Risk Assessment and Management

PCBUs (businesses) are required by law to conduct health and safety risk assessments to ensure the safety of their employees and the public. A health and safety risk assessment is a process that identifies, analyzes, controls, and eliminates hazards that can cause injury or illness to the workforce or others and negatively impact the business. In other words, a risk assessment is simply a careful examination of what, in your work, could cause harm to people, so that you can weigh up whether you have taken enough precautions or should do more to prevent harm. Workers and others have a right to be protected from harm caused by a failure to take reasonable control measures. Step #1. Identify the hazards Walk around the workplace and assess activities, processes, or substances that could be a potential cause of injury. Hazards can be classified into 4 different types, these are: Physical (e.g., lifting, slips and trips, noise dust, machinery, etc.) Mental (e.g., excess workload, long hours, bullying, etc.) Chemical (e.g., asbestos, cleaning fluids, aerosols, etc.) Biological (e.g., infectious diseases, tuberculosis, hepatitis, etc.)

#2. Determine who it affects and how Once hazards are identified, identify which persons in the organization are at risk. Review work routine, location, and situation of employees. Another thing to consider is the health and safety of the public. This refers to those who don’t work in the organization but are exposed to potential hazards due to business operations. For example, in construction sites, passersby are at risk of potential injury from debris, chemical substances, etc. #3. Assess the risks and take corrective action Employers must now analyze risks to determine the corrective actions to take. Two key questions to ask when assessing the risks and formulating corrective actions are: How bad would the most severe injury be if a person is exposed to the hazard? How likely is the person to be injured if exposed to the hazard? #4. Use health and safety risk assessment forms for better documentation Risk assessments should be documented to serve as proof that it was carried out, and as a basis for later review of working practices. The report should include details of hazards identified and the corrective action to be taken. #5. Review risk assessment and update Risk assessments should be reviewed regularly to check if the control measures taken are effective or needs updating. It should be reviewed every time a business goes through changes that may increase the likelihood of new hazards arising.

It can take many formats such as Job Safety Analysis (JSA) and TAKE 5s. Health and Safety Risk Assessment forms are valuable tools used primarily to control risks in the workplace and to improve overall HSE management. These Health and Safety Risk Assessment templates can help you (1) identify health and safety hazards associated with job tasks, (2) determine the people at risk, (3) record and analyze significant data, and (4) set preventive measures to further reduce or eliminate risks. H & S Risk Assessments Checklists. Environmental hazards are often missed. Creating a checklist for new site assessments which includes both obvious physical hazards and the not-so-obvious environmental hazards is smart business. Consider factors such as odour, noise, vibrations, emissions, and structural ground that have the potential to negatively impact or affect people’s health and safety. Specific examples are asbestos, lead, pesticides, harmful gases, and trenching.