Shannon Smith explains what a hazard is, the seven categories hazards fall into, and when to assess for them: at design, before starting work, during changes and after incidents including near misses. The talk pushes group assessments over solo ones, because work as planned is often different from work as done.
Key takeaways
- A hazard is any source of potential injury, illness or damage; it only becomes dangerous once someone is exposed to it.
- Hazards span seven categories: safety, biological, physical, ergonomic, chemical, work organization and environmental.
- Formal documented assessments happen before work begins; informal scanning for changes never stops.
- Reassess at design, before hazardous tasks, when conditions change and after any incident or near miss.
- Assess as a group and involve the people who actually do the task; shortcuts expose unseen hazards.
- Hazards change over time as equipment deteriorates and jobs change, so review controls frequently.
A hazard only becomes dangerous once a person is exposed to that hazard. So, if left alone, a hazard poses no risk.
Work as planned is often different to work as done. Shortcuts often expose unseen hazards.
The SafetyTalker take
The line worth repeating to your crew is that work as planned differs from work as done: paper assessments miss the shortcuts people actually take. Do the next hazard assessment as a walk with the operators, not a form at the desk, and you will find hazards the checklist never showed.
Full transcript
Read the full transcript
Welcome to another episode of Safety Toolbox Talks, with me, Shannon Smith, from Safer Me. Welcome to today’s podcast on hazard assessments. Employers have a duty to protect their workers and others from harm in the workplace. To do this, they must identify and control any hazards. Likewise, workers need to know about the hazards on the job and how to protect themselves. The aim of this toolbox talk is to provide education on how to assess a workplace for potential hazards. You would run this toolbox because you want to help people learn about the different types of hazards. Learn when to conduct a hazard assessment and learn how to conduct a hazard assessment.
First of all, we need to look at what is a hazard. A hazard is any source of potential injury, illness or damage to someone or something. Importantly, a hazard only becomes dangerous once a person is exposed to that hazard. So, if left alone, a hazard poses no risk. Hazards usually fall into one or more of the following categories. A safety hazard, say, like unguarded machinery. A biological hazard, like blood and bodily fluids. A physical hazard, like radiation. An ergonomic hazard, say, poor posture. A chemical hazard, like welding fumes. A work organisation hazard, say, workload. And finally, an environmental hazard, like noise.
We need to look at when is the right time to identify hazards. Formal hazard assessments should be completed before work begins. This should be documented and reviewed frequently. Informal hazard assessments are ongoing and consist of continuously scanning for any changes in the surroundings. It is important to identify hazards during the design phase of a job. This includes when designing new processes or purchasing new equipment and plant. Before starting a task in a hazardous environment. During work, we need to make sure we are aware of any changes or abnormal conditions. And after an incident, including a near-miss incident. There are several ways that we can identify a hazard.
Plan your hazard assessment. Identify specific tasks, equipment and locations of work. Review any past learnings. Have there been any instances or near-misses that indicate areas of concern? Work as a group to utilise multiple perspectives. So, engage workers from various roles. Especially people who perform any task or use any equipment that is being assessed. And finally, observe any work being done. Work as planned is often different to work as done. Shortcuts often expose unseen hazards. Hazards and exposure to hazards change over time. Equipment deteriorates. Jobs change. And people can be under all sorts of different stress. Review any workplace hazards as frequently as possible.
Evaluate control measures. And look after one another. Our key takeaways from this toolbox are hazards come in many shapes and forms. And are prone to change over time. Review workplace hazards as frequently as possible to ensure there are adequate controls in place. And work as a team when assessing hazards because multiple perspectives offer a more balanced and comprehensive view. You’ve been listening to the Safety Toolbox Talks by SaferMe. SaferMe is easy to use safety software for your business. It includes a whole lot of really handy digital safety forms, risk registers, contact tracing solutions, and a whole lot more.
If you’re trying to make the digital transformation for safety in your business, then give us a crack. head to safer.me
Run this talk with your crew
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