SafetyMAP:Auditing Health & Safety ... - WorkSafe Victoria

PART 2: AUDIT CRITERIA3.10 Hazard identification, risk assessmentand control of risks - SpecificThis section includes criteria for commonworkplace hazards. Organizations need to applythe criteria in 3.9 to identify necessary systemsprocedures and specific risk controls requiredin the health and safety management system.Risk control is the process of identifying andimplementing all practicable measures foreliminating or reducing the likelihood of injury,illness or disease in the workplace. In identifyingrisk control measures, the most effective controlmeasure is to eliminate the hazard (e.g. byeliminating the process). If it is not possible toeliminate the hazard, the next best step is toprevent or minimise the risk by selecting oneor a combination of the control methodsdetermined in accordance with the ‘hierarchyof controls’.Control measures which are higher onthe ‘hierarchy of controls’ [i.e. elimination,substitution, engineering controls, isolation]should always be selected over controlmeasures which are lower on the ‘hierarchy ofcontrols’ [i.e. administrative controls, personalprotective equipment]. Often a combination ofrisk control measures will need to be used.Priority should always be given to higher orderrisk control measures over controls loweron the ‘hierarchy of controls’.Some examples for reducing risk include:a) substituting the plant or substancewith another that is less hazardous;b)using engineering controls (e.g. modifyingthe design of the workplace or plant,or environmental conditions);c) isolating people from the source of exposure;d)changing the shape, size and weight of objectsto reduce manual handling; ande) using mechanical aids for manualhandling tasks.It may not always be practicable to immediatelyimplement the control measures higher on the‘hierarchy of controls’ and there may still be aneed to keep the process/activity going. In suchsituations interim control measures (e.g. in theform of administrative controls in combinationwith personal protective equipment) may beused until the control measures higher on the‘hierarchy of controls’ can be implemented.For the risk control process to be reliable theremust also be an ongoing evaluation of thevarious measures used to control risk. Thisevaluation may require verifications of design,purchase specifications, contractorperformance, modifications, etc. to checktheir effectiveness.24PART 2: AUDIT CRITERIA