What Are Workplace Safety Procedures? A Risk-Based Guide for Employers
When employers think about “safety procedures,” it is easy to picture a stack of documents no one reads. But workplace safety procedures are simply the agreed way a business manages its risks. They explain who does what, when and how, in a way that reflects the real work being done.
In Victoria, this matters because the OHS Act 2004 requires employers to eliminate or reduce risks so far as is reasonably practicable (SFAIRP). A safety procedure is often where risk controls are written down, shared and used to guide people doing the work. It is also how a business demonstrates due diligence when a regulator investigates an incident or visits a workplace.
Done well, procedures give structure. Done poorly, they collect dust and offer no defensibility when something goes wrong.
Risk-based safety procedures are not just relevant in Victoria. This approach can be adopted across different jurisdictions nationally and internationally because the core principles of risk management remain the same: understand the work, understand the hazard, understand the context and communicate it clearly.
Why Safety Procedures Matter (The Data Makes This Clear)
Safe Work Australia and WorkSafe Victoria data show the same patterns each year:
• Sprains and strains remain one of the highest causes of serious claims
• Body stressing, falls, being hit by moving objects and vehicle incidents dominate claim categories
• Manufacturing, warehousing, transport, construction, early childhood and health care have higher-than-average injury rates
• Aggression, work-related stress and psychological injury claims continue to rise
These are well-known and predictable hazards. The businesses that prevent them consistently have one thing in common: they use simple, clear and risk-based procedures for high-risk tasks, and workers actually follow them.
Complex and High-Risk Tasks Need Consistency
Any task that is complex, repetitive or high risk relies on consistency. Consistency leads to reliable operational outcomes, which directly supports reliable safety outcomes.
If your workplace can achieve this consistency without written procedures, then that is appropriate. But if a task cannot be performed safely or consistently without documented guidance, then the procedure must be written in a way that genuinely supports the work and suits the workers who use it.
This is especially important in multicultural or multilingual environments. Language becomes part of the risk. If workers cannot understand the instructions, the control is ineffective. Procedures must be written in language, structure and format that reflects the workforce.
What a Workplace Safety Procedure Really Is
A workplace safety procedure is a risk-based instruction that explains:
What the hazard is
Why the procedure exists
Who is responsible
How the task must be carried out
What controls must always be used
What must never occur
It is not meant to be complicated. It is meant to reflect real work and guide safe work.
The REC Model: Risk – Exposure – Consequence
A strong procedure must be built around the core REC elements:
Risk: What is the risk.
Exposure: Who is exposed to that risk, in what circumstances and how often.
Consequence: What is likely to happen if the risk eventuates.
Once the REC elements are clear, the next step is understanding what safe looks like. This means identifying the safest possible way the task can be performed, using the highest level of risk controls that are reasonably practicable.
The procedure must then document:
• the required controls
• the minimum safe steps
• the behavioural expectations
• verification, training or competency requirements
This is the practical link between REC and SFAIRP.
You cannot apply SFAIRP to control a risk if the procedure does not clearly describe the risk, the exposure or the consequence. A procedure that does not achieve this is inadequate and ineffective.
Aligning Procedures With Legislation and Industry Standards
A defensible procedure must align with:
• the OHS Act
• the OHS Regulations
• WorkSafe Victoria guidance
• Australian Standards
• industry-specific codes and guidance
• ISO 45001 principles
This alignment ensures the procedure is credible, risk-based and able to withstand regulatory review.
What Types of Procedures Employers Need
Based on incident patterns and regulatory priority areas, most employers need clear procedures for:
• Manual handling and repetitive tasks
• Slips, trips and falls
• Plant and equipment use (forklifts, pallet jacks, machinery, cobots)
• Mobile plant and traffic management
• Chemical handling and dangerous goods
• Psychosocial hazards including aggression, workload, fatigue and conflict
• Allegation and incident reporting pathways
• Emergency response
• Consultation and hazard reporting
These pose the greatest risk exposure and the highest regulatory scrutiny after incidents.
How To Build a Procedure That Actually Works
A practical, compliant and risk-based procedure should include:
Purpose – what risk the procedure controls
Scope – who and what it applies to
Definitions – short and simple
Responsibilities – employer, supervisor, worker, contractor
Method – step-by-step in plain language
Controls – engineering, isolation, safe systems, PPE, training
References – OHS Act, Regulations, guidance, standards
Review – after incidents, changes or at least every 2 years
Workers Must Know and Use the Procedure
The biggest failure regulators see is not the absence of a procedure but the gap between what is written and what actually happens. A procedure is only effective when workers:
• understand it
• can access it easily
• are trained in it
• can demonstrate competence
• can give feedback
This is what creates an effective and defensible safety system.
How Safety Procedures Improve Compliance and Reduce Risk
Risk-based procedures help employers:
• reduce injuries
• lower WorkCover premiums
• build safer workflows
• onboard staff more effectively
• manage high-risk work consistently
• respond confidently to regulators
• demonstrate SFAIRP
A procedure may seem simple, but it is one of the most effective and defensible tools for managing workplace risk exposure.
How RAS-OHS Can Support You
If you want your safety procedures updated, rewritten or developed from scratch, RAS-OHS can help with:
• risk-based workplace procedures
• psychosocial incident and allegation pathways
• incident reporting systems
• inspection templates
• chemical and plant safety documents
• regulatory inspection readiness
Book a free consultation or explore the RAS Shop for ready-made templates and tools.
