Workplace hazards and risks

Learner Guide

 Copyright, 2016 by North Coast TAFEnow

Date last saved: 28 September 2016 by Miller, Alexandra

Version: 1.0

# of Pages = 17

Coffs Harbour Campus, Business Section, North Coast TAFE Content writers and course advisors
TAFEnow Resource Development Team Instructional and graphic design

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Contents
Workplace hazards and risks................................................................................................................ 1
What is a hazard?............................................................................................................................................................... 1
Hazard types ....................................................................................................................................................................... 1
Hazard management ....................................................................................................................................................... 2
Steps to hazard management ................................................................................................................................. 3
Hazard identification ....................................................................................................................................................... 3
1 Systematic identification ....................................................................................................................................... 3
2 Incidental investigations ........................................................................................................................................ 4
Procedures for identifying hazards........................................................................................................................ 5
Hazard identification tools........................................................................................................................................ 5
Assessing the risk of a hazard .................................................................................................................................. 6
Risk Assessment ................................................................................................................................................................. 7
Initiate immediate control ............................................................................................................................................. 8
Communicate and report .............................................................................................................................................. 9
Repair/control the hazard ............................................................................................................................................10
Hierarchy of control ...................................................................................................................................................10
Review .................................................................................................................................................................................12
Quality assurance .......................................................................................................................................................12
Continuous improvement.......................................................................................................................................12
References .........................................................................................................................................................................13

Workplace hazards and risks

What is a hazard?
A hazard is a source, or potential source, of human injury, ill health or disease in the
workplace. Hazard identification is the process of investigating any issue that could result in
injury or illness. Hazards can arise because of a combination of environmental, human and
other circumstances, or because of the way in which work is carried out, organised and
managed.

Hazard types
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Physical - noise, lighting, electrical, heat and cold, poor ventilation, fire, machine
guarding, working space.

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Chemical liquids, fumes, gases, vapours, dust, hazardous substances.

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Ergonomic - equipment and tool design, workstation design, manual handling.

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Radiation - ultra violet, microwaves, lasers, x-rays.

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Psychological - shift work, workload, dealing with the public, harassment, discrimination,
loss of control over work, noise.

>

Biological - infections, bacteria, virus, disease

Hazard management
In the workplace it is everyone's responsibility to look out for and identify hazards. Hazards
should be reported as soon as a hazardous situation arises or is identified. Assessing and
controlling hazards involves gathering, recording and analysing information about what is
happening in the workplace. Hazards should be reported to a supervisor or Health and Safety
Representative (HSR) promptly, to ensure action can be taken before any harm can be done.
The primary duty of care responsibility of management in ensuring workplace health and
safety is to prevent hazards affecting the health and safety of workers and other at work. In
order to meet this responsibility management needs to be able to answer the following
questions:
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What hazards exist in the workplace?

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How serious are these hazards?

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What can be done to prevent or control these hazards from causing injury or illness?

These questions must be the basis for a hazard management strategy. A typical strategy will
consist of four separate phases:
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hazard identification

>

hazard assessment

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hazard control strategy

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monitor and review

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There should be procedures in place in your workplace for the identification, risk assessment
and control of hazards to address the risks to health or safety caused by the activities and
operations of the organisation over which the PCBU has control or influence. Hazard
identification, risk assessment and the adoption of risk controlling measures are activities
required by law in every workplace in Australia. The process of identifying, assessing and
controlling hazards is at the centre of every workplace safety procedures.

Steps to hazard management

1

Identify the hazard.

Assess the risk.

Initiate immediate control.

Communicate and report.

Repair/control the hazard.

Review.

Hazard identification
There are two basic ways in which hazards may be identified in the workplace:

1 - Systematic identification
The systematic identification of hazards within the workplace requires a structure and set of
procedures to be in place. The key word here is systematic as an ad hoc approach will not be
as effective as a well-defined and logical set of procedures such as:

The Safety Audit

This involves a systematic and regular inspection of the workplace by a safety consultant or
workplace WHS professional to evaluate the effectiveness of the workplace's health and safety
systems. The audit would normally result in a written report for management highlighting any
hazards and recommendations on how to improve identified shortcomings.

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Workplace Inspections
These are normally regular, systematic inspections conducted in house by managers,
supervisors and safety committee members specifically designed to identify workplace
hazards. These inspections would result in a formal report to management and the safety
committee.

Incident Investigations
Many organisations have a formal set of procedures for reporting and investigating workplace
incidents. The aim of these investigations is to identify the hazards or work practices that
contributed to the incident.

Consultation
A process through which the identification of hazards by the WHS committee or individual
workers may be brought to the attention of management.

Injury & Illness Records

Organisations must keep a record of injuries and illnesses related to the workplace. These can
be a valuable source of data and statistics which may point towards the presence of a hazard
in the workplace that is not otherwise easily identified.

Workplace Health & Monitoring

Usually carried out by external experts who take measurements (noise, light, air quality etc.) to
assess hazards or monitor the effectiveness of control strategies.

2 - Incidental investigations
Quite often workplace hazards will come to light through ways not covered by the inspection,
investigation and reporting systems outlined above. They can be identified in the following
ways:

Complaints
Many workplace hazards are bought to the attention of a supervisor, management or the
committee through a complaint by an individual worker, group of workers or even a worker
representative such as a union delegate.

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Observation
A supervisor, manager or committee member may observe a workplace hazard as part of their
normal duties. This could happen on a regular and continuous basis.
Hazard identification should take place at the following times:
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as part of the planning of a new task or activity

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before the commencement of a task or activity

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when making changes to normal work processes

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when planning for the purchase of new equipment

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when new equipment is introduced

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when training staff on new equipment or new work processes

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following an incident or injury

A hazard identification activity might be as simple as making sure a work space is tidy and
organised or as complex as using a detailed checklist such as when a pilot checks a plane
before every flight.

Procedures for identifying hazards

Hazard identification procedures are created as part of the organisations WHS Management
System to guide workers in the identification of hazards that exist in their workplace.

Hazard identification tools

There is a need to make use of tools which help the worker to methodically identify hazards as
some hazards are not obvious or may have existed for so long that they are no longer even
noticed.
An inspection checklist is a critical tool and can take the form of a very simple list for a single
piece of equipment or can be a comprehensive multipage document designed to assess
complex situations or large spaces.
For example:

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>

A simple checklist may be put beside the switch of a piece of machinery which lists the
items that need to be checked before switching on the machine. It might include items
such as making use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) like ear muffs and to ensure
the machine guard is in place.

>

A more complex checklist may be a monthly building inspection checklist which details
each room in the building and all the items that need to be checked in that room. It
might include items such as Fire Extinguisher is present, no leads across workways,
power leads have been tag and tested.

Here is an example of a simple Hazard Inspection checklist.

Assessing the risk of a hazard

Hazards and risks are not the same thing.
>

Hazard - is anything that illness, injury or even death might result because of the hazard.
A hazard may or may not lead to an incident or accident.

>

Risk - is the likelihood of injury or illness if exposed to a hazard. The level of risk is
determined by how likely an injury or illness is likely to occur, and how bad the injury or
illness could be.

Table 1 The relationship between hazard and risk

Hazard

Risk

Substance:

The likelihood a worker might develop an irritation from

toner dust

the dust while photocopying

The likelihood that a worker might be electrocuted

Energy:