WORKSITE HAZARD ASSESSMENT AND CONTROL

Formal Hazard Assessments

The Formal Hazard Assessment is a process that presents all potential or existing hazards, identifies them, prioritizes them, and examines whether they can be eliminated or controlled. As mentioned above, formal hazard assessments are to be completed before work begins on all Work Sites.

Formal Hazard Assessments result in a number of positive outcomes, such as:

Preventing incidents, injuries, or illnesses at the Work Site.
Helping employers and Workers to identify hazards related to their work.
Helping employers and Workers to identify controls required for hazards.
Helping employers and Workers to prioritize the implementation of controls.
Building the foundation of elements within the company’s Health and Safety Program.
Helping employers and Workers to meet the requirements of Applicable Legislation.

The Regional Safety Manager is expected to oversee Formal Hazard Assessments and ensure that all Workers participate in the Formal Hazard Assessment process. Qualico will ensure that Formal Hazard Assessments are reviewed or reassessed as follows:

If an inspection finds something was missed on the formal hazard assessment.
If an inspection or investigation identifies ineffective controls.
If a site-specific hazard assessment identifies new hazards.
If there is a new work process introduced.
If there is a change in a work process or operational change.
If there is a significant change to the Work Site.

Formal Hazard Assessment Process

Qualico follows the 9-Step Formal Hazard Assessment Model, summarized below:

•Step 1	Figure out what the personnel do.
•Step 2	List tasks associated with jobs.
•Step 3	Identify health and safety hazards.
•Step 4	Rank hazards according to risk.
•Step 5	Find ways to eliminate or control hazards.
•Step 6	Implement the selected controls.
•Step 7	Communicate the hazards and controls to Employees.
•Step 8	Monitor the implemented controls.
•Step 9	Review and revise the hazard assessment as needed.

Inventory of All Jobs / Positions

Step 1 is to identify all the jobs / positions within Qualico. It is important to ensure that all types of jobs and all personnel are covered under this step, even if the position is currently vacant.

Identifying All Tasks / Activities Within All Jobs / Positions

Step 2 in the Formal Hazard Assessment Model takes all the jobs / positions that were identified in Step 1 and lists all the tasks and activities that will be completed by the personnel within that job / position. A task is an activity performed as part of a job. For a detailed inventory of tasks for positions at Qualico, please refer to the Formal Hazard Assessment – Job Hazard Analysis.

Identifying All Health and Safety Hazards Within Tasks / Activities

After identifying all the tasks that will be completed by each position, it is important to identify all associated hazards. For a detailed inventory of documented hazards for positions at Qualico, please refer to the Formal Hazard Assessment – Job Hazard Analysis.

Ranking Hazards

A hazard ranking system is required to identify the level and urgency of hazard elimination or control.

Step 4 of the Formal Hazard Assessment model requires that the hazards that were identified be ranked according to risk. This step helps to address the priority and urgency of the hazard. All hazards are not equal, and it is important to understand what makes one hazard more dangerous than another hazard.

Qualico measures the risks on a ranking system of severity and likelihood. Severity refers to the degree of impact to a person’s health or safety and likelihood refers to the probability of that outcome occurring as a result of the hazard. These scales are shown in the ranking system below.

Using the above risk matrix:

A hazard that ranks a 3 for severity and a 3 for likelihood would score a 9 (3 x 3 = 9).
A hazard with a 1 severity and a 3 likelihood would score a 3 (1 x 3 = 3).
The hazard that scored 9 in the matrix should be addressed immediately.

Prioritizing Hazards

Once the hazards are ranked according to risk, they are placed in order of priority. Priority indicates which hazards need to be addressed first. The higher-ranking hazards should be addressed first, though all hazards must be eliminated or controlled.

Site-Specific Hazard Assessments

Site-Specific Hazard Assessments focus on Work Site conditions rather than focusing on Work Site tasks, like the Formal Hazard Assessment. They are completed when conditions change on the Work Site. If conditions change, and the Site-Specific Hazard Assessment identifies additional hazards, those newly identified hazards must be addressed right away, prior to continuing work.

Site Specific Hazard Assessment Process

Qualico follows the 5-Step Site-Specific Hazard Assessment Model, summarized below

•Step 1	List tasks.
•Step 2	Identify health and safety standards.
•Step 3	Eliminate or control the hazards
•Step 4	Communicate the hazards and follow controls.
•Step 5	Repeat the process if there is a change to conditions.

When to Perform Site-Specific Hazard Assessments

Qualico requires that all affected Workers participate in conducting a Site-Specific Hazard Assessment. Any results of the Site-Specific Hazard Assessment will be addressed to all affected Workers. All Workers must be specifically trained to conduct a proper Site-Specific Hazard Assessment as Work Site conditions can change from day to day.

Site-specific hazard assessments are required when:

Work Site conditions or work tasks change.
Work is conducted at a temporary or mobile Work Site.
Workers are conducting activities at an outside source Work Site.
New temporary activities are added.

It is important to ensure that these assessments are not conducted with complacency and are taken seriously by all personnel involved.