An effective workplace health and safety (WHS) system requires ongoing monitoring to ensure that hazards are appropriately managed, risk control measures remain effective and workplace practices continue to support the health, safety and wellbeing of all stakeholders. Monitoring enables organisations to identify emerging risks, evaluate the effectiveness of existing safety measures and implement improvements before incidents occur.

For Occupational Therapists (OTs) working with assistance animals, monitoring extends beyond traditional workplace safety. It includes consideration of client outcomes, assistance animal welfare, environmental suitability, organisational procedures and the effectiveness of collaborative practice. Regular monitoring supports safe, ethical and evidence-informed service delivery while ensuring that assistance animal partnerships continue to meet the needs of both the client and the animal.

Monitoring is not a one-off activity but an ongoing process that should be embedded within everyday professional practice.

Why Monitor Workplace Health and Safety?

Monitoring allows organisations to determine whether workplace health and safety systems are functioning as intended.

Regular monitoring helps to:

• identify emerging hazards before harm occurs
• evaluate whether existing risk controls remain effective
• identify trends in incidents and near misses
• ensure compliance with legislation and organisational policies
• support continuous quality improvement
• promote accountability
• protect client safety
• safeguard assistance animal welfare.

Without ongoing monitoring, hazards may go unnoticed and risk controls may become ineffective over time.

What Should Be Monitored?

Monitoring should consider all aspects of workplace health and safety relevant to assistance animal practice.

Areas requiring regular review may include:

• workplace hazards
• environmental conditions
• assistance animal health and welfare
• client safety
• infection prevention practices
• manual handling procedures
• equipment condition
• emergency preparedness
• staff competency
• incident reporting trends
• compliance with organisational policies.

The frequency of monitoring should reflect the level of risk associated with the activity or environment.

Monitoring Risk Control Measures

Risk controls should be regularly assessed to determine whether they continue to reduce identified risks effectively.

Questions that may assist during review include:

• Is the control measure being used as intended?
• Has the level of risk changed?
• Have new hazards emerged?
• Has the client’s condition changed?
• Has the assistance animal’s behaviour or health changed?
• Is additional education required?
• Are stakeholders complying with procedures?

Where controls are no longer effective, they should be reviewed and revised promptly.

Monitoring Client Outcomes

Workplace health and safety should support, rather than restrict, occupational participation.

Occupational Therapists should regularly evaluate whether workplace health and safety strategies continue to support the client’s:

• safety
• independence
• participation
• occupational performance
• confidence
• wellbeing.

Monitoring should balance risk management with the client’s right to participate in meaningful occupations and community life.

Monitoring Assistance Animal Welfare

The health and welfare of the assistance animal should be reviewed regularly throughout the working partnership.

Monitoring may include assessment of:

• body condition
• physical health
• behavioural changes
• workload
• stress indicators
• fatigue
• motivation
• suitability for ongoing work.

Changes in behaviour or performance may indicate underlying medical, behavioural or environmental concerns requiring further assessment.

Where concerns are identified, Occupational Therapists should collaborate with veterinarians, qualified trainers and other relevant professionals.

Monitoring Workplace Environments

Workplaces and community environments change over time.

Changes that may introduce new hazards include:

• renovations
• altered floor layouts
• new equipment
• changes in staffing
• increased public access
• seasonal conditions
• changes in organisational procedures.

Regular environmental reviews help ensure that workplaces remain accessible and safe for both clients and assistance animals.

Using Workplace Health and Safety Data

Monitoring should be informed by objective information rather than assumptions.

Useful sources of workplace health and safety data include:

• hazard reports
• incident reports
• near miss reports
• workplace inspections
• risk assessments
• client feedback
• staff feedback
• assistance animal welfare records
• training records
• audit findings.

Analysing these data sources can help identify patterns that may not be apparent when reviewing individual events in isolation.

Identifying Trends

Trend analysis involves examining workplace health and safety information over time to identify recurring issues.

Examples may include:

• repeated slips occurring in the same location
• increasing reports of assistance animal fatigue
• recurring equipment failures
• repeated public access disputes
• increasing manual handling injuries
• common infection prevention issues.

Identifying trends allows organisations to implement proactive strategies before serious incidents occur.

Responding to Monitoring Outcomes

Monitoring is only effective when findings lead to action.

Where monitoring identifies concerns, Occupational Therapists should consider whether changes are required to:

• workplace procedures
• environmental design
• client education
• staff training
• supervision arrangements
• assistance animal workload
• equipment
• organisational policies.

Recommendations should be evidence-informed, practical and proportionate to the identified level of risk.

Collaborative Monitoring

Monitoring workplace health and safety is a shared responsibility.

Occupational Therapists should collaborate with:

• clients
• families and carers
• employers
• educators
• disability support providers
• veterinarians
• assistance animal trainers
• workplace managers
• multidisciplinary team members.

Collaboration ensures that monitoring reflects multiple perspectives and supports comprehensive risk management.

Continuous Monitoring and Review

Monitoring should be incorporated into routine professional practice rather than undertaken only following incidents.

Examples of routine monitoring include:

• reviewing risk assessments during client reviews
• observing assistance animal behaviour during sessions
• checking equipment before use
• discussing safety concerns during team meetings
• reviewing incident data regularly
• evaluating workplace modifications.

Routine monitoring supports early identification of issues and contributes to a proactive safety culture.

Key Practice Principle

Monitoring workplace health and safety is an ongoing process that enables Occupational Therapists to evaluate the effectiveness of risk controls, identify emerging hazards and support continuous improvement. By regularly reviewing client outcomes, workplace environments, organisational systems and assistance animal welfare, practitioners can maintain safe, ethical and sustainable assistance animal partnerships while promoting meaningful occupational participation.