National Safe Work Month: Week 3 – Controlling Risks with Practical Solutions
Identifying and assessing hazards means little without the next step: controlling risks. For Week 3 of National Safe Work Month, Safe Work Australia reminds us that the best way to protect people is by eliminating risks wherever possible .
The Hierarchy of Controls
Controls aren’t all equal. Safe Work Australia uses the hierarchy of controls to rank them:
Eliminate the risk – remove it entirely.
Substitute – replace with something safer.
Isolate – separate people from the hazard.
Engineering controls – redesign equipment or the environment.
Administrative controls – training, procedures, supervision.
PPE – protective clothing or equipment.
The higher up the hierarchy, the more effective the control .
Physical and Psychosocial Risks
It’s not just machinery and chemicals. Psychosocial risks (like stress, fatigue, bullying, or poor support) must also be managed the same way. This might mean redesigning tasks, changing systems of work, or building respectful workplace behaviours .
Why It Matters
Administrative controls and PPE alone aren’t enough. They rely on people never slipping up. Real safety comes from system design … not from luck or constant vigilance.
Action this week: Choose one hazard from your risk register and ask: Can we eliminate this risk entirely? If not, what’s the highest level of control we can realistically apply?
