Developing a Safety Plan

Overview

In this twelfth lesson of the 30-lesson Infrastructure Skills Development unit, students work in groups to create a comprehensive, site-specific health and safety plan. They apply workshop safety knowledge to a realistic infrastructure project, identifying hazards, assessing risk, assigning controls and planning emergency responses.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• select appropriate planning tools to manage a technological development.
• identify hazards, risks, stakeholders and resources within a specific worksite.
• develop practical controls that follow the hierarchy of control.
• communicate and review a group safety plan using evidence and feedback.
• apply the key competencies of managing self, participating and contributing, and thinking.

Success criteria

• I can identify site-specific hazards and explain the risk each creates.
• I can choose realistic controls and explain how they reduce risk.
• I can allocate responsibilities, resources and review points in a clear plan.
• I can use peer feedback to improve the safety plan.

Curriculum links

• Select and use planning tools to manage the development of an outcome.
• Demonstrate understanding of advanced concepts used to make products, including accepted safety conventions and workshop safety strategies.
• Undertake development and implementation of an effective manufacturing process through resource organisation, safe practice and quality control.
• Technology key competencies: managing self; participating and contributing; thinking; using language, symbols and texts.

Lesson structure (120 minutes)

1. 0–10 min · Safety hook and prior learning. Teacher displays a photograph or scenario of an unsafe infrastructure worksite using the opening hazard scenario slide and asks, “What could go wrong here, and who could be affected?” Students independently list hazards, then compare observations with a partner. Teacher clarifies that a hazard is a source of harm, while risk considers likelihood and consequence.

2. 10–25 min · Direct teaching: what makes a useful plan? Teacher uses the safety plan teaching slides to model a site-specific plan covering the project description, people affected, hazard identification, risk rating, controls, required resources, responsibilities, emergency procedures and review points. Introduce the hierarchy of control: eliminate, substitute, isolate, engineering controls, administrative controls and personal protective equipment. Students annotate the site-specific safety plan organiser and contribute examples from workshop, construction or infrastructure contexts.

3. 25–35 min · Analyse an existing plan. Teacher provides a short model plan on the plan analysis slide and guides students to identify strengths, omissions and vague controls. Groups use a “notice, question, improve” discussion: What is specific? What evidence is missing? Which control would be more effective? Each student records one improvement on the worksheet.

4. 35–45 min · Form project teams and investigate the site. Teacher forms five groups of five and assigns each group a project scenario, such as installing a small outdoor structure, developing a drainage feature, preparing a temporary worksite or constructing a service pathway. Teacher checks that scenarios are age-appropriate and do not require students to undertake hazardous practical work. Students identify the site, intended outcome, workers, visitors, equipment, materials, environmental conditions and relevant stakeholders. They begin a hazard brainstorm on the worksheet.

5. 45–85 min · Collaborative planning workshop. Teacher uses the group task and planning process slides to keep groups on schedule, conferencing with each team at the 55-minute and 75-minute review points. Students produce one complete site-specific safety plan on the worksheet or an enlarged planning sheet. It must include at least eight hazards; who may be harmed; likelihood and consequence ratings; risk priorities; control measures matched to the hierarchy; required tools, equipment, materials and PPE; named responsibilities; emergency and reporting procedures; and two critical review points. Students must justify their highest-priority controls rather than simply list rules.

6. 85–105 min · Peer review and revision. Teacher displays the review protocol on the peer-review and refinement slides. Groups exchange plans with another team and check whether controls are specific, achievable and suited to the site. Reviewers identify one significant strength, one missing hazard and one control that could be improved. Groups discuss the feedback, revise their plan and record what changed and why.

7. 105–120 min · Present, assess and close. Each group gives a two-minute safety briefing focused on its three highest risks and most important controls. Teacher and students ask one clarifying question per presentation. Individually, students complete the final reflection on the individual review and exit section, explaining one decision they made, one resource or responsibility that must be managed, and one change made after feedback.

Resources

• the Developing a Safety Plan slide deck
• the site-specific safety plan organiser
• Scenario cards describing infrastructure worksite contexts
• Large paper or shared digital planning canvas
• Site photographs, diagrams or teacher-prepared worksite layouts
• Risk matrix displayed or printed for reference
• Workshop safety rules, emergency procedures and PPE examples
• Markers, highlighters and sticky notes
• Projector or interactive display

Assessment

• During teaching, question students about the difference between hazards, risks and controls; listen for accurate use of the hierarchy of control.
• At the 55- and 75-minute checkpoints, review each group’s hazard coverage, risk priorities, resource planning and allocation of responsibilities.
• Collect the completed group plan and individual reflection. Assess whether students selected and used planning tools, reviewed progress, and developed realistic site-specific safety strategies.

Differentiation

• Provide a completed example, a hazard bank and sentence starters such as “This hazard could affect…” and “The most effective control is…” for students requiring support.
• Allow students to record ideas through labelled diagrams, speech-to-text or shared digital tools before transferring key information to the plan.
• Pair students strategically and assign clear roles such as project manager, hazard analyst, resource manager, emergency planner and quality reviewer.
• Extend capable students by requiring them to justify control choices using cost, environmental impact, legal expectations, feasibility and likely effectiveness.
• For EAL learners, pre-teach hazard, consequence, likelihood, control, stakeholder and emergency response with visual examples; check understanding privately before group work.