What a good risk assessment looks like
A workplace risk assessment identifies hazards, rates the risk each hazard poses to workers and others, documents the controls in place to manage that risk, and calculates the residual risk once controls are applied. In Australia, risk assessment is a specific duty under the model WHS Act and Regulations, and under the 2022-2023 psychosocial amendments, it explicitly includes psychosocial hazards.
Most organisations use a 5-by-5 risk matrix: likelihood (rare → almost certain) on one axis, consequence (insignificant → catastrophic) on the other. The intersection gives an initial risk rating (low / medium / high / extreme). Controls are then applied, and the assessment records the residual risk. That residual figure is what a court, an inspector or an auditor will look at.
The hierarchy of controls is mandatory in the thinking: eliminate first, then substitute, then engineering controls, then administrative controls, then PPE as the last resort. A risk assessment that jumps straight to PPE without justifying why higher controls are not reasonably practicable is a red flag.
What you can assess
- Activity or task risk: the risks in a specific job or procedure.
- Chemical risk: hazardous substances under GHS, with SDS integration.
- Psychosocial risk: ISO 45003-aligned, for the hazards you cannot see.
- Plant and equipment risk: pre-start, statutory inspections, safety-critical items.
- Health monitoring risk: audiometric, respiratory, biological monitoring.
Three steps. About a minute.
- 1
Tell us about the work
A guided form captures the activity, site, people and conditions: the inputs your safety document actually needs.
- 2
We ground the draft
The drafting engine applies your state's WHS Act, regulations, codes of practice and any reference documents you've uploaded.
- 3
You review and ship
Edit anything, accept the rest, and download a signature-ready PDF with your logo and the right legislation citations.
How RAE IQ delivers it.
All 8 Australian jurisdictions
Terminology, legislation citations and regulator names adapt automatically from QLD to NT, including the territories.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a JSA, SWMS or risk assessment?
A risk assessment is broader. A JSA (Job Safety Analysis) is a type of risk assessment focused on a single task. A SWMS is a legally mandated document for specific high-risk construction work. RAE IQ handles all three, using the same underlying risk thinking, formatted to the document type the situation needs.
Can I assess psychosocial risk?
Yes, on Professional and Business plans. Psychosocial risk assessments are structured against the ISO 45003 framework and feed into a psychosocial register with control review workflows. On Business plan, a board-ready summary is exportable.
Do assessments cover chemical risk?
Yes. Chemical risk assessments are generated from your hazardous chemical register. The assessment pulls the GHS classification, hazard statements, precautionary statements and SDS data from the register and structures the controls around them.
Can multiple people contribute to one assessment?
Yes. Team members on Professional and Business plans can edit, comment, and sign off on risk assessments based on their role (owner, admin, member, viewer).
Does it match my organisation’s existing risk matrix?
The default matrix is a standard 5-by-5 aligned with ISO 31000. Organisations with a specific board-approved matrix can reach out to have theirs configured. For most Australian SMEs the standard matrix is the right answer.
What about risk assessment software compared to a template?
A template is a blank form. Risk assessment software applies your state’s legislation, enforces the hierarchy of controls, links to your live registers, and records consultation, reducing errors and the "copy-paste the last one" problem that templates create.