Broad Brush Risk Assessment Template for New Zealand

A Broad Brush Risk Assessment is a comprehensive workplace safety document that provides a high-level overview of all potential risks across your organization's operations. Under New Zealand's Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, you have a primary duty of care to identify, assess, and manage workplace risks that could affect workers and others. This assessment serves as your foundational risk management tool, helping you systematically evaluate hazards and establish appropriate control measures.

When do you need this document?

You need a Broad Brush Risk Assessment when establishing new business operations, relocating to different premises, or introducing significant changes to existing processes or equipment. The assessment is also required as part of regular safety management system reviews, typically conducted annually or when workplace conditions change substantially. If you're operating in high-risk industries such as construction, manufacturing, or agriculture, this document becomes even more critical for demonstrating due diligence. Additionally, you'll need this assessment when engaging new contractors, implementing new technologies, or responding to safety incidents that reveal previously unidentified risks.

Key legal considerations

Your Broad Brush Risk Assessment must demonstrate systematic identification of all reasonably foreseeable hazards, including physical, chemical, biological, and psychosocial risks. The document should include your risk evaluation methodology, showing how you've assessed likelihood and consequence ratings for each identified hazard. You must document existing control measures and identify where additional controls are needed to reduce risks to an acceptable level. The assessment should also establish clear responsibilities for risk management actions and set realistic timeframes for implementation. Remember that this document may be scrutinized by WorkSafe New Zealand inspectors, so ensure your risk assessment process is thorough, well-documented, and regularly updated.

Legal requirements in New Zealand

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and the Health and Safety at Work (General Risk and Workplace Management) Regulations 2016, your risk assessment must meet specific standards for hazard identification and risk management. You're required to consult with workers and their representatives during the assessment process, ensuring their knowledge and experience inform your risk evaluation. The assessment must consider all persons who could be affected by your operations, not just employees. If your operations involve hazardous substances, you must also comply with the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 requirements. Environmental risks must be assessed under the Resource Management Act 1991, while fire-related risks require consideration of Fire and Emergency New Zealand Act 2017 provisions. Your assessment must be reviewed and updated whenever there are significant changes to your operations or when new information about risks becomes available.