HATS Consulting Pty. Ltd.

Regulatory obligations - risk reports.

Under the NSW Dams Safety Regulation 2019, declared dam owners are required to submit a risk report at least once every five years, or sooner if significant changes occur.

The first round of risk reports for all declared dams are due by December 2026.

These reports must clearly present:

The dam’s risk profile, including societal and individual risk ratings, and
Evidence that risks have been reduced so far as is reasonably practicable (SFAIRP).

This obligation aligns directly with the broader legal duties under Work Health and Safety (WHS) legislation, which apply in all Australian jurisdictions. These laws require risk owners to eliminate risks where reasonably practicable, and where not, to minimise them as far as is reasonably practicable.

Meeting this obligation is not simply a technical requirement. It is a legal duty that must be demonstrated through a structured, evidence-based approach.

With the deadline for risk reports drawing near, it is important for owners to engage with a competent person now to complete this complex assessment within the required timeframe.

HATS Approach.

HATS is a dam and tailings consulting firm, which specialises in providing dam safety and risk assessment services for owners.

We have extensive experience with assisting dam owners in fulfilling both regulatory and legal requirements through a defensible, structured risk assessment process, that has been informed by our engagement with industrial lawyers and dam regulators.

Our approach to risk assessments enables owners to:

Identify failure modes and associated hazards
Systematically identify potential controls
Determine which controls are reasonably practicable

This framework directly supports compliance with Dam Safety NSW’s requirements and legal expectations under WHS legislation.

21st Century Solution.

RAMP (Risk Assessment and Management Platform) is a purpose-built, cloud-based platform designed to streamline the preparation of risk reports and improve the quality and consistency of risk management across dam portfolios.

Using RAMP, dam owners can:

Efficiently develop and update risk profiles of their dam(s)
Apply consistent failure mode logic and control evaluation methods
Document control justifications, including cost-benefit reasoning
Support prioritisation across portfolios based on risk and practicability

RAMP delivers unparallel efficiencies, particularly for organisations managing multiple dams, by enabling standardised assessments, better use of data, and clear audit trails.

Compliance with NSW Dams Safety Regulation 2019.

Regulatory obligations - risk reports.

HATS Approach.

21st Century Solution.

Your next step.

Compliance with NSW Dams Safety Regulation 2019.

Regulatory obligations - risk reports.

HATS Approach.

21st Century Solution.

Your next step.

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