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Occupational Health and Safety: Risk Assessment and Control

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22 views15 pages

Occupational Health and Safety: Risk Assessment and Control

Uploaded by

ahmadirfan3948
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Occupational health and safety

Risk assessment and control

Engr. Salman Khan


DCE IIUI Islamabad
What is a Risk Assessment?

• A risk assessment is a systematic process used to identify potential hazards and


risks in a situation. As a decision-making tool, risk assessment aims to determine
which measures should be implemented to eliminate or control those risks, as well
as specify which of them should be prioritized according to their likelihood and
impact on the business.
Cont…

• Risk assessment is one of the major components of a risk analysis. Risk analysis is
a process with multiple steps that intends to identify and analyze all of the
potential risks and issues that are detrimental to the business or enterprise.
Why is it Important?

• Risk assessments are essential to identify hazards and risks that may potentially
cause harm to workers. Identifying hazards by using the risk assessment process is
a key element in ensuring the health and safety of your employees and customers.
OSHA requires businesses to conduct risk assessments. According to regulations
set by OSHA, assessing hazards or potential risks will determine the personal
protective gears and equipment a worker may need for their job.
When Do You Perform a Risk Assessment?

• Beyond complying with legislative requirements, the purpose of risk assessments


is to eliminate operational risks and improve the overall safety of the workplace. It
is the employer’s responsibility to perform risk assessments when:

• new processes or steps are introduced in the workflow;

• changes are made to the existing processes,

• equipment, and tools; or new hazards arise.


Types

Large Scale Assessments


• This refers to risk assessments performed for large scale complex hazard
sites such as the nuclear, and oil and gas industry. This type of assessment requires
the use of an advanced risk assessment technique called Quantitative Risk
Assessment (QRA).
Required specific assessments
• This refers to assessments that are required under specific legislation or
regulations, such
Cont…
as the handling of hazardous substances (according to COSHH regulations, 1998)
and manual handling (according to Manual Handling Operations Regulations,
1992).

General assessments

• This type of assessment manages general workplace risks and is required under
the management of legal health and safety administrations such as OSHA and
HSE.
How to Perform Risk Assessment in 5 Steps

1. Identify hazards

• Survey the workplace and look at what could reasonably be expected to cause
harm. Identify common workplace hazards. Check the manufacturer’s or
suppliers’ instructions or data sheets for any obvious hazards. Review previous
accident and near-miss reports.

2. Evaluate the risks

• Risk evaluation helps determine the probability of a risk and the severity of its
potential consequences.
Cont…
• To evaluate a hazard’s risk, you have to consider how, where, how much, and how
long individuals are typically exposed to a potential hazard. Assign a risk rating to
your hazards with the help of a risk matrix.

3. Decide on control measures to implement

• After assigning a risk rating to an identified hazard, it’s time to come up with
effective controls to protect workers, properties, civilians, and/or the environment.
Follow the hierarchy of controls in prioritizing implementation of controls.
Cont…
4. Document your findings

• It is important to keep a formal record of risk assessments. Documentation may include a


detailed description of the process in assessing the risk, an outline of evaluations, and
detailed explanations on how conclusions were made.

5. Review your assessment and update if necessary

• Follow up with your assessments and see if your recommended controls have been put in
place. If the conditions in which your risk assessment was based change significantly, use
your best judgment to determine if a new risk assessment is necessary.
What are Risk Control Measures?

• Risk control measures are strategies implemented to mitigate or manage the


potential risks and hazards that may arise in various activities, processes, or
environments. After identifying and assigning a risk rating to a hazard, effective
risk controls should be implemented to protect workers. Working through a
hierarchy of controls can be an effective method of choosing the right control
measure to reduce the risk.
Risk Control Measures

Elimination

• Elimination is the most effective hierarchy of risk control. If it is possible to


physically remove a hazard, it must be done.

Substitution

• Substitution is the second most effective control. It proposes to replace the hazard
with a safer alternative, e.g. automating a manual process identified as dangerous,
buying a newer equipment model with better safety ratings, etc.
Cont…
Engineering controls

• Engineering controls refer to physically isolating people from the hazard if at all
possible.

Administrative controls

• Administrative controls refer to changing the way people work. This may include
procedural updates, additional training, or increasing the visibility of
precautionary signs and warning labels.
Cont…
PPE

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is the last line of defense if workers cannot
be completely removed from a hazardous environment.
Thank you

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