Have you ever conducted a thorough occupational health and safety risk assessment of your companies activities and operations ? A complete review which identifies all hazards and associated risks ?
But before I ask that I should take a step back – have you been trained at all in risk assessment ? Has anyone in the company ?
As a UAE based Health and Safety Consultant many of my assignments involve reworking clients group safety policies to include UAE health and safety alignments. I also get tasked with “boots on ground” support which often involves training UAE based staff.
In those global or head office documents I almost always see staff responsibilities to include risk assessments. But when I talk to the staff they have often not been specifically trained and have large holes in their health and safety knowledge.
Therefore this is a back to basic blog on risk assessments.
What is Hazard Identification ?
Like lots else in health and safety. We use lots of different words and phrases which ultimately mean the same thing. Hazard identification, risk assessment, health and safety risk assessment etc. What we essentially mean is that we are looking for the potential to cause harm. Harm a human, the environment, the companies assets or property.
What is the Hazard Identification or Risk Assessment process ?
We could be looking in general at hazards present in the companies operations. Or, we could be looking at the specific activities that staff undertake (task risk assessments) Maybe we are looking at “on the go” risk assessments (dynamic risk assessments) See what I meant earlier about health and safetys love of using lots of different terms ! You may also see the terms point of work risk assessments or last minute risk assessments, among others.
Whatever the wording used, the general process to follow remains the same;
- Look for the hazards
- Decide who might be harmed and how
- Evaluate the risk and decide whether the existing precautions are adequate. Or, whether more should be done
- Record your findings
- Review your assessment and revise it if necessary. This is usually yearly. Or, if activities change, process or tools change, new machinery is introduced or health and safety laws change
Creating a Hazard Identification checklist
This is often a good idea to aide your memory ! I use a 150 point checklist myself when visiting client sites. Probably yours doesn’t need to be so complex but at a minimum think about the environment, activities, and components specific to your workplace. At its most basic form, a hazard identification checklist will include the following elements:
- Nature of work
- Personal Protective Equipment
- Noise exposure
- Manual handling
- Excavation
- Working at heights
- Slip and trip hazards
- Site security and emergency preparedness
- Ambient conditions when working outdoors
- Cuts and abrasions
- Hazardous substances
- Plant and machinery
- Falling objects
- Lifting procedures
- Fire or ignition sources (hot work)
- Environmental impacts
- Decontamination of plant and equipment
- Vibration
- Spill prevention measures
- Waste disposal
- Customer and surrounding property
- Nearby work
Don’t forget to take a photo of the hazard if possible too.
What do I do next during my Hazard Identification/ Risk Assessment ?
Next, think about who could be harmed by the hazard. What could happen ? How serious could it be ?
Then, think about how likely it is that an incident could occur from the hazard ? What are the chances ?
By now you should be understanding a clear picture of the occupational health and safety risk in the company.
Most companies use a risk matrix as a gauge of how serious the risk is. Usually, allocating a number between 1 to 5 on how serious the risk is. Additionally, allocating a number between 1 to 5 on how likely the risk is. Those 2 numbers are then multiplied to give the overall risk number (up to 25)
In low risk environments 3 by 3 or 4 by 4 risk matrixes may be used. In high risk environments the matrix may go above a 5 by 5.
I’ve got my Numbers from the Risk Assessments – What Next ?
It is generally reasoned that any number over 6 is an intolerable level of risk that must be lowered. To lower the risk level and mitigate the risk we must use what are referred to as control measures.
Deciding and Implementing Occupational Health and Safety Control Measures
Look at what you’re already doing, and what steps you are taking to keep employees safe. You may be doing a good job already and have a culture of safety in the company. But perhaps steps are not being written down and formally recorded.
Interview employees to find out the controls that are already in place. Think about those controls and how robust they may be. Ask yourself:
- Can I get rid of the hazard altogether?
- If no, how can I control the risks so that harm is unlikely?
If you need further controls, consider:
- Redesigning the job
- Replacing the materials, machinery or process
- Organising your work to reduce exposure to the materials, machinery or process
- Identifying and implementing practical measures needed to work safely
- Providing personal protective equipment and making sure workers wear it
What Does “As Far Reasonably Practicable” mean
You’ll often see the phrase “as far as reasonably practicable” used in health and safety. Have you wondered what this means ?
