Turning your risk assessments into steps people actually follow
A safe operating procedure (SOP) is a written, step-by-step description of how to carry out a task safely. It takes the controls you identified in your risk assessment and turns them into clear instructions, and it is a practical way to meet the HSWA duty to provide information, instruction, training and supervision. A good SOP is specific to the task and the workplace, written with the people who do the work, and kept current as the work changes.
Under the HSWA, a PCBU must give workers and others the information, training, instruction and supervision they need to be protected from risks arising from the work. A safe operating procedure is one of the clearest ways to do that for a specific task — it records the safe way to do the job so that everyone does it the same way, including new workers and those returning after a break.
SOPs sit downstream of your risk assessment: identify the hazards and controls first, then write the procedure that puts those controls into practice.
| Element | What it covers |
|---|---|
| The task | What the procedure covers, and where and when it applies. |
| Hazards & controls | The key risks and the controls that must be in place, including PPE. |
| The steps | The safe sequence to follow, including start-up, the task itself, and safe shut-down or clean-up. |
| Competency | Who is authorised to do the task and what training they need. |
| What to do if | What to do when something goes wrong, and who to tell. |
Write SOPs with the workers who actually do the task — they know the practical steps and the shortcuts to design out. Use the manufacturer's manual for plant and machinery, keep the language plain, and make the procedure easy to find at the point of work. Review it when the task, plant, substances or people change, and use it to induct and train. SOPs reinforce, but do not replace, supervision and competency, and for the highest-risk work they sit alongside a permit to work.
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A written, step-by-step description of how to carry out a specific task safely. It turns the controls from your risk assessment into clear instructions so everyone does the job the same safe way.
The HSWA requires PCBUs to provide the information, instruction, training and supervision needed to protect people from risks arising from the work. A safe operating procedure is a practical, widely used way to meet that duty for a specific task.
The task and where it applies, the hazards and controls including PPE, the safe sequence of steps, who is authorised and trained to do it, and what to do if something goes wrong.
Write it with the workers who actually do the task. They know the practical steps and the unsafe shortcuts to design out, which makes the procedure both safer and more likely to be followed.
Whenever the task, plant, substances or people change, and periodically as part of your normal review. An out-of-date SOP can be worse than none, because people stop trusting it.
