Australia Heavy Vehicle National Law Safety Management System Standard 2026 2.1: Hazard identification: proportionate processes that identify hazards from transport activities and heavy vehicle driving as actually performed, covering physical, behavioural and systemic sources, interface and third-party hazards, done proactively and continuously, triggered by change, and informed by operational experience, incidents, near misses and observations

What does 2.1 require?

The operator runs processes, matched to the nature and public risks of its work, to find the hazards that its transport activities and heavy vehicle driving create. Hazard identification means spotting what could cause harm; judging likelihood, severity or controls comes later, and no specific method, tool or register is required. Six things are looked for. Hazards are found by looking at how work is actually planned, organised and done, not at an abstract description of operations. The search covers physical conditions, vehicles, equipment and loads and equally behaviours, practices, policies, procedures and systems of work, not just the visible physical hazards. It takes in hazards that come from dealings with other chain of responsibility parties and from other parties' practices that can affect safe operation, including hazards outside the operator's direct control. It runs continuously and proactively, not only after incidents, non-conformances or outside prompts. It is triggered by change: to organisational arrangements, staff, routes, contracts, equipment, vehicles, operating environments, processes or procedures. And it draws on operational experience, incidents, near misses, observation and other available information to recognise sources of harm, without needing formal investigation or review.