You MUST identify hazards and assess risks in your company. It’s a legal requirement! You’ll need to do this to compile a comprehensive risk assessment of your workplace. By doing this you can better protect your employees from health and safety hazards, and save yourself from a R100 000 fine, two years in jail or both!
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Do you make these four common mistakes?
By failing to draft a complete risk assessment, you run the risk of:
Mistake #1: Failing to quickly identify the impacts on the health status of your employees due to task-related exposures in your workplace.
Mistake #2: Failing to facilitate prompt, early corrective and preventative action.
Mistake #3: Failing to give direction and enhance the Occupational Health Programme in place on site.
Mistake #4: Failing to streamline your Occupational Health and Safety Programme according to the assessment, and you’ll lose time and money because you’ll need blanket medical surveillance.
By performing a risk assessment, you can benefit your company in the following five ways...
5 benefits to doing risk assessments
Conducting a hazard identification and risk assessment process (HIRA) will help you:
- Recognise and control hazards and exposures in the workplace.
- Create awareness among employees. Use it as a training tool as well.
- Set risk management standards, based on acceptable safe practices and legal requirements.
- Reduce incidents in the workplace.
- Save costs by being proactive instead of reactive.
Although it’s mostly believed that incidents happen because of employee mistakes and negligence, it’s a fact that most incidents in your workplace will occur because you have insufficient management controls in place.
You can prevent the majority of incidents in the workplace (and the penalties you’ll receive for failing to protect your employees) by implementing risk management systems like:
- Training
- Inspections
- Work procedures
- Employee fitness
- Planned maintenance of equipment and structures
- Ensuring sufficient and competent supervision
Be proactive! It’s more cost-effective to complete an HIRA process and implement a risk management system than to have an incident on site and only then create one retrospectively!
What’s more, by doing your risk assessment, you’ll comply with eight essential laws.
Guarantee your legal compliance by following these 8 laws
Law #1: The Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA)
Law #2: The Hazardous Chemical Substance Regulation
Law #3: The Major Hazard Installation Regulation
Law #4: The National Environmental Management Act
Law #5: The Mine Health and Safety Act
Law #6: Environmental legislation
Law #7: The Basic Conditions of Employment Act
Law #8: The King II Report
Now that we’ve shown you the benefits of implementing a hazard identification and risk assessment process, you can begin...
But, before you start your HIRA process, does your team understand these definitions?
All your team members must understand certain key terminology and concepts. The success of the HIRA is strongly dependent on all members of the team having the same understanding of the concepts used in the process:
Definition #1: Hazard
A source of or exposure to danger (OHSA)
Definition #2: Risk
The probability that injury or damage will occur (OHSA). It also indicates the presence of uncertainty of an event and the severity of the event
Definition #3: Exposure
To be exposed to a danger while at the workplace
Definition #4: Danger
Anything that may cause injury or damage to persons or property (OHSA)
Definition #5: Safe
Free from any hazard (OHSA)
Definition #6: Workplace
Any premises or place where a person performs work in the course of his employment (OHSA)
Definition #7: Premise
Includes any building, vehicle, vessel, train or aircraft (OHSA)
Definition #8: Building
Includes any:
- Structure attached to the soil
- Building or such structure or part thereof which is in the process of being erected
- Prefabricated building or structure not attached to the soil
Definition #9: Risk management
The implementation of a formal system where hazards and risks are identified and actions taken to mitigate these risks
When you and your team are aware of the necessary definitions, you’ll need to choose from 4 types of risk assessment:
Type #1: Baseline assessment
Type #2: Generic assessment
Type #3: Continuous assessment
Type #4: Specialised assessments
Once you’ve decided on which risk assessment to perform, you’ll also need to decide which model you’ll employ. In the field of hazard identification and risk assessment there are several methods available for determining risk in the workplace. These models each have a specific application and you’ll use them to achieve specific objectives.
For the NINE risk assessment models you can follow, read R01: Risk assessments in your Health and Safety Advisor Handbook. It will explain these nine models as well as other essential tips for compiling a fool-proof risk assessment.
With the Health and Safety Advisor Handbook you’ll also have access to:
- Risk assessments: Identifying hazards in the workplace
- Risk assessment process. This includes:
o How to gather information
o Analyse tasks performed and identify hazards
o How to identify risks
o Quantify the risk
o Implement precautionary measures
o 3 types of precautionary measures you can take
- Risk assessment: Hazardous chemical substances
- Risk assessment: Occupational Health Risk Profile
The Health and Safety Advisor also includes Chapters on:
- Risk Assessment: Do you make these four common mistakes?
- Employee Obligations: 3 Tips to get your employees to comply with health and safety laws
- Employer Obligations: Your 1 527 health and safety duties as an employer
- Incidents: Is your workplace a death trap that can cost lives and your business R795 000?
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Inspections: Are you ready for your Health and Safety Inspection?
