Risk Assessment Techniques PDF

Risk assessment techniques November 13, 2024 1 www.gmu.ac.ae College of Health Sciences Objectives Identify, analyze, and mitigate potential hazards and the risks associated with them by cond...

Risk assessment techniques November 13, 2024 1 www.gmu.ac.ae College of Health Sciences Objectives Identify, analyze, and mitigate potential hazards and the risks associated with them by conducting risk assessments. 2 What is a Risk Assessment? A risk assessment is a systematic process used to ✓identify potential hazards and risks in a situation, ✓analyze what would happen if these hazards take place. As a decision-making tool, risk assessment aims to ✓ determine which measures should be implemented to eliminate or control those risks ✓specify which of them should be prioritized according to their likelihood and impact on the business. 3 Why is it Important? Key element in ensuring the health and safety of your employees and customers. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires businesses to conduct risk assessments. According to regulations set by OSHA, assessing hazards or potential risks will determine the personal protective gears and equip a worker that he need for their job. 4  When Do You Perform a Risk Assessment? It is the employer’s responsibility to perform risk assessments when: ✓new processes or steps are introduced in the workflow; ✓changes are made to the existing processes, equipment, and tools; or new hazards arise. ✓Risk assessments are also performed by auditors when planning an audit procedure for a company. 5  Three general risk assessment types Large Scale Assessments This refers to risk assessments performed for large scale complex hazard sites such as the nuclear, and oil and gas industry. This type of assessment requires the use of an advanced risk assessment technique called Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA). Required specific assessments This refers to assessments that are required under specific legislation or regulations, such as the handling of hazardous substances and manual handling (according to COSHH regulations, 1998) (according to Manual Handling Operations Regulations, 1992). General assessments This type of assessment manages general workplace risks and is required under the management of legal health and safety administrations such as Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA and HSE. 6  How to Perform Risk Assessment in 5 Steps 1.Identify hazards Survey the workplace and look at what could reasonably be expected to cause harm. Identify common workplace hazards. Check the manufacturers or suppliers’ instructions or data sheets for any obvious hazards. Review previous accident and near-miss reports. 2. Evaluate the risks Risk evaluation helps determine the probability of a risk and the severity of its potential consequences. Consider how, where, how much, and how long individuals are typically exposed to a potential hazard. Assign a risk rating to your hazards with the help of a risk matrix. 3. Decide on control measures to implement Assign a risk rating to an identified hazard, Effective controls to protect workers, properties, civilians, and/or the environment. 7 How to Perform Risk Assessment in 5 Steps 4. Document your findings It is important to keep a formal record of risk assessments. Documentation may include process in assessing the risk, an outline of evaluations, and detailed explanations on how conclusions were made. 5. Review your assessment and update if necessary Follow up with your assessments and see if your recommended controls have been put in place. If the conditions in which your risk assessment was based change significantly, use your best judgment to determine if a new risk assessment is necessary.  Risk Assessment Tools and Techniques There are options on the tools and techniques that can be seamlessly incorporated into a business’ process. The four common risk assessment tools are: risk matrix, decision tree, failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), and bowtie model. Other risk assessment techniques include the what-if analysis, failure tree analysis, Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA) and Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) analysis. 9  How to use a Risk matrix A risk matrix is often used to measure the level of risk by considering the consequence/ severity and likelihood of injury to a worker after being exposed to a hazard. Two key questions to ask when using a risk matrix should be: 1.Consequences: How bad would the most severe injury be if exposed to the hazard? 1.Likelihood: How likely is the person to be injured if exposed to the hazard? The most common types are the 3×3 risk matrix, 4×4 risk matrix, and 5×5 risk matrix. 10  How to Assess Consequences It is common to group the injury severity and consequence into the following four categories: Fatality – leads to death Major or serious injury – serious damage to health which may be irreversible, requiring medical attention and ongoing treatment Minor injury – reversible health damage which may require medical attention but limited ongoing treatment). This is less likely to involve significant time off work. Negligible injuries – first aid only with little or no lost time. 11  How to Assess Likelihood? It is common to group the likelihood of a hazard causing worker injury into the following four categories: Very likely – exposed to hazard continuously. Likely – exposed to hazard occasionally. Unlikely – could happen but only rarely. Highly unlikely – could happen, but probably never will. 12  THANK YOU November 13, 2024 www.gmu.ac.ae College of Health Sciences