High Risk Work

Welcome to the Monash University Contractor Critical High Risk Work Coordination Hub

Monash University is committed to providing a safe working environment for all staff, students, contractors, and visitors on site.

To protect the health and safety of nearby staff, students, other contractors, and the public, certain high‑risk work activities require prior notification to Monash before work commences. These activities include:

Hot works
Working at heights or accessing a roof
Entering a confined space
Entering the Clayton Tunnel System
Conducting earthworks
Hazardous materials removal
Operating drones

You have management and control of the work you are engaged to undertake. Monash University, however, retains management and control of the broader site, which may include areas adjacent to your work. There may also be other contractors working in the vicinity. Effective coordination is therefore essential to ensure all activities are carried out safely.

Further information on roles and responsibilities is outlined in the “Our expectation” and the “Safety Information” tabs and are covered during the induction process.

Before submitting your notification, please ensure you review the relevant Critical High risk information associated with the activity you are proposing to undertake. Please ensure that you make the notification that you are undertaking high risk work at least 48 hours prior to the commencement of work.

CRITICAL HIGH RISK WORK INFORMATION

Monash has collated information about the infrastructure critical risks our contractors need to be aware of to be able to work safely on our campuses. This includes the following:

Roof reports including all height safety equipment
Hazmat Register
Restricted crawl spaces
Tunnel Maps
A list or map of all areas of the campuses that are considered a confined space or restricted access area (other than tunnels).
Location of telecommunications infrastructure
Location of radiation risks
Location of any hazardous substances/dangerous goods (as per signage on campus)
Fire Suppression Ring
Risks associated with:
- High student populations or on-campus residential areas
- Sensitive equipment or controlled environments
- Animals, biological and research activities
- Works requiring ethics approval
- Any regulatory or licensing implications (e.g. certified facilities that require notification to the Monash Research Office)

To access more details about this information please email contractorsafety@monash.edu

Any work that generates heat or sparks which may become a source of ignition and start a fire, is considered as Hot Works (e.g. cutting, grinding, welding etc). All persons undertaking this type of work must advise of their intention to do this work and outline the risk controls they will have in place including any fire system isolation requests that must be completed before submitting this form. Assistance to assess risk and implement controls can be found in the following:
Fire safety during construction work
To complete the form please click here.
WorkSafe Victoria have several publications available that can assist with ensuring you are complying with regulatory requirements. Contractors can refer to the following links when preparing their own safe system of work, where needed.
Compliance Code – Prevention of falls in General Construction
Compliance Code – Prevention of falls in Housing Construction
To complete the form please click here.
It is the responsibility of the employer of the persons undertaking the work in a confined space to ensure that the work is done safely. These areas present unique risks because the hazards are often not apparent. Employers of workers entering a confined space must ensure they have their own Permit process in place, in addition to completing the intention to undertake work form, before any work is undertaken. Assistance to assess risk and implement controls can be found in the following guides:
Compliance Code: Confined Spaces
To complete the form please click here.
All workers entering the tunnels must have completed the Tunnel Induction and complete an intention to access the Monash Tunnel System.
To complete the form please click here.
Earthworks, excavation and trenching can pose a serious risk to the health and safety of workers and those in the immediate area. Risks associated with this type of work must be considered and controlled as far as is reasonably practicable before you commence. Assistance to assess risk and implement controls can be found in the following guides:
Compliance Code: Excavation
General Excavation and Trenching
For further information relating to the Fire Ring please contact your Monash Supervisor.
If you intend to excavate to a depth of 1.5 meters or more, you must complete The Worksafe Excavation Notification Form. WorkSafe Excavation Notification Form
To complete the form please click here.
A hazardous materials management plan (HMMP) is in place at Monash. For the purposes of the HMMP, Monash have included the following hazardous building materials as ‘hazmat’:
- Asbestos containing materials (ACM)
- Lead containing paint (LCP)
- Ozone depleting substance (ODS)
- Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) containing capacitors in electrical fittings
- Respirable Crystalline Silica
- Synthetic mineral fibre (SMF) materials
The Hazardous Materials Management Plan (HMMP) must be implemented with an Intention to Undertake Critical High Risk Work form for any Hazmat work completed to meet the conditions of the HMMP. To obtain a copy of this Plan prior to any Hazmat work being undertaken, please contact contractorsafety@monash.edu before any of these work activities are commenced:
- Maintenance work
- Project refurbishment, demolition or renovation work
- Incident – disturbance of any hazmat or suspected hazmat
To download the form click HERE, complete it and return it to: Monash Compliance Coordinator
You must not operate any drones at or for Monash University (on or off campus) until you have been inducted into the University's Drone Safety Management System (DSMS). This may include being formally inducted under Monash University’s RPA Operator’s Certificate (ReOC) by the University's Chief Pilot.
Please note, this permit is issued by an external third party — all relevant information and links to start this process are available from the Drone Safety topics page.

Buildings and Property Contractors

Buildings and Property Contractors

High Risk Work

Welcome to the Monash University Contractor Critical High Risk Work Coordination Hub

CRITICAL HIGH RISK WORK INFORMATION