Risk Controls - Measures and Methods at workplace

How do we decide on which risk control measures to use?

During risk assessment (step-3), to help decide on a risk control, there's an order or hierarchy of risk control which we utilize and are as follows:

1. Eliminating the hazard.
2. Reducing the hazard (Substitute)
3. Preventing the people from coming into contact with hazard (Engineering Controls).
4. Administrative controls (Safe system of Work)
5. Personal protective equipment.

1. Eliminating the hazard
The most effective method of controlling the risk is to completely eliminate the hazard,
One way to do this is to replace something hazardous with something that removed the hazard completely. So, instead of unloading a lorry-load of heavy gravel bags by hand, you'd use a crane to lift bags off instead, eliminating need for manual handling.

The rest of the controls focus on reducing the risk to acceptable level.

2. Reducing the hazard (Substitute)
The next preferred option in controlling risk is to reduce the hazard. This can be done by either reducing amount. Such as instead of carrying a box of photocopier paper, which holds five reams, carry one or two reams at a time.
Or, a hazard can be reduced by substituting it with less hazardous solution such as using alternative paint with less harmful substances.

3. Preventing the people from coming into contact with hazard (Engineering Controls)
These control measures rely on preventing people from coming into contact with the hazard by:

a.) Putting a distance between people and hazard.
Such as, keeping chemicals in remote location on site to prevent people coming into contact with it.
other examples nclude keeping people away from noisy machinery and automated processing.

b.) Enclosing the hazard
Such as place guarding around the dangerous parts of the machinery to prevent operators coming into contact with them.
Other examples include putting an enclosure around noisy machine or carrying out all painting in a painting bay.

4. Administrative controls (Safe system of Work)
SSoW includes safe work procedures, permits to work and safety rules. These all detail how activities should be carried out to minimize risk effectively.
A good example of this sis specifying that a job in noisy environment is done in rotation by two or three people so that each person's exposure to noise is limited.

Workers wearing protective clothing and equipment

5. Personal protective equipment.
Using personal protective equipment and clothing such as googles, respiratory protection, gloves and hard hats- can prevent harm to people if they come into contact with hazard, Its success always relies upon people using it. So it should not be considered as first choice for control measure, except in exceptional circumstances.


Note:

You may be wondering when you've done enough in terms of reducing risk.
Well, generally what you need to to is to reduce the risks 'so far as is reasonably practicable'.
This means if the cost- in terms of time, effort, money or inconvenience- associated with risk control outweighs the benefits of risk reduction, then its not reasonably practicable to use that risk control.

Hope you've find it helpful. Kindly ask questions in comment section.