In this article we will discuss about the risk assessment methods that can be practiced in any kind of work environment. At first we should understand the risk and risk assessment.
Risk and Risk Assessment:
Risk and risk assessment can be defined as follows-
Risk:
The
likelihood of a specific effect within a specified period, complex function of
probability, consequences and vulnerability.
Risk
Assessment: Risk assessment is a process to identify
potential hazards and analyze what could happen if a hazard occurs.
Benefits
of Risk Assessment:
There are some benefits of risk assessment which can be listed as follows-
Optimal
Productivity
Happier
Employees
Better
Qualified Employees
Saving
Money
Positive
Image
Constraints
on the Control of Risks in the Workplace:
There are some obstacles to risk assessment which can be listed as follows-
Financial
Conflict
of Priorities
Management
Perceptions
Resistance
to Change
Time
Five
Steps to Risk Assessment:
There are five steps to risk assessment which have been discussed below-
- Identify
the Hazards
a)
Chemical hazards
b)
Physical hazards
c)
Biological hazards
d)
Psychological hazards
e)
Ergonomic Hazards
- Who
Might be Harmed and How
- Evaluate
the Risks
a)
Qualitative Evaluation
b)
Quantitative Evaluation
- Record
the Findings
- Review
Assessments and Revise If Necessary
Identify
the Hazards:
There are different types of hazards that have been discussed below-
Chemical
hazards are substances that can cause harm or damage
to the body, property or the environment. Chemical hazards can be both natural
or human made origin.
Physical
hazards are conditions or situations that can cause
the body physical harm or intense stress. Physical hazards can be both natural
and human made elements.
Biological
hazards are biological agents that can cause harm to
the human body. These some biological agents can be viruses, parasites,
bacteria, food, fungi, and foreign toxins.
Psychological
hazards are created during work related stress or a
stressful environment. A person can be a hazard when he/she is affected
psychological disturbance through-stress, shift patterns and also can be a
hazard when a person is under the influence of alcohol, illness and lack of
training.
Ergonomic
Hazards
Who
Might be Harmed and How:
This is the process of determining who may be at
risk from the hazards – the groups of staff and others likely to be affected in
the case of an incident involving the hazard.
It is important to consider the wider implications
of hazards, not just as they may affect those working in the immediate
environment. We need to be aware of other staff groups, such as maintenance
personnel and cleaners, as well as visitors and the public. Special attention
should be paid to inexperienced staff, lone workers or temporary staff, and to
the particular needs of disabled staff, pregnant women and children.
Qualitative
Evaluation:
A qualitative risk assessment is the comprehensive
identification and description of hazards from a specified activity, to people
or the environment.
The relation between Risk, Likelihood and Consequence has been given below-
Risk =
Likelihood * Consequence
Quantitative
Evaluation:
A quantitative risk assessment is the application of
methodology to produce a numerical representation of the frequency and extent
of a specified level of exposure or harm, to specified people or the
environment, from a specified activity.
Risk rating can be expressed as follows-
Risk
rating = Frequency * (MPL + Probability)
Frequency is the number of times that a risk has
been identified during a safety inspection.
Probability is the likelihood that the risk will
actually come to fruition and result in loss.
MPL (maximum potential loss) is the severity
of the worst possible outcome.
Maximum Potential Loss (MPL) and Probability can be tabulated according to the following two pictures. From these MPL and probability we can calculate Risk Rating for different frequencies.
Remedial plans for different risk rating can be tabulated according to the following picture-
Record
the Findings:
The significant findings of the assessment must be
recorded and kept. There should, then, be a record of all hazards, the risks
that they present and what precautions are in place to protect people from
harm. This written record is an important reference for future use – as the
basis for reviewing risks, but also as information for enforcement officers or
even as evidence in any proceedings arising from an accident involving the
risk.
If the company has less than five employees it is
not necessary to prepare this written record, although it is always useful to
keep one anyway.
Review
Assessments and Revise If Necessary:
The way we work is constantly changing – as a result
of new or modifications of existing equipment, building alterations, new
procedures, new or modified products, etc. Sometimes systems and procedures get
changed by the staff themselves. These all bring their own hazards, but new
hazards can also arise in existing methods of work – the effect of stress is a
recent example.
It is important, then, to continue to be vigilant
about hazards and risks and to review workplace conditions regularly. How often
is “regularly” will depend on the extent of the risks and the degree of change
Simple Risk Assessment Based on
Likelihood and Severity:
Now we will discuss a simple risk assessment method based on Likelihood and Severity.
The Relation between Risk Rating, Likelihood and Severity can be expressed as follows-
Risk
Rating=Likelihood*Severity
Likelihood and Severity can be tabulated according to the following two pictures-
Risk Rating can be calculated from Likelihood and Severity according to the following picture-
Remedial plans for different range of risk rating can be tabulated according to the following picture-
General Risk
Assessment Form:
Every organization can maintain the following Risk Assessment Form for minimizing the accidental losses and increasing the productivity of the organization.
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References:
NEBOSH
Risk Assessment Method
