Hazard Identification

What is a hazard and why does your company need to identify it?

Maintaining a safe and secure workplace is a top priority for any organisation. Hazard identification is a critical process in achieving this goal. By effectively identifying hazards in the workplace, employers can proactively address potential risks to prevent accidents, injuries, and occupational illnesses. Companies make the mistake of identifying only the obvious hazards when they are going to update or review risk assessments, instead of also looking at irregular ones.?

The OHS Act defines a hazard as a source of or exposure to danger. This can further be said that a hazard is a condition, activity, object (material) or substance that has the ability to cause harm in certain circumstances. As a result any workplace, despite the industry or nature of business, will have inherent hazards and risks. Workplace hazards can take many forms including physical, chemical, mental, biological, and several others.

For every hazard that is identified the employer must understand who may be harmed and what the magnitude of the hazard is. This will help to employ effective management controls. Harm can be short or long term and may adversely affect the health and safety of personnel, property, the environment, and community relationships.

Hazards can be identified through one or more activities such as consideration of all aspects of the work, including non-routine activities such as maintenance, repair, or cleaning. Hazard assessment includes checking the physical work environment, (equipment, materials, products, etc) which are used and include how the tasks are done; reviewing injury and incident records (getting inputs from workers because they know their job and its hazards best). This is inclusive of the groups of people that may have a different level of risk such as young or inexperienced workers, persons with disabilities, or new or expectant mothers.

Once hazards have been identified, next step is to conduct risk assessment where hazards will be further analysed. Where possible, hazards should be eliminated completely. Dangerous equipment or procedures should be replaced with safer alternatives. If no alternatives are available, consider whether or not hazardous processes are necessary. It is not always possible to eliminate hazards, but control measures should be identified and implemented. Control measures could include restricting access to hazardous areas, offering training on how to use equipment or complete tasks safely, and issuing protective equipment to employees and contractors.

Hazard identification is a critical component of developing a safety-conscious culture within an organisation. When employees are actively involved in the process of identifying hazards, they become more aware of potential dangers in their workplace. This heightened awareness promotes a sense of responsibility and encourages employees to take necessary precautions, report hazards promptly, and participate in safety initiatives. Ultimately, this fosters a culture where safety is valued and prioritized by all.