Hierarchy of Controls: How to Reduce Incidents, Increase Uptime and Save

Lives

By Easton Snyder and Carol Scheunemann | August 4, 2023

Experienced safety professionals are sure to recognize the inverted pyramid of

the hierarchy of controls, a method of identifying and ranking the safeguards
used for protecting workers from hazards. Developed in the 1950s by the U.S.
National Safety Council and refined by the U.S. Occupational Safety and
Health Administration and other safety organizations, the hierarchy of
controls helps companies improve workplace safety. Today, this control
hierarchy has become more relevant than ever. When applied in combination
with digital tools, this hazard-control and risk-management model can be a
powerful ally for reducing incidents, increasing uptime and saving lives.

What Is the Hierarchy of Controls?

In highly hazardous industries such as mining and metals, oil and gas or
nuclear power generation, controls are measures that reduce risks at various
process stages. In this five-layer model, risk control starts with the most
effective measures at the broad top of the upside-down triangle. Then it goes
down through various layers of control to the least effective measures at the
tip.
Without a doubt, the hierarchy of hazard controls saves lives. Why? Hazard
elimination, risk reduction and safety procedures are all included in the
control framework. Such measures all contribute to incident prevention, and
preventing incidents is the best way to save lives.
 Source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

How Many Steps Are There in the

Hierarchy of Controls?
The five layers of the hierarchy of controls begin with prevention—in other
words, removing the danger. This is always the most effective safety measure,
so this is the first step.

1. Elimination: Remove the Hazard

In this step, work processes are adjusted to avoid the dangerous process step.
For example, in a facility, a pump may be too high to work on from the
ground. Typically, a worker would be hoisted up—perhaps to a scaffolding—
and wear a harness. Yet the risk of falling still exists. Lowering the pump to
ground level would remove this hazard.
However, this type of process adjustment may not be feasible, which is why
hazards cannot always be removed. Here, digital tools give visibility into
operations, logbooks and shift handovers. This helps teams to communicate
the status and thought processes of certain hazards on jobs and activities.
2. Substitution: Replace the Hazard
In the next step, a hazard that cannot be removed is replaced with a less
hazardous risk. In oil and gas, for example, sections of pipe are cleaned using
high air pressure. Engineers typically put a rupture disc on one end of the
pipe, designed to prevent leakage until the pressure rises to a predetermined
level. At that point, the rupture disc bursts to avoid damage to equipment from
overpressure.
The desired level of pressure might be 150 pounds per square inch (psi).
However, this would blast out large pieces of debris that could strike workers
at high force. The substitution would be to start with 50 psi, which blows out
smaller particles of dirt and deposits. When the pressure is increased
incrementally, the overall process becomes less hazardous. Here, too, with
digital systems, process safety managers can better evaluate hazards for
substitution.

3. Engineering Control: Install Barriers,

Controls, Isolations and Safeguards
When risks cannot be removed or replaced, reliability engineers typically put
barriers in place to isolate people from the hazard. Physical guardrails or
fencing prevent people from walking in hazardous areas. Welders put up fire-
retardant blankets.
When the use of flammable or explosive chemicals cannot be eliminated, one
type of safeguard would be to limit admission to rooms with hazardous
chemicals. However, unseen risks can remain. By giving visibility to
isolations and barrier management, control of work software for permitting
supports engineering controls.

4. Administrative Control: Change Behavior

Where possible, companies reduce risk by changing the way work is done.
Employees and contractors receive safety guidelines, specific information or
training on hazardous procedures. Only certified administrators or workers
with certain types of equipment have access to dangerous areas. In addition,
signals such as warning signs, alarms or flashing lights are used to trigger safe
behavior.
These lower levels require increasing supervision and participation. Through
digitalization, companies can improve situational awareness, human
performance and safety culture. Technology can be used to monitor facility
risk and safety status in real time and alert operators should risk arise. And,
with mobile tracking, supervisors can tell if tasks were performed in the right
locations.

5. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE):

Protect Workers
When the risk of injury or harm remains after all other control measures have
been implemented, workers use PPE as a last line of defense. Wearables are
often designed for specific hazards at a site, such as flame-resistant clothing,
hard hats, gloves, glasses, ear protection and safety shoes. Job-specific PPE
can include respirators, certain kinds of gloves or overalls.
PPE does not control the hazard, but rather, lowers the employee’s risk of
injury. With a digitalized system, operators can more consistently alert
workers and contractors to risks and danger. Relevant safety reminders—for
example, “Wear a hard hat with a flashlight”—can be transmitted at exactly
the right time.

Benefits of Digitalizing Control

Hierarchy Processes
From start to finish, digitalizing hazard-control processes results in efficiency
and productivity gains. Companies develop better processes and controls and
enjoy benefits including:
 Standardization. Safety protocols, control systems and hazard
management are consistent across a site, across facilities or
 throughout the company. With internet access, data is available
everywhere simultaneously and in real time.
 Efficiency. Digital tools offer huge savings in time and effort
compared to paper processes. No illegible handwriting. No more
filing, searching or trying to recover wet or torn permits.
 Reliability. Process steps must be completed in the same order and
can be verified and tracked.
 Uptime. By reducing the risk of incidents, the company suffers
less downtime and related costs.
 Savings. As incidents go down, productivity goes up, while a
reduction in incidents reduces injuries and fatalities and saves
money.
In addition, companies can more efficiently gather statistics on the types of
job, hazard areas or equipment used, for example, to run reports and perform
audits. Lessons learned help operators understand the most significant
challenges and establish which measures work best. This enables them to
develop better processes, engineering controls and administrative controls for
the future.

Risk Control and Hazard Management

Are Key to Safety
The hierarchy of controls helps companies improve workplace safety. From
hazard elimination and substitution to engineering and administrative controls,
down to PPE, the model for reducing exposures to occupational hazards saves
lives and money.
Digitalization makes the five layers of risk control and hazard management
more easily accessible. Powerful digital tools such as process safety
management software help managers determine the safest level of any job
and make it easier for them to apply the corresponding control measures to
ensure worker health and safety.
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