – Hazards, risk and control · Section 2.3

The hierarchy of control measures

The hierarchy of control is the foundation of WHS risk management in Australia. It is set out in the model WHS Regulations (regulation 36), and you are required to work down it from the top – only moving to a lower level when a higher-level control is not reasonably practicable.

Inverted pyramid of the six hierarchy-of-control levels from most to least effective: elimination, substitution, isolation, engineering controls, administrative controls, PPE. The top four act on the hazard; the bottom two rely on people. — The six levels of control, most to least effective. The top four act on the hazard itself; the bottom two rely on people behaving consistently.

1. Elimination

Remove the hazard completely – always the most effective control because the hazard no longer exists. For example, decommissioning equipment that cannot be made safe.

2. Substitution

Replace the hazard with something less hazardous – for example, a water-based solvent instead of a chemical one.

3. Isolation

Separate the hazard from people – machine guards, fencing, or a dedicated locked chemical store.

4. Engineering controls

Physical changes that reduce risk at the source without relying on behaviour – local exhaust ventilation, non-slip flooring, ergonomic workstations.

5. Administrative controls

Procedures, training, signage and job rotation that change how people work. Weaker than the first four because they depend on people consistently doing the right thing.

6. Personal protective equipment (PPE)

The last resort. PPE protects the worker but does not address the hazard. If it fails or is not worn correctly, the worker is unprotected.

Need to Know: The hierarchy does not require you to eliminate every hazard – it requires you to work as high up as is reasonably practicable, often combining levels. What is not acceptable is jumping straight to PPE because it is cheap and easy when a higher-level control is available.

2.4 When controls are not working

Recognising when a control is failing, or was ranked too low in the hierarchy, is a predictable part of managing a live work area. Warning signs include ongoing near misses involving the same hazard, workers bypassing or removing the control, or the control degrading without being replaced.

Example: A construction-site WHS coordinator notices workers on a roof-restoration project are wearing harnesses but not clipping them to the anchor points – the administrative control is not translating into the engineering-level protection intended. The coordinator reports the inadequacy; the response is to install additional anchor points at closer intervals (an engineering improvement) and retrain workers. A week later, the coordinator checks the new anchor points are being used consistently. Closing the loop is your responsibility, not just raising the flag.

Activity 2.4 – When a control fails (Optional – not assessed)

Think of one control measure you know of in a workplace context. Identify one circumstance under which it could fail, and describe what you would do about it.

2.3 Hierarchy of Control · Page 4 of 5

Module 2 – Activity

Module 2 knowledge self-check

Rate each statement on a scale of 1 (still developing) to 5 (confident). This is for your own use – it is not submitted or graded. Use your responses to decide whether to revisit any sections before starting Module 3.

{ "title": "Module 2 – Hazards, Risk and Control Check", "skills": [ "I can describe at least four methods for identifying hazards in a work area", "I can list the six categories of psychosocial hazard", "I can explain the four-step risk management cycle and why it is a cycle", "I can name the six levels of the hierarchy of control in order", "I can explain what makes the top levels of the hierarchy more effective", "I know what an inadequate control looks like and my follow-up obligations", "I can describe one way AI or automation can create a WHS hazard" ] }

Self-Assessment Activity – Rate your understanding of each topic from 1 (still developing) to 5 (confident).

Assessment Readiness Checkpoint: If you rated any item below 3, we recommend revisiting that section before attempting the formal assessment for this unit. Use the sidebar to navigate back to any section.

Module 2 Self-Check · Page 5 of 5