# Take 5 Safety Check (/docs/form-guides/building/national/national-take-5)



The **Take 5 Safety Check** is a short pre-task check: stop, look, assess, control, proceed. Answer ten questions, note any hazards, sign off, and download a signed PDF before you start.

This is a Tradie Forms designed form. No official Take 5 form exists, so the PDF is a clean one-page record that can grow if you add many hazards.

[Open the Take 5](/forms/national-take-5) before the task starts.

<Callout type="warn" className="docs-callout-warn my-4">
  A Take 5 does not replace a SWMS when the work is high-risk construction work.
  Follow the SWMS and the site process that apply to the task.
</Callout>

<span id="before-you-start" />

## Before you start [#before-you-start]

* Know **what task** you are about to do.
* Know **where** you are working (for example level 2 riser cupboard).
* Have two minutes before tools come out.
* Check the current task, work area, plant, weather, access, and people nearby. Do not reuse answers from a different job without checking them.

<span id="worker" />

## Worker [#worker]

Who is doing the task and where.

* **Business Logo** - optional. Shows top right on the downloaded record.
* **Name** - required. Who is filling this Take 5.
* **Company** - optional employer or trading name.
* **Site or Address** - free text for where you are standing, not a full postal address.
* **Supervisor** - optional.
* **Date** and **Task** - required. Tap **Today** for the date.

<span id="checklist" />

## Checklist [#checklist]

Ten fixed yes or no questions. Answer every one.

If you answer **No**, add a short note. That note prints under Checklist notes on the PDF. Use the hazards table for the control that fixes the problem.

You can mark remaining unanswered questions as Yes when they apply.

Do not change a No to Yes just to complete the form. Record the problem, put the control in place, then answer based on the condition after the control.

<span id="hazards" />

## Hazards [#hazards]

Optional table for hazards that need a control before you start.

* **Hazard**, **Risk** (Low to Extreme), and **Control**.
* Add a row when a check is No, or when you see a risk that needs a written control.
* Make the control specific. For example, "set a 2 m exclusion zone with cones" is clearer than "be careful".

Empty hazards are fine when every check is Yes and nothing else needs recording.

<span id="signOff" />

## Sign-Off [#sign-off]

Confirm it is safe to start.

* **Safe to Proceed?** - Yes, controls in place, or No, do not start.
* If **No**, say what needs to happen first.
* **Name**, **Date**, and **Signature** - required before download.

<span id="final-check" />

## Before download [#before-download]

* Answer all ten checklist questions.
* Add a note for every No answer.
* Check each hazard row has a hazard, risk rating, and control.
* Choose No, do not start if the controls are not in place.
* Check the site, task, date, name, and signature.

<span id="after-export" />

## After download [#after-download]

Keep the record where your business or site process requires it. If the task, work area, crew, or conditions change, stop and review the risks again. Start a new Take 5 when the existing record no longer describes the work.

For a fuller task breakdown, use the [Job Safety Analysis](/docs/form-guides/building/national/national-jsa). Check [Safe Work Australia’s construction risk guidance](https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/safety-topic/industry-and-business/construction/managing-risks) and your local regulator for SWMS requirements.

For more help choosing the right safety record, read [SWMS vs JSA vs Take 5](/resources/swms-vs-jsa-vs-take-5).