Workplace Safety: Hazard Identification & Risk Control

Key Concepts in Workplace Safety

Warning Definition

Warning: Any condition or act that can be expected with reasonable certainty to cause physical harm, injury, illness, or damage to property.

Understanding Risk

Risk: The possibility of losses and the degree of probability of these losses. Exposure to possible physical harm, injury, illness, or property damage is defined as running a risk. It is also considered a type of accident.

Defining Safety

Safety: The term safety has multiple uses. From the Latin securitas, meaning 'quality of being secure,' it refers to being free from danger, harm, or risk.

Occupational Hazard Prevention

Prevention of Occupational Hazards: A discipline that seeks to promote the safety and health of workers by identifying, evaluating, and controlling hazards and risks associated with a production process.

Tolerable Risk Explained

Tolerable Risk: Risk that has been reduced to a level that can be supported by the organization.

Non-Tolerable Risk

Non-Tolerable Risk: Risk that must be addressed by the organization to achieve a tolerable risk level.

Risk Assessment Process

Risk Assessment: Occupational risk assessment is the process of estimating the magnitude of risks that have not been avoided.

Industrial Safety Principles

Industrial Safety: The science of occupational accidents.

Industrial Hygiene Fundamentals

Industrial Hygiene: A discipline aimed at the recognition, evaluation, and control of environmental factors originating in the workplace that can cause disease.

Management in Safety Context

Management: The act or procedure which, along with others, is carried out to achieve or solve something. It is a set of operations performed to lead and manage a business or enterprise. It is also a process of risk analysis in terms of severity and frequency of exposure.

Effective Control Measures

Purpose of Control Measures

Control Measures: These are aimed at determining, correcting, or eliminating the risks identified in activities.

Hierarchy of Control Measures:

• 1. Eliminate the Hazard

  Provides for the abolition of the task, activity, or equipment to avoid the occurrence of any associated incidents.

• 2. Substitute with Safer Alternatives

  Replace the activity or equipment with a less dangerous alternative.

• 3. Redesign Activities or Equipment

  Modification of activities or equipment.

• 4. Separate/Isolate the Hazard

  Isolate the hazard through barriers or containment.

• 5. Administer Controls

  • Conduct training.
  • Develop Safe Working Procedures (SWPs), specific plans, etc.
  • Develop checklists.

Hazard Identification & Risk Assessment (HIRA)

HIRA Matrix: A Key Management Tool

Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA) Matrix: A risk prevention management tool used to identify hazards and assess risks associated with specific tasks. It allows for assigning a risk rating to each action and determining steps to correct, control, or eliminate these risks and dangers.

HIRA Process Steps

The Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment process involves:

1. Compilation of information for hazard identification of new activity/project.
2. Identify potential incidents.
3. Description of consequences.
4. Risk Assessment.
5. Establishment of control measures.
6. Follow-up monitoring of established measures.

Categorizing Control Measures

Soft Control Measures

Soft Control Measures: These are measures that depend directly on user behavior to be developed.

Hard Control Measures

Hard Control Measures: These are all measures that prevent bad user practices from altering system functioning.