It is not reasonable to expect a company to eliminate all risks. But they should do everything ‘reasonably practicable’ to protect employees, visitors and contractors from harm.
This means balancing the level of risk against the cost and the time needed to implement measures needed to control the risk.
But how do you determine this ? What is ‘reasonably practicable’ is an objective determination. It is often defined as the company being required to meet a standard of health and safety operating which a reasonable person would consider adequate.
Drilling down further, there are two elements comprising what is ‘reasonably practicable’. Firstly, a company must consider what can be done, ie, what is possible in the circumstances for ensuring health and safety. They must then consider whether it is reasonable, in the companies circumstances and as regards the time, efforts and costs involved, to do all that is possible.
Adding in Control Measures to Reduce Risk
Actions that can be performed to lessen the possibility of being exposed to the danger are referred to as control measures.
Alternatively, the hazard itself may be eliminated or the chance that exposure to the hazard would materialize will be decreased.
An example is ensuring that moving pieces of machinery are securely guarded to prevent potential contact is a straightforward control strategy.
Control measures effectiveness are in the form of a hierarchy. They are referenced as below.
| 1. Eliminate the hazard | Although complete elimination of the hazard eliminates the chance of exposure, it is not always possible to do so. An illustration of this would be the fact that lead has been removed from gasoline products sold at forecourts, hence eliminating the possibility of chronic lead poisoning for gas station attendants in Ireland. |
| 2. Substitute the hazard with a lesser risk | Although there may be new risks introduced in addition to those already present due to the process or activity, the overall harm or health impacts will be reduced when the danger is substituted. |
| 3. Isolate the hazard | Restricting access to plants and equipment, or, in the case of drugs, locking them away under rigorous restrictions, is one technique to isolate the threat. Similar to how putting noisy equipment in an inaccessible room or enclosure isolates the hazard from the person, fume cupboards can be used to keep people safe when utilizing certain chemicals. |
| 4. Use engineering controls | Engineering Controls involve redesigning a process to place a barrier between the person and the hazard or remove the hazard from the person, such as machinery guarding, proximity guarding, extraction systems or removing the operator to a remote location away from the hazard. |
| 5. Use administrative controls | Administrative controls include adopting standard operating procedures or safe work practices or providing appropriate training, instruction or information to reduce the potential for harm and/or adverse health effects to person(s). Isolation and permit to work procedures are examples of administrative controls. |
| 6. Use personal protective equipment | Personal protective equipment (PPE) include gloves, glasses, earmuffs, aprons, safety footwear, dust masks which are designed to reduce exposure to the hazard. PPE is usually seen as the last line of defence and is usually used in conjunction with one or more of the other control measures. |
Working with a Health and Safety Management System
Keeping employees safe and healthy is essential to running a company. Companies must conduct a risk assessment to identify the risks and hazards present in their workplace(s) and implement controls to effectively manage them so that employees are protected from damage.
Guidelines for the creation of occupational safety and health management systems (ILO-OSH 2001) have been produced by the ILO (International Labour Organisation)
In order to support organizations (a company, operation, firm, undertaking, establishment, enterprise, institution or association, or a portion of it, whether incorporated or not, public or private, with its own functions and administration), competent institutions, and occupational safety and health (OSH) performance, these guidelines were created as a useful tool.
The three ILO elements have articulated internationally recognized concepts that have guided the development of the guidelines. All individuals who oversee occupational health and safety administration are expected to implement the useful suggestions included in these guidelines.
Employers bear the obligation and duty for occupational safety and health, including adhering to national laws and regulations’ occupational health and safety requirements. The employer should take the initiative, be a strong leader in the organization’s occupational health and safety initiatives, and make the necessary arrangements to set up an occupational health and safety management system. The primary components of the system should include organization, planning and execution, assessment, and improvement-oriented action.
Corporate OHS – Health and Safety
If you are looking for support with occupational health and safety in the UAE and help from expert Safety Consultants. Corporate OHS is a Health and Safety Consultancy services provider whose HSE Consultants offer expert resources and superior performance to give you greater results.
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Our range of health and safety consultancy services includes;
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ISO 9001 and ISO 50001 - HSE legal compliance reviews and assistance
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