What an Alberta hazard assessment form is for
The hazard assessment is the foundation of every Alberta workplace safety program. Part 2 of the Occupational Health and Safety Code requires each employer to assess every work site before work begins, identify the existing and potential hazards, prepare a dated report of the results and the controls used, involve the affected workers, and repeat the assessment when the work changes. When an Alberta OHS officer visits a work site, or investigates an incident, the written hazard assessment is one of the first documents they ask for.
This form turns those requirements into a working report. It records the work being assessed and why, walks through seven categories of hazards (including psychological and social hazards such as violence, harassment, working alone and fatigue), and sets out each hazard with its risk rating and the controls chosen in the order section 9 requires. A separate table records why higher-level controls were not reasonably practicable, a checklist shows which other OHS Code parts the hazards trigger, and worker sign-offs show participation. A risk rating guide, a field-level hazard assessment for daily use and a revision log complete the package.
When to use it
Use it for every Alberta work site under provincial jurisdiction: construction sites, shops, warehouses, offices, restaurants, farms with waged workers, oil and gas sites and mobile crews. Complete a report before work begins at a new site or before a new site is built, and repeat it when a new process or piece of equipment is introduced, when the work changes, before significant additions or alterations, and at regular intervals.
Use the field-level hazard assessment at the start of each shift or task where conditions change from day to day. Federally regulated workplaces follow the Canada Labour Code instead, and some hazards need their own documents as well, such as a violence and harassment prevention plan, a working alone procedure or a confined space code of practice.
What's inside
The full list of sections and fields in this template, in the order they appear.
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Assessment details
- Employer
- Work site
- Job or task
- Date prepared
- Date revised
- Assessed by
- Supervisor
- Reason for assessment
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Work covered and hazard checklist
- Tasks and steps
- Equipment and substances
- Workers and frequency
- Seven hazard categories including psychological and social
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Hazard assessment and controls
- Hazard
- Risk before controls
- Elimination or engineering controls
- Administrative controls
- PPE
- Risk after controls
- Responsible person
- Date in place
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Reasons, related requirements and participation
- Why higher controls are not reasonably practicable
- Related OHS Code parts triggered
- Worker participation sign-off
- Committee or representative
- Approval
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Risk Rating Guide
- Severity scale
- Likelihood scale
- Priority and action
- Emergency control note
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Field-Level Hazard Assessment and Revision Log
- Daily hazards and controls
- Pre-job checks
- Crew sign-off
- Supervisor review
- Revision dates and reasons
Preview pages
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Page 1 -
Page 2 -
Page 3
How to complete the form
- Define what you are assessing. Enter the work site, the job or task, the date and the reason for the assessment.
- Involve the workers who do the work. Assess with them, not for them; they know where the hazards are.
- List the tasks. Break the work into steps and record the equipment, substances and people involved.
- Work through the checklist. Consider every category for every task, including psychological and social hazards.
- Rate each hazard. Use the Risk Rating Guide to score severity and likelihood before controls.
- Choose controls in order. Eliminate where reasonably practicable, then engineering, administrative and PPE controls, and assign a person and a date.
- Explain the choices. Record why elimination or engineering controls were not reasonably practicable where you rely on lower controls.
- Check the related requirements. Complete any plans or procedures the hazards trigger.
- Sign, share and keep it current. Have workers sign, give the committee or representative a copy, and record every revision.
Example: a completed assessment excerpt
A fictional Red Deer cabinet shop, Prairie Oak Millwork Ltd., assesses its panel saw station after buying a new sliding table saw:
Reason: new work process (new sliding table saw). Date prepared: 2026-05-04. Hazard: contact with the blade during crosscuts. Risk before controls: 4 × 3 = 12, critical. Engineering controls: blade guard and riving knife fitted; sliding table with clamps so hands stay clear. Administrative: safe work procedure, operator training and sign-off, push sticks required. PPE: safety glasses and hearing protection. Risk after: 4 × 1 = 4, medium. Hazard: wood dust. Risk before: 3 × 3 = 9, high. Engineering: dust collector connected to the saw. Administrative: daily cleanup with a vacuum, not compressed air. PPE: N95 respirator when cutting MDF. Risk after: 3 × 1 = 3, low.
Two saw operators take part in the assessment and sign Section 6, and the shop records the new assessment in the Revision Log.
Alberta rules to know
These are the Alberta rules this form is built around.
- Hazard assessment (OHS Code section 7). Before work begins or a new site is built; a report of results and controls; the preparation or revision date recorded; repeated when work changes and at reasonable intervals.
- Worker participation (section 8). Affected workers must be involved in the assessment and in controlling the hazards.
- Elimination and control (section 9). Eliminate if reasonably practicable; otherwise engineering, then administrative controls to as low as reasonably achievable, then PPE, or a combination if safer.
- Emergencies (section 10). Only competent workers, as few as needed, exposed while an emergency hazard is corrected; the report can follow.
- Employer duties (OHS Act section 3). Health, safety and welfare of workers, no harassment or violence, competent supervision, timely resolution of concerns, and hazard information readily available to workers and the committee or representative.
- Related OHS Code parts. Violence and harassment (Part 27), working alone (Part 28), WHMIS (Part 29), fall protection (Part 9), confined spaces (Part 5), emergency response (Part 7) and hazardous energy (Part 15).
Mistakes OHS officers see
The usual problems are a generic assessment copied from another business that does not match the actual work, no date or an old date on a report that was never repeated after equipment or processes changed, hazards controlled only with PPE when engineering controls were practical, psychological hazards such as working alone and violence left out, workers who never saw the assessment, and field-level hazard assessments used instead of a proper report. Completing every section of this form for each job and keeping the Revision Log current avoids each of them.
Frequently asked questions
Is a hazard assessment required in Alberta?
Yes. Section 7 of the Occupational Health and Safety Code requires every employer to assess a work site and identify existing and potential hazards before work begins, or before a new work site is constructed, and to prepare a report of the results and the methods used to control or eliminate the hazards, with the date it was prepared or revised recorded on it.
How often must a hazard assessment be redone in Alberta?
At reasonably practicable intervals to prevent unsafe or unhealthy working conditions from developing, when a new work process is introduced, when a work process or operation changes, and before the construction of significant additions or alterations to a work site. Many employers also review after any incident or near miss.
What is the hierarchy of controls in Alberta?
OHS Code section 9 requires the employer to eliminate the hazard or, if that is not reasonably practicable, control it, using engineering controls first if reasonably practicable, then administrative controls that reduce the hazard as low as reasonably achievable, then personal protective equipment. A combination may be used if it gives workers a greater level of safety.
What is a field-level hazard assessment?
A short assessment done by workers at the start of a shift or task, and when conditions change, to catch hazards that the main assessment could not anticipate, such as weather, new equipment or other crews. It is a common Alberta practice that supplements the written hazard assessment report; it does not replace it.
Do workers have to be involved in the hazard assessment?
Yes. Section 8 of the OHS Code requires the employer to involve affected workers in the hazard assessment and in controlling or eliminating the hazards. The OHS Act also requires employers to keep hazard and control information readily available to workers and to the health and safety committee or representative.
