Not a rocket scientist? Don’t worry. You can still do a risk assessment. There is one catch, like anything that needs to get done, it will need some initiative and time.
How much time? It really depends on the number of tasks in your workplace and the number of employees. You will see why after reading below.
The risk assessment process is basically identifying hazards, evaluating the risks, and determining appropriate ways to control the hazard. This process is a challenge in the beginning for anyone, but isn’t that the case for everything new. After some practice, a risk assessment will be much easier.
Hazard identification
A hazard is basically a source of potential harm or damage to a person, property or environment. Learning how to identify hazards will take some practice so be patient.
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A common accident type in the trucking industry is falls from elevation. It may seem like a minor issue but according to the Industry Safety information Centre, it is one of top three behind MVI and overexertion.
There are several other hazards in workplace depending on the nature of work which can be determined from multiples sources including statistics, workplace incidents, and other third-party publications. Stick to multiple sources to have a complete picture of workplace hazards.
Hazard evaluation
The evaluation process offers a method to prioritize hazards based on their risk level. This is valuable information because every employer will have a limited amount of resources to allocate to control each hazard.
There are two factors that need to be considered when evaluating hazards; frequency of exposure and probability of occurrence. Both those factors are combined to determine a risk level.
Use a risk assessment form to determine risk level. Check out our page of Templates & Forms for a sample Risk Assessment Worksheet.
Hazard control
Once hazards are identified and evaluated for risk level, the next step is to develop effective controls. To do so, follow the simple hierarchy of controls:
- Elimination
- Substitution
- Engineering controls
- Administrative controls
- Personal protective equipment
The hierarchy is used because it increases the likelihood of hazard being controlled. For example, an engineering control is more effective than personal protective equipment because an engineering control will always be active compared to PPE which is effective if the employee knows how to use properly.
You can find more information by checking CCOHS website on Risk Assessment. You can also speak with one of our Safety Advisors. We conduct risk assessments with employers on a regular basis because it is included in the Mentorship Program.
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