Hierarchy of controls selector

Name the hazard and the highest control you plan to rely on to see where it sits in the hierarchy of controls, which higher levels you must rule out first, and how cost counts.

Figures checked 5 November 2026. Free to use, no sign-in.

Victoria and Western Australia have their own Acts; the tool switches to them.

Is it reasonably practicable to eliminate the hazard?

Hierarchy of controls

Your control

2 higher levels to rule out

Order the law requires

  1. Eliminate the risk. So far as is reasonably practicable (r 35(a)).
  2. Substitute, isolate or engineer. One or more of these, with no order between them (r 36(3)).
  3. Administrative controls. Only for risk that remains (r 36(4)).
  4. Personal protective equipment. Only for risk that still remains (r 36(5)).

Rule these out first, in writing

  • Elimination
  • Substitution, isolation or engineering controls

Source: r 35–36 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW); ss 17–18 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW).

  • Record why elimination, then substitution, isolation or engineering controls aren’t reasonably practicable, or don’t remove all the risk, before relying on this control.
  • Administrative controls and PPE are meant for the risk that remains after higher controls. Combining controls is allowed and usual.
  • Strictly, r 35–36 apply to risks you must manage under the Regulations; the Act’s general duties (s 17) also require elimination first, then minimising.

General information, not legal advice. What is reasonably practicable depends on your workplace.

How this works

WHS Regulations: r 35 requires elimination so far as is reasonably practicable. r 36 then sets three tiers: substitution, isolation or engineering (r 36(3)), administrative controls (r 36(4)) and PPE (r 36(5)). The tool counts the tiers above your control that you need to rule out.

Victoria: s 20 of the OHS Act: eliminate, then reduce, so far as is reasonably practicable, with hazard-specific orders in the regulations.

Unsure: if you aren’t sure whether elimination is practicable, the tool asks you to check it first rather than recording a gap.

Legal basis

Checked against these sources on 5 November 2026. Spotted a figure that looks wrong? Tell us.

Questions

What is the hierarchy of controls in the WHS Regulations?

Eliminate the risk if reasonably practicable (r 35). If not, minimise it with one or more of substitution, isolation and engineering controls (r 36(3)); then administrative controls for any remaining risk (r 36(4)); then personal protective equipment (r 36(5)).

Do I have to try substitution before engineering controls?

No. Substitution, isolation and engineering controls sit in the same tier, and the regulations ask for one or more of them in any order or combination.

Can cost justify a lower control?

Only if the cost of the higher control is grossly disproportionate to the risk, weighed after the likelihood and severity of harm and the available controls (s 18 of the WHS Act). In Victoria, cost is one of the factors in s 20 of the OHS Act, weighed with the others.

Does Victoria use the same hierarchy?

Victoria’s OHS Act requires you to eliminate risks so far as is reasonably practicable and, if you can’t, reduce them. Its regulations set the order of controls for specific hazards, such as noise and falls.

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