The WHS Regulations place an obligation on employers to take reasonable care to identify any foreseeable hazards. Employers are to have effective procedures in place to do this. The risks associated with identified hazards are to be assessed for the likelihood of occurring and the consequences if the incident occurs. If reasonably practicable the risks are to be eliminated and if the risks are unable to be completely eliminated, the risks are to be controlled in some other way. It is a legislative requirement that employers consult with employees at each stage of this risk assessment process.
Hazard – anything which has the potential to cause injury or illness.
- A hazard can be an object, a physical situation, a work practice, or a procedure that has the potential to cause harm to people, plants or property.
- Hazards include things like electricity, chemicals, moving equipment and bullying behaviours.
Risk – the probability and consequences of the occurrence of injury or illness.
- Risk is the possibility that harm, such as death, injury or illness might occur when exposed to a hazard.
- In risk management, the risk is calculated by multiplying the likelihood of exposure by the potential consequences of exposure.
Step 1- Identify Hazards
Identifying hazards in the workplace involves finding things and situations that could potentially cause harm to people.
Hazards generally arise from the following aspects of work and their interaction, including:
- physical work environment
- equipment, materials and substances used
- work tasks and how they are performed
- work design and management
Things to look out for include the following:
- Bad housekeeping, space for unobstructed movement, adequate ventilation, adequate lighting
- How suitable are the tools and equipment for the task and how well are they maintained?
- Have any changes occurred in the workplace which may affect health and safety?
- Some hazards can affect health over a long period of time or may result in stress (such as bullying) or fatigue (such as shift work).
- Also look at new, used or hired goods (for example, worn insulation on a hired welding set).
- Straightforward problems should be actioned immediately, e.g. cleaning up a spill.
- Make a list of all the hazards you can find, including the ones you know are already being dealt with, to ensure that nothing is missed.
A Hazard Register should be used to track known hazards and any new hazards. Please download the template Hazard Register you can use within your business. You should encourage staff to notify the company of any hazards and/or report through a Hazard Report Form. Another way to determine hazards in your workplace is to complete a workplace inspection. The MTA offers onsite workplace inspections, please see our Services page for more information.
Step 2- Assess Risks
A risk assessment involves considering what could happen if someone is exposed to a hazard and the likelihood of it happening.
A risk assessment can help to determine:
- how severe a risk is
- whether any existing control measures are effective
- what action you should take to control the risk, and
- how urgently the action needs to be taken.
Risk Management Process
Responsibility for managing the risk rests principally with management, however, there are clear obligations on employees. There is a responsibility for employees to report hazards when they are identified. Workshop employees are in a prime position to assist in the effective management of risks given that they are more likely to come across them than others who may be office bound.
The Risk Assessment process provides a method for the systematic identification of hazards and the assessment and elimination or control (if it is not reasonably practicable to eliminate) of risks associated with these hazards as well as a mechanism for others (employees) in the workplace to report risks to health & safety to management. Whilst the risk assessment process is about the identification of hazards in the workplace and the surrounding environment generally, the method also incorporates an assessment of the work done.
