Rank proposed controls against the hierarchy and challenge a PPE-only or procedure-only proposal.
Occupational Health & Safety
Applying the Hierarchy of Controls Beyond PPE and Written Procedures
Move beyond PPE and written procedures: select, specify and audit elimination, substitution, engineering and administrative controls using a structured control effectiveness review.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
Many workplaces treat the hierarchy of controls as a training slide rather than a decision tool, and end up managing every hazard with a written procedure and a piece of personal protective equipment (PPE) because that is the fastest control to write. This course works through elimination, substitution, engineering and administrative controls in enough technical depth that participants can actually select and specify them, not just recite the order. Sessions cover redesigning a task or process to remove a hazard, substituting a safer material or method, specifying engineering controls such as local exhaust ventilation, guarding and interlocks, and writing administrative controls that limit exposure rather than simply telling workers to be careful. Participants assess real control options for cost, reliability and maintenance burden, and learn to challenge a PPE-only proposal with a structured control effectiveness review. Case exercises cover noise, dust, moving machinery and manual handling tasks. The course finishes with a method for auditing existing controls on a walk-round and building a phased plan to move a workplace up the hierarchy without stopping production.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Identify realistic elimination or substitution options for a named hazard before considering engineering controls.
Specify engineering controls such as guarding, interlocks or local exhaust ventilation for a given task.
Write administrative controls that limit exposure time and frequency rather than restating a rule.
Assess control reliability, maintenance burden and failure modes during a control selection review.
Audit controls on an existing task and identify where the workplace can move up the hierarchy.
Build a phased plan that upgrades weak controls without halting an operating process.
Who Should Attend
Health and safety advisers who assess and approve control measures for existing hazards.
Engineers and technical staff specifying machine guarding, ventilation or process changes.
Operations managers deciding how to control hazards without stopping production.
Safety committee members reviewing control proposals from operational teams.
Maintenance leads responsible for keeping engineering controls in working order.
Consultants advising clients on control options beyond procedures and PPE.
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01Elimination and Substitution as First Resort
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Redesigning the Task to Remove the Hazard
- Question whether a hazardous task needs to be performed at all in its current form.
- Redesign a work sequence to remove a fall, manual handling or confined space exposure entirely.
- Assess mechanisation or automation options that take a person out of the hazard zone.
- Document why elimination was ruled out when it genuinely is not achievable for a task.
Session 2Substituting Safer Materials, Processes and Equipment
- Compare a hazardous substance against lower-hazard alternatives using safety data sheet criteria.
- Substitute a safer process, such as wet cutting for dry cutting, to cut dust generation at source.
- Evaluate whether a substitution introduces a new hazard that needs its own assessment.
- Justify a substitution decision with reference to exposure data and supplier information.
02Engineering Controls That Do the Work
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Guarding, Interlocks and Isolation
- Specify fixed, interlocked or adjustable guarding appropriate to the machine and task.
- Apply isolation and lockout points so energy sources cannot re-engage during intervention.
- Check guard and interlock design against recognised machinery safety principles, not habit.
- Identify defeated or bypassed guards during an inspection and correct the underlying cause.
Session 2Ventilation, Noise Control and Physical Barriers
- Specify local exhaust ventilation capture points close enough to the source to be effective.
- Select noise control measures at the source, such as enclosures or damping, over hearing protection alone.
- Design physical barriers and exclusion zones that separate people from moving plant by default.
- Commission and test an engineering control before relying on it to close out a risk assessment.
03Administrative Controls That Actually Limit Exposure
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Job Rotation, Scheduling and Access Control
- Design job rotation schedules that genuinely reduce cumulative exposure, not just paperwork.
- Restrict access to a hazard area using permits, signage and physical controls together.
- Sequence work to separate incompatible activities happening in the same area at the same time.
- Set exposure limits and monitoring triggers that pause work before harm occurs.
Session 2Procedures, Training and Supervision as Supporting Controls
- Write a procedure that supports an engineering control instead of substituting for one.
- Target training on the specific behaviours a control relies on workers to perform correctly.
- Assign supervision checks that verify a control is used, not just that it exists.
- Recognise when a procedure is compensating for a missing engineering control and flag it.
04Selecting, Auditing and Upgrading Controls
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Running a Structured Control Selection Review
- Score competing control options against effectiveness, reliability and maintenance demand.
- Challenge a proposed control that relies mainly on worker behaviour to succeed every time.
- Involve workers who perform the task in reviewing whether a proposed control is workable.
- Record the rationale for a chosen control so a later reviewer can see what was considered.
Session 2Auditing and Upgrading Controls Already in Place
- Walk a work area to identify tasks still controlled mainly by PPE or a written procedure.
- Check that engineering controls are maintained, tested and performing as originally designed.
- Build a phased plan that upgrades the weakest controls first without stopping the operation.
- Track control upgrades against a plan and report progress to the safety committee.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
Complete your registration
We will contact you within one business day to confirm.
Ready to start?
Reserve your seat and start building the skill.