A pre-start or Take 5 is a short check close to the time of work to confirm conditions, hazards, people, plant and controls are still suitable.
PRE-START & TAKE 5
A last check should answer what changed — not rebuild the task from scratch.
WHS Apps ONE — Pre-start and Take 5 activities can be a practical point-of-work confirmation that the task, conditions and controls remain current before…
PRE-STARTToday · 07:48
WHAT CHANGED?Wet surface at work areaPhoto added
CONTROLBarrier + dry access pathSupervisor reviewed
ONE REUSESThe released task controls that are still current
IN PLAIN ENGLISH
A pre-start or Take 5 should confirm the work is still safe to begin - not make the worker rebuild the whole safety process.
The best question is often not repeat everything. It is: what has changed since this task was prepared?
ONE can present the current task information, ask targeted change questions and connect any new issue back to the requirements it affects.
PRE-START / TAKE 5 IN PLAIN LANGUAGE
The final moment to notice what is different before the work begins.
Different industries and sites use names such as pre-start, Take 5, SLAM or other local point-of-work checks. ONE should not care about the brand of the checklist; it should care whether the person is looking at the right task, the right conditions, the right controls and anything that has changed.
Reuse what is already current.
The pre-start should focus attention on today's differences rather than asking the worker to recreate the entire task package.
Conditions, people and plant can move.
If something changes, ONE should show the affected checks and requirements instead of silently carrying forward a green status.
A completed checklist is not the same as Work Clearance.
The point-of-work check contributes evidence; the authorised decision remains separate where the organisation requires one.
ONE INTELLIGENCE
Same work. Different context. Different answer.
ONE is designed to adapt the pathway to the task, industry, jurisdiction, workplace rules and verified requirements — rather than forcing every organisation into the same generic form.
Start with what the person is actually going to do.
Industry, jurisdiction, workplace, people, plant and client requirements can change the pathway.
Apply the right legal and workplace language only when the applicable source is known.
Choose the appropriate document, checks, prerequisites and evidence — without hiding uncertainty.
GLOBAL FRONT DOORSimple language first.
LOCAL LEGAL INTELLIGENCEJurisdiction-specific duties when known.
TRUST RULEIf ONE is not sure, it tells you.
WHEN THE WORKER IS READY TO BEGIN
The pre-start should be the next action — not another form the worker has to remember to find.
At the end of the released Worker App view, ONE can present a simple I'm ready to begin action. That action records the worker and time, creates the required pre-start action and can trigger an in-app or push reminder to complete it.
Read the task.
The worker sees the practical task steps, hazards, controls, stop-work conditions, permits and evidence prompts relevant to their role.
Start the readiness sequence.
The worker presses I'm ready to begin. This does not mean work has started; it means the worker is moving into the required point-of-work checks.
Check today's conditions.
ONE presents only the relevant worker-observable questions and escalates any failed, changed or unknown condition.
Start only when ready.
Where Work Clearance applies, the completed pre-start contributes to the current readiness picture before the actual Start work action is made available.
CONNECTED APPROACH
The document or check is not the destination.
The practical value comes from keeping the work, prerequisites, controls and evidence connected.
Confirm the work.
Make sure the people at the point of work are looking at the relevant task and released information.
Focus on difference.
Changed conditions, plant, people or workplace information can be brought into view without retyping everything that is still current.
Make attention visible.
Outstanding prerequisites should not disappear simply because a pre-start form is completed.
Keep the check connected.
The record is stronger when it remains tied to the task, version, people, time and any resulting decision.
FROM INFORMATION TO READINESS
Connect the topic back to the work.
ONE is designed so task information can contribute to a broader Work Assurance picture rather than becoming another disconnected file.
What are you going to do?
Start from the work and the current context.
What applies?
Surface the people, workplace, control and evidence items that matter.
What is unresolved?
Show missing, expired, unknown or changed items in plain language.
Who decides?
Keep system findings separate from the authorised human decision.
TRY THE CONNECTED VIEWStart with the Gap Check.
Start the Gap Check See where your current task information, prerequisites and evidence may be fragmented across people, folders and systems.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Questions about this part of ONE.
Open only the question that matters to you.
What should happen before the worker starts the pre-start?
The worker should first see the released Worker App view for the task. At the end they can select “I’m ready to begin”, which records that point and launches the relevant pre-start/readiness process.
Does every worker complete the same pre-start every day?
No. Pre-starts should be specific to the task and current conditions and should avoid unnecessary repeated questions when nothing relevant has changed.
What happens if a pre-start answer fails?
ONE should give a clear worker action, identify whether work must stop or pause, notify the appropriate role where required, and record what has to be corrected before proceeding.
I still have another question. What should I do?
Use the green Ask ONE button or the full ONE FAQs first. Register Interest is for joining a ONE pathway, not routine product questions.