How can you identify and address safety problems at their source?

1 Identify the hazards

The first step to solving any safety problem is to find out what causes it. You need to inspect your workplace regularly and look for any potential hazards that could harm your workers, equipment, or products. Hazards can be physical, such as sharp edges, slippery floors, or moving parts; chemical, such as toxic substances, fumes, or spills; or ergonomic, such as poor lighting, noise, or repetitive motions. You can use checklists, audits, or surveys to help you identify the hazards and document them.

2 Assess the risks

Once you have identified the hazards, you need to evaluate how likely they are to cause harm and how severe the consequences would be. This is called risk assessment, and it helps you prioritize the most urgent and serious safety problems. You can use a simple matrix to rate the likelihood and severity of each hazard, from low to high. For example, a hazard that is very likely to occur and could result in death or permanent disability would have a high risk rating, while a hazard that is unlikely to occur and could result in minor injury would have a low risk rating.

3 Control the hazards

After assessing the risks, you need to take action to eliminate or reduce them. This process is called hazard control, and involves implementing measures to prevent or minimize exposure to the hazards. The widely used hierarchy of controls framework ranks the effectiveness of different types of controls, from most to least effective. This includes elimination, substitution, engineering, administrative, and personal protective equipment (PPE). You should always strive for the highest level of control possible and combine multiple controls if necessary. Elimination involves removing the hazard completely from the workplace, while substitution replaces the hazard with a less harmful alternative. Engineering designs or modifies the equipment, processes, or environment to isolate or reduce the hazard. Administrative establishes policies, procedures, or training to limit exposure to the hazard. PPE provides workers with appropriate clothing, gear, or devices to protect them from the hazard.

4 Monitor and review

The final step to solving any safety problem is to check if your hazard controls are working effectively and if there are any new or emerging hazards. You need to monitor and review your workplace regularly and collect feedback from your workers, customers, or suppliers. You can use indicators, such as incident reports, injury rates, or quality measures, to measure your safety performance and identify any gaps or areas for improvement. You should also review your hazard identification, risk assessment, and hazard control processes periodically and update them as needed.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?