The five steps
| Step | Ask yourself | ☐ |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Stop | What am I about to do? Do I have the right permit, training and equipment? Am I fit for the task? | ☐ |
| 2. Look | What could hurt me or others: energy sources, moving plant, heights, pinch points, chemicals, weather, other crews nearby? | ☐ |
| 3. Assess | How likely is harm and how bad could it be? Has anything changed since last time? | ☐ |
| 4. Control | What will I do about each hazard: isolate, guard, barricade, lift aid, PPE, get help? Can I do it safely alone? | ☐ |
| 5. Proceed | Only if every hazard is controlled. If not, stop and talk to the supervisor. | ☐ |
Hazard prompts
| Category | Look for |
|---|---|
| Energy | Electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, stored energy, gravity, isolation needed? |
| Movement | Mobile plant, conveyors, rotating parts, traffic, reversing vehicles |
| Height and access | Working at height, ladders, edges, openings, housekeeping on access ways |
| Manual handling | Weight, awkward posture, repetition, team lift or aid needed |
| Environment | Heat, cold, noise, dust, light, wet floors, confined space |
| Chemicals | SDS read, correct PPE, ventilation, spill kit |
| People | Others nearby, communication, lone work, competence |
The record
| Task | Location | Date / time | Name | Hazards found | Controls applied | Safe to proceed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ☐ Yes ☐ No, reported to |
When a Take 5 is not enough
A Take 5 is a personal check for routine tasks. It does not replace a JSA or SWMS for high-risk work (height above two metres, confined spaces, live electrical, mobile plant interaction, hot work), a permit to work, or a formal risk assessment for a new task. If the Take 5 reveals a hazard that needs more than a personal control, the right answer is to stop and escalate.
Common mistakes
- Filled in from habit without looking up.
- Done once at the start of shift for several tasks.
- Hazards written down and the task started anyway.
- Cards collected in a box and never read.
Take 5 inside daily management
The hazards written on Take 5 cards are the most honest hazard register a site has. They belong in the safety section of the Tier 1 huddle: the supervisor reads yesterday's cards, raises any hazard that needs a control beyond the individual as an action, and the Tier 2 meeting sees which hazards repeat across crews. A Take 5 that stopped a task is recognised, not questioned.
Step by step
- Stop. Think about the task, the permit, your training and your fitness for it.
- Look. Walk the area and name the hazards using the prompts.
- Assess. Decide how likely and how severe harm could be, and what has changed.
- Control. Put a control in place for each hazard, or get help.
- Proceed. Start only when every hazard is controlled; otherwise stop and report.
A worked example
A fitter on a quarry site did a Take 5 before changing a conveyor idler and noted that the walkway beside the conveyor was wet from a hose left running. Rather than proceed, he isolated the hose, waited for the walkway to drain and wrote both on the card. At the next morning's huddle the supervisor raised the hose as an action; the fix was a self-closing nozzle, done that week. The card was read out as the example of a Take 5 done properly.