Practical hazard identification

The first and most important stage in the risk assessment process is the identification of hazards.  In other words, the adoption of some systematic way of allowing us to “see” the hazards present in the workplace.

If the hazard identification is not carried out carefully, then the subsequent analysis of risk and the development of risk control measures become pointless.  

The identification of hazards is not only an essential part of the risk assessment process, but also acts very effectively to change the way that people think, causing them to act more safely and so become more proactive in hazard awareness.  

There are many techniques that can be used as part of the hazard identification process.  This module does not provide detailed explanations of all those available.

Risk professionals have an important role in the risk assessment process.  However, they should not themselves carry out risk assessments, but should act as facilitators.

They should advise management:

• On the gathering of data.
• On the selection of the team, and
• In the development of the risk assessment process.

During that process, their role will be to guide and advise.  After the risk assessment has been completed, the risk professional may assist in the development of the codes of practice which follow.

The first task, when establishing a risk assessment process, will be to define the scope of the separate risk assessment exercises.  The intention should be that, through the risk assessment process, the organisation and all its activities are comprehensively reviewed and assessed.  

Some care is therefore needed, in laying down the scope of the separate risk assessment exercises, to ensure that no areas or activities are missed.  In general, risk assessments are scoped in three different ways:

1. Geographically
2. Functionally
3. Hardware or equipment

Some care should be taken if the approach to risk assessment is a mixture of the above three.  Also, considerable care is needed when approaching the risk assessments from a “hazard” point of view because of the danger that a particular hazard will fail to be identified because the approach is based on a preconception of the areas of greatest risks.  

It is normally found that the first two of the above bases are most effective in ensuring a comprehensive and complete risk assessment of an operation or activity.

Before any risk assessment exercise can proceed:

• A team has to be selected.
• Background information has to be gathered and processed, and
• The team has to be prepared for the task ahead.

It is vitally important that all these, and the subsequent hazard identification and risk assessment exercises, are carried out within a participative framework, by involving employees and their representatives.  

The gathering and analysis of information from organisation sources and externally is an essential task before the risk assessment can start.  This would normally be conducted by a risk professional.  

He should access the databases on the Organisation, to assess the types and major underlying causes of past accidents and incidents.  He should also review accident reports and investigations together with other records such as those maintained by engineering staff, log books and audit reports.  

Externally, he may be able to gather information from government and industry organisations or from publications and databases.  Increasingly, the Internet or world-wide Web is a valuable means of gathering international data.  

All this data needs to be assimilated, analysed and converted in a useful format so as to prepare the team who undertake risk assessment.  

It is normal to select a team from the workplace being reviewed, by taking a vertical slice through the management structure, to the lowest levels in the organisation.  

Practically, this will mean the front line supervisor and the team from the workplace being assessed.  Where necessary, specialist expertise should also be brought in, for example, in the area of human factors or ergonomics.  The assembling of the risk assessment team is another important role for the risk professional.

Once the team has been assembled, it has to be conditioned for the work in hand.  This will involve the risk professional presenting the:

• Analysed data.
• Describing the scope of work.
• Discussing the potential hazards, and
• Encouraging the team to consider not just the superficial, but also the underlying causes.

The whole purpose of this preparation phase is to ensure that the team “see” the hazards clearly when they go out into the workplace.  

While visiting the workplace and seeing things more clearly, are valuable parts of hazard identification, it is also necessary to use a systematic approach to ensure a comprehensive and complete coverage.  

There are a variety of tools available, from simple checklists through to the most sophisticated quantitative techniques, to assist the team in identifying the hazards.  The team should agree on the appropriate tools and approaches which they will use for hazard identification, in keeping with the scope of the exercise.  

Where necessary, the risk professional will be able to advise and guide the team on the selection of the correct tools.  He should also be able to advise them where additional training is required in the use of a technique or tool, before the team can proceed with the hazard identification exercise.  

It is important that those conducting risk assessments should be competent and should receive formal training in order to be so.  

It is essential that all front line supervisors are trained in Critical Task Analysis, Planned Task Observation and workplace inspections.

In general, hazard identification tools can be separated into two groups: 

• Top Down Techniques

In this case, the technique involves working from a top event downwards to arrive at the underlying causes and also potential other events

Examples of this approach involve:

• Checklists
• Accident Analysis.
• Fault Tree Analysis, and
• Brain storming.  

Task analysis, in its many forms, can also be classified as a top down approach.

• Bottom Up Techniques

In this case, the approach is one of breaking down the system or problem into small components and then seeing how they or others may fail, building up to a major event.

Examples of this type of technique include:

• Hazard and operability studies (HAZOP), which may address both hardware and people‑ware systems.
• Failure Modes Effects.
• Criticality Analysis, and
• The various techniques associated with Human Reliability Analysis.

Whichever method is adopted, the approach to hazard identification should be holistic, that is, it should not concentrate on one type of hazard but should be broadly based and should seek to identify all possible hazards to those at work or who may be affected by the work activities.  

A convenient way to categorise hazards is to either consider whether they are due to some energy source or a chemical agent.  

Energy source hazards include:

• Electricity
• Radiation
• Gravity
• Noise, and
• Momentum

Chemical type hazards include those which can be:

• Inhaled
• Ingested, or
• Absorbed through the skin or damage the skin by contact.
• Injected