Regulatory breach or work without permission toolbox talk

What it is

Starting or continuing work without the permits, approvals, licences or plan conditions that law, authorities or owners require.

Controls to check, most effective first

1. Identify the laws, standards, permits and approvals that apply before work starts, and record who is responsible for each.
2. Confirm that all permits and approvals are in place and current, including council, road authority, utility and landowner permissions, and keep copies on site.
3. Check that the work is within the approved plan, boundary and design, and stop work to get approval for any change.
4. Confirm that workers and contractors hold the licences, tickets and insurance the work requires.
5. Check the work against the relevant standards and the manufacturer's instructions, and keep inspection and test records.
6. Review compliance during the job, and stop work and notify the person in charge if a breach is found.

Questions for the crew

1. Where could regulatory breach or work without permission come up on this job today?
2. The most effective control is: “Identify the laws, standards, permits and approvals that apply before work starts, and record who is responsible for each”. Can we do that here? If not, why not?
3. Which controls for regulatory breach or work without permission are missing or not working on this site?
4. When would you stop work because of regulatory breach or work without permission, and who would you tell?
5. How do we report a hazard, a near miss or an incident on this job?