A Take 5 risk assessment is a 5-minute pre-start checklist used to identify health and safety issues and hazards before starting work on a job.

It’s an invaluable tool for a quick but effective “on the job” risk assessment and it should take less than 5 minutes to complete.
It helps workers and contractors, particularly those new to a site, reduce exposure to hazards and identify other issues that may affect safety.
The Take 5 differs from the JSA, SWMS or standard risk assessment in that it is not a task by task assessment. In contrast, it is a prestart checklist for the work as a whole. The individual worker’s current situation is of overriding importance.

The Take 5 looks at a range of situations that will differ for each workplace and it’s changing conditions. Even though the tasks to complete the job may be the same each time, local conditions can vary.
For example, a job may be cleaning windows in a high rise building from a BMU.
There will already be a SWMS associated with the job. There is probably a risk assessment. Additionally, there could be some procedures for operating the BMU.
However, when all the workers involved turn up, there is a high wind blowing, and the BMU is damaged.
These situations are not covered by other assessments. They are variable and can differ each time work commences.
Take five risk assessment really comes into its own in this situation.

The Problem With A Take 5 Risk Assessment

The Take 5 is usually carried out using a paper Take 5 risk assessment template or a Take 5 risk assessment booklet.
This means the take 5’s usefulness is limited from a management perspective.
Why?
Because the records are easily lost if they are in a booklet or paper format and they are very difficult to manage in terms of the people, jobs, assets and other resources they relate to.

Supervisors are informed and have control

When generating a Take 5 hazard identification record with the Simple WorkSafe Take 5 Risk Assessment Wizard the worker simply answers the questions on the Wizard. The designated safety coordinator receives an email whenever a Take 5 has issues that need resolving.

The Take 5 is automatically linked to every resource that is affected by the assessment, for example; the Take 5 will automatically and permanently be linked to the job it relates to, the worksite and location where the job was carried out, the worker who generated it, any assets (plant, machinery, equipment or tools) that were used and any chemicals that were used.

Effective Health and Safety Systems Are Easily Controllable

The effectiveness and success of the health and safety system are relative to the manager or owner’s ability to control it.

By using Simple Worksafe’s Take 5 Risk Assessment Wizard you can make it easy for workers to carry out a Take 5 risk assessment. At the same time, YOU have much better control of the changing situations that face workers on a work site BEFORE they attempt a job.

Comprehensive reports generated at the press of a button

A Take 5 Risk Assessment document can be printed out in four different formats, Word document, image, spreadsheet or pdf.
Printing in either Word or spreadsheet formats means the resulting report can be customised any way you wish.

Export & Import Function

Every Take 5 risk assessment can be exported to either spreadsheets, CSV, Word Docs etc. Take 5 safety risk assessment pdf or word docs generated through any take 5 risk assessment template can be either imported or attached into the Simple Take 5 Risk Assessment Wizard.