Work Site Hazard Assessment and Control

Hazards

A hazard is defined as a situation, condition or task that may be dangerous to the health or safety of Workers. Hazards have the potential to cause harm or adverse effects to Workers, property, equipment, environment and the General Public.

A Work Site hazard that triggers or results in injury, death or damage to property, equipment, or the environment is called an incident.

Types of Hazards

There are two main types of hazards: those that pose risk to health and to safety. Health hazards have the potential to cause an acute or chronic condition, illness, or disease. Safety hazards have the potential to cause immediate injury or damage.

A common way to classify hazards is by category:

• Physical, e.g. vibrations, working at heights, lifting heavy loads, extreme temperatures, violence, ergonomics, etc.
• Chemical, e.g. fumes, vapours, gases, waste products, etc.
• Biological, e.g. bodily fluids, viruses, bacteria, molds, pests, etc.
• Psychosocial, e.g. harassment and bullying, stress, fatigue, etc.

Assessing Risk

What is Risk?

Risk is the chance or probability that a person will be harmed or experience an adverse health effect if exposed to a hazard. It may also apply to property or equipment loss.

Factors that influence the degree of risk include:

• How much a person is exposed to a hazard.
• How the person is exposed (e.g., breathing in a vapor, skin contact, physically, mentally).
• How severe are the effects under the conditions of exposure.

A particular area of risk is hazards that occur as a result of stored energy. Stored energy can occur in many forms, including chemical, mechanical, thermal (air), electrical, and hydraulic energy. Other hazardous situations, included in the sample but not exhaustive list below, involve the presence of:

• Confined or limited exit spaces
• Oxygen-depleted atmospheres
• Awkward positions
• Repetitive motions
• Overhead hazards such as low-hanging objects
• Protruding objects such as sideways pointing rebar

What is a Risk Assessment?

Risk assessment is the process where you:

• Identify hazards.
• Analyze or evaluate the risk associated with that hazard.
• Determine appropriate ways to eliminate or control the hazard.

Factors Contributing to Hazards

When conducting a Formal Hazard Assessment or a Site-Specific Hazard Assessments there are many contributing factors that can be involved in whether or not a hazard will or can exist. Controlling or eliminating hazards without understanding the contributing factors (i.e. the “root cause”) can result in the re- occurrence of the hazard. Contributing factors should be addressed during the identification process.

Contributing factors can be grouped into four categories: