OHS Awareness NSW Taxi Operators - NSW Taxi Industry

Step 3: Risk Control
So far we have identified some OHS hazards and risks. We know what the problems may
be and the harm that may come from them. Now we move to the third step, which is Risk
Control.
Risk Control is the solution that we are going to use to solve an OHS problem. The best
solution is of course to eliminate the hazard completely. If we find an oil spill on the
driveway, for example, we can eliminate this hazard entirely by cleaning it up.
In many cases we will not be able to eliminate the hazard entirely but we will be able to
control it. For example, because vehicles are prone by nature to wear, we will never be
able to totally avoid vehicle defects. However, we can control it by having regular
inspections and planned maintenance of vehicles. As NSW Taxi Operators we already
carry these out, but many of us don’t have written evidence of the controls we use in our
day to day operation.
As an example our evidence could be recorded as:
Hazards (Problem)
Vehicle defects
Risks (Harm)
Injury or death through
motor vehicle accidents
Control (Solution)
Pre-shift vehicle
inspection and report
Report on vehicle defects
within shift made by
driver
Approximately three
weekly inspections and
maintenance by licensed
mechanic
Four monthly registration
checks
Roadworthiness
Assurance system to
keep check of vehicle
faults and repairs
For many of the OHS hazards in the NSW Taxi Industry there are already procedures in
place with taxi operators to control the risks, such as the Roadworthiness Assurance
System as required by your Operator Accreditation Standards.
On the next page we have given a few more examples of Controls for Hazards and Risks.
OHS Awareness for NSW Taxi Operators: Information Guide
NSW Taxi Industry Association Page 9