MODULE 3 - CONTROLLING RISKS

MODULE 3
Controlling Risks

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Hazard management and hierarchy of control

The general goals of health and safety are to reduce or eliminate

accidents and ill health, comply with legal requirements, comply with in-
company standards, etc.

These should be converted into positive measurable objectives for

management purposes.

The management of hazards has its particular process as follows:

Identify the hazard

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Assess the risk

Implement Controls e.g.

Removal

Reduction

Protection

Monitor

Feedback Corrective Measures

What is a hazard?

A hazard is defined in the Management of

Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
as: -

Something with the potential to cause harm

(this can include substances or machines,
methods of work and other aspects of work
organization).

What is a risk?

Risk is the likelihood that a hazard will cause particular

harm in actual circumstances of use and the severity of the
harm.

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Hierarchy of controls

Having determined the hazards then we need to consider the control

measures.

The Hierarchy of Control may be defined as: -

A list of measures designed to control risks in order of importance and

effectiveness.

We should begin with the extreme measure of elimination and end with
PPE as a last resort.

The basic Hierarchy of Control measures is: -

Elimination

Reduce

Isolate

Control

PPE

Discipline

Obviously variations on this theme are available for different problems

For example, the control measures for airborne contaminants could
involve local exhaust ventilation. However, the above with its acronym
of ERICPD is the basis for all Hierarchy of Controls.

Elimination

Can the hazard be removed entirely? e.g. provide socket outlet at point
of eliminating the need for trailing cable.

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Reduce

Can the risk be reduced at source?

Is there a safer alternative?

For e.g. Solvent with a higher flash

point, substance that is ‘harmful’ to
replace one which is ‘very toxic’,
low voltage tools, etc.

Note that the two methods above

deal with the hazard itself and are
therefore, more useful than the
following measures which do
nothing with the hazard other than
try to control it.

Isolate

Can the hazard be enclosed or contained? For e.g. Guard on

dangerous part of the machine, cover hole or vehicle inspection pit,
noise reducing enclosure around machine, etc.

Can people be kept away from the hazard? For e.g. Barrier around
excavation guard-rail to scaffold, sound proofed room in a noisy area.

Control

Can the hazard be diluted or time of contact or quantity be reduced?

e.g. noisy machine only used for a short time each day.

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Personal Protection Equipment

Can something be provided to the person to lessen the

injury effect of accidents of the hazard e.g. Helmets, ear
defenders, respirator, etc.? Remember: - PPE is a last
resort

Discipline

Discipline refers to the employee being

disciplined in following the training and
instructions given as well as the threat
of disciplinary action for failing to
comply with the above.

Remember Risk rating = Likelihood x

Consequence.

Risk control involves reducing the likelihood and consequences or both. Risk
control may involve treating different risks by various options outlined below
and sometimes combinations of these options.

Reduce the likelihood of a hazardous event

Reduce the likelihood of the

hazardous event

Reduce the consequence of the

hazardous event

Reduce both factors of the hazardous

event

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Example:

A person is exposed to the danger of using a circular saw. It is possible that

the risk will take place. Therefore Likelihood = 4.

The determined consequence of the hazard is permanent injury, possibly loss

of fingers.

Hence Consequence = 4.

Hence, the risk rating is 4 X 4 = 16.

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Providing a guard will reduce the risk of getting caught in the saw. If the
guard is, used most of the times but not all of the time, the likelihood is
reduced to 1 which in turn makes the risk rating 4. If we relate the risk, the
rating will be 1 X 4 = 4, thus reducing the likelihood of a hazardous event.

Reduce the consequence of the hazardous event

Example:

The likelihood of a spray painter

exposed to a harmful substance
contained in the paint being used is 3,
and the consequence of the hazard is 4.
In this case the risk rating is 3 X 4 = 12.

If the color can be replaced with

another paint containing less harmful
substances; then the likelihood of
exposure remains 3 but the
consequence can be reduced to 2
arriving at a risk rating of 6.

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Reduce both factors of the hazardous event

Example:

In the above example we have replaced the paint containing toxic substances
with another paint containing less hazardous materials, which reduced the
consequence to 2: but if we replace the spray painter with a robot and also
enclose the process of spray painting then we can also reduce the risk of the
spray painter being exposed to the harmful substance contained in the paint.
The spray painter controls the spraying operation from outside the enclosure
and only enters the enclosure to position or remove items to be spray
painted. This action has reduced the likelihood to 2 and resulted in a risk
rating of 4.

From example, it can be seen that providing a guard for the circular saw and
replacing the paint and enclosing the process can reduce the likelihood and
or consequence. These options all reduce the risk and collectively known as
risk controls. The level of risk that is, left after introducing the risk controls is
referred to as Residual risk.

Residual Risk

Residual risk is the risk that remains once controls have been, put in place.
When a hazard is controlled to prevent harm arising, there are always likely to
be circumstances when those controls will not be adequate, and there will
therefore, be some element of risk remaining. In risk assessment, it is
important to identify those circumstances and ensure that they are being
considered so unlikely as not to warrant protective measures being taken.

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The hierarchy of controls approach

The control measures are the actions

performed to reduce either the probability
of an accident happening or the severity of
the outcome, and where possible both.
When considering what measures to put in
place it is important to consider both
severity and likelihood, in order to
minimize the overall risk. Working through
a ‘hierarchy’ of controls can help with
thinking of alternative means.

This model of hierarchy of controls arose out of response to failures in

behavioral approaches to workplace safety that placed the ultimate
responsibility for worker safety on the individual.

The following is the Hierarchy of Control in descending order:

Elimination/Substitution – get rid of the risk altogether – exchange one risk

for something less likely or severe

Reduce contact with the hazard – Minimize Exposure

Prevent/eliminate contact with the hazard – Separation/Isolation

Safe Systems of work – rules in place to ensure safe use/contact with the
hazard

Personal Protective Equipment – provide appropriate PPE to reduce the

severity of an accident

The order is significant. It is far preferable to eliminate the hazard altogether

or replace it with something less hazardous than to rely on people working
safely or wearing protective clothing or providing information to people who

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may be harmed and making arrangements to deal with emergencies (e.g.

safety showers, first aid, firefighting) (5).

The fifth option in the hierarchy of controls are not considered as effective
controls because they do not prevent people being exposed to hazards, but
they still have a role in reducing the likelihood of harm if primary control of a
hazard is lost.

Example:

If a hazard is the possibility of being knocked down on a busy road control

measures corresponding to the above hierarchy would be as follows:

Elimination/Substitution – close the road (eliminate traffic)or use other

areas without busy roads for that activity

Reduce contact with hazard Minimize Exposure – reduce the number of

times people cross/walk by the road

Prevent/eliminate contact with the hazard – By Isolation/Separation – keep

people off the road

Safe systems of work – make sure people stop, look and listen and only
cross when road is clear – impose speed limits for drivers

Personal Protective Equipment – give the group reflective clothing to make

them more visible to motorists

The most useful measures are the top four, but they are not always possible
to implement. The lower measures rely on people operating and maintaining
the controls themselves.

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Safe systems of work

Although, below hazard elimination and physical barriers in

the hierarchy of risk control, the way tasks are performed is
an important part of managing risks. Often there will be
many different ways of doing the same activity, but some
will be safer than others. This is why it is important to define
safe systems of work. Safe systems of work should consider
the need to change methods during an activity (i.e. in
response to related and unrelated events) and constraints
of work (i.e. when the activity should stop).

A clear definition of what success will look like will help everyone understand
what is required.

Determine what can be, done so far as is reasonably practicable to remove

the identified hazards and do it

Should hazards remain, develop a safe system of work

Where necessarily formalize these systems of work into procedures

Include in the procedures where necessary the use of permits to work

coupled with physical lock-off systems

Monitor the observance of all parts of the procedure. Feedback any

information on weaknesses or failures in the system

Rectify these by changing the system

Keep monitoring and modifying the systems as necessary

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Safer ways of working

Your risk assessment will show up changes you need to make so that the
workplace is safer and healthier.
You will then need to plan how you
will make these changes - what
practical measures you can take to
tackle the problems.

It is management’s responsibility to
identify and control safe
procedures, drawing on risk
assessment. This means analyzing
all sorts of information that from
manufacturers’ instructions to
records of past accidents and
incidents, so trends can be, spotted. If you want to combine the best
information with the involvement and commitment looked at earlier, it pays
dividends to involve all the relevant employees in the process. They know
about the situation, the risks, and the short cuts they are likely to take under
pressure. Planning safe ways of work also includes elements of job analysis -
identifying which steps makeup the overall task, and what standards the
worker needs to operate too.

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