KIHONDA RVTSC

MODULE NAME: MANAGING SAFE WORKING ENVIRONMENT

UNIT NAME: CARRING OUT RISK ASSESMENT
Introduction
A hazard is anything that could cause harm.
And, risk, is a combination of two things – the chance that the
hazard will cause harm and how serious that harm could be.
Introduction cont.…
What does this mean?
Risk is usually described as being ‘high’, ‘medium’ or ‘low’. For
example, think about crossing a road - the cars and other traffic
are the main hazards; and your mental calculation of the risk is a
combination of how likely it is that you’ll be hit by a vehicle,
along with how seriously you might be injured. And, there are
things that could affect the likelihood and there are things that
could affect the severity.
What is a risk assessment?
Risk assessment is a term used to describe the overall process or
method where you:
 Identify hazards and risk factors that have the potential to cause
harm (hazard identification).
 Analyze and evaluate the risk associated with that hazard (risk
analysis, and risk evaluation).
 Determine appropriate ways to eliminate the hazard, or control
the risk when the hazard cannot be eliminated (risk control).
What is a risk assessment?

A risk assessment is a thorough look at your workplace to

identify those things, situations, processes, etc. that may cause
harm, particularly to people. After identification is made, you
analyze and evaluate how likely and severe the risk is. When this
determination is made, you can next, decide what measures
should be in place to effectively eliminate or control the harm
from happening.
Why is risk assessment important?
Risk assessments are very important as they form an integral part of an
occupational health and safety management plan. They help to:
Create awareness of hazards and risk.
 Identify who may be at risk (e.g., employees, cleaners, visitors,
contractors, the public, etc.).
 Determine whether a control program is required for a particular hazard.
 Determine if existing control measures are adequate or if more should be
done.
 Prevent injuries or illnesses, especially when done at the design or
planning stage.
 Prioritize hazards and control measures.
 Meet legal requirements where applicable.
When should a risk assessment be done?
There may be many reasons a risk assessment is needed,
including:
 Before new processes or activities are introduced.
 Before changes are introduced to existing processes or activities,
including when products, machinery, tools, equipment change
or new information concerning harm becomes available.
 When hazards are identified.
Risk assessment steps
1. Identify hazards
Look around your workplace and think about what may cause
harm (these are called hazards). Think about,
 how people work and how plant and equipment are used
 what chemicals and substances are used
 what safe or unsafe work practices exist
 the general state of your premises
Risk assessment steps cont.
1.Identify hazards
Look back at your accident and ill health records as these can help you
identify less obvious hazards. Take account of non-routine operations,
such as maintenance, cleaning or changes in production cycles.
Think about hazards to health, such as manual handling, use of
chemicals and causes of work-related stress.
For each hazard, think about how employees, contractors, visitors or
members of the public might be harmed.
Vulnerable workers
Some workers have particular requirements, for example young
workers, migrant workers, new or expectant mothers and people with
disabilities.
Risk assessment steps cont.
2.Assess the risks
Once you have identified the hazards, decide how likely it is that
someone could be harmed and how serious it could be. This is
assessing the level of risk.
Decide:
 who might be harmed and how
 what you're already doing to control the risks
 what further action you need to take to control the risks
 who needs to carry out the action
 when the action is needed by
Risk assessment steps cont.
2.Assess the risks
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.
Risk assessment steps cont.
2.Assess the risks
Severity ratings in this example represent:
High: major fracture, poisoning, significant loss of blood, serious
head injury, or fatal disease.
Medium: sprain, strain, localized burn, dermatitis, asthma, injury
requiring days off work.
Low: an injury that requires first aid only; short-term pain,
irritation, or dizziness.
Risk assessment steps cont.
2.Assess the risks
Probability ratings in this example represent:
High: likely to be experienced once or twice a year by an
individual
Medium: may be experienced once every five years by an
individual
Low: may occur once during a working lifetime
Risk assessment steps cont.
2.Assess the risks
Risk assessment steps cont.
2.Assess the risks
These risk ratings correspond to recommended actions such as:
Immediately dangerous: stop the process and implement controls
High risk: investigate the process and implement controls
immediately
Medium risk: keep the process going; however, a control plan must
be developed and should be implemented as soon as possible
Low risk: keep the process going, but monitor regularly. A control
plan should also be investigated
Very low risk: keep monitoring the process
Risk assessment steps cont.
3. Control the risks
Once you have established the priorities, the organization can decide on
ways to control each specific hazard. Hazard control methods are often
grouped into the following categories:
 Elimination (including substitution).
 Engineering controls.
 Administrative controls.
 Personal protective equipment.
Put the controls you have identified in place. You're not expected to
eliminate all risks but you need to do everything 'reasonably practicable' to
protect people from harm. This means balancing the level of risk against the
measures needed to control the real risk in terms of money, time or trouble.
Risk assessment steps cont.
4. Record your findings
It is important to keep a formal record of risk assessments. This
can help your organization keep track of hazards, risk, and
control measures. 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.
Risk assessment steps cont.
5. Review the controls
You must review the controls you have put in place to make sure
they are working. You should also review them if;
 They may no longer be effective
 There are changes in the workplace that could lead to new risks
such as changes to:
 staff
 a process
 the substances or equipment used