Hazard Identification / Risk Assessment & Risk Control

HAZARD IDENTIFICATION / RISK ASSESSMENT & RISK CONTROL

A hazard is anything (including work practices or work practice or procedures) that has the potential to harm the health and safety of a person.

METHODS OF IDENTIFYING HAZARDS:
Systematic identification:
Safety audits
Workplace inspections
Incident/Accident investigations
Consultation
Illness & injury records
Health & Environment monitoring
Incidental identification:
Complaints
Observation
Anecdotal
New information

What hazards do I need to identify?

The person conducting the business or undertaking (PCBU) is responsible for identifying hazards which may be present in the workplace, including those arising from:

  • work premises, including the access and egress
  • structures and buildings
  • work practices, work systems and shiftwork (including hazardous processes, psychological and fatigue related hazards)
  • plant (including the transport, installation, erection, commissioning, use, repair, maintenance, dismantling, storage or disposal of the plant)
  • traffic and transport movements at a workplace
  • hazardous chemicals (including the production, handling, use, storage, transport, or disposal)
  • presence of asbestos and how it is handled, treated or removed
  • hazardous manual tasks and ergonomics
  • layout and condition of the workplace (including lighting and workstation design, airborne contaminants and hazardous atmospheres)
  • biological organisms, products or substances
  • physical working environment (electrical, drowning hazards, fire hazards, explosion hazards, slips, trips and falls hazards, contact with moving or stationary objects, falling objects, noise, heat, cold, vibration, static electricity)
  • confined spaces
  • remote or isolated work
  • high risk work
  • violence, harassment, bullying, intimidation, aggression.

 

A lack of risk assessment is major cause of workplace death & injury in Australian Workplaces. There are significant risks associated in manufacturing plant operations and severe injuries can result from the unsafe use of plant including:

 

  • Limbs amputated by unguarded moving parts of machines;
  • Being crushed by mobile plant;
  • Sustaining fractures from falls while accessing, operating or maintaining plant;
  • Electric shock from plant that is not adequately protected or isolated; and
  • Burns or scalds due to contact with hot surfaces, or exposure to flames or hot fluids.

 

Other risks include hearing loss due to noisy plant and musculoskeletal disorders caused by manually handling or operating plant that is poorly designed.

The WHS Regulations include specific duties for persons who conduct a business or undertaking involving the management or control of plant (persons with management or control of plant) including requirements to:

 

  • Manage the health and safety risks associated with plant;
  • Prevent unauthorised alterations to or interference with plant; and
  • Use plant only for the purpose for which it was designed unless the proposed use does not increase the risk to health or safety.

 

When identifying hazards you should think about all the activities that may be carried out during the life of the plant at your workplace, such as installation, commissioning, operation, inspection, maintenance, repair, transport, storage and dismantling. For each of these activities, you should consider whether your manufacturing plant could:

 

  • Cause injury due to entanglement, falling, crushing, trapping, cutting, puncturing, shearing, abrasion or tearing;
  • Create hazardous conditions due to harmful emissions, fluids or gas under pressure, electricity, noise, radiation, friction, vibration, fire, explosion, moisture, dust, ice, hot or cold parts; and
  • Cause injury due to poor ergonomic design, for example if operator controls are difficult to reach or require high force to operate.

 

Other factors to consider include:

 

  • The condition of the plant, for example its age, its maintenance history and how frequently the plant is used.
  • The suitability of the plant, for example is it actually being used for its intended purpose?
  • The location of the plant, for example what is its impact on the design and layout of the workplace and are workers able to access the plant without risk of slips, trips or falls?
  • Abnormal situations, for example what abnormal situations, misuse or fluctuation in operating conditions can you foresee?

 

The first step to establishing a systematic, pro-active approach to managing health and safety in the workplace is a comprehensive plant risk assessment. Our experienced consultants can undertake plant risk assessment to identify and assess potential hazards of you plant and equipment and would submit expert advice to control risks.

 

Call our expert team today on +61-28-3109906 for a free consultation.

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Fill in the form opposite or contact us now to speak to one of our consultants:

Tel: +61-28-3109906
Email: support@whsnetwork.com.au

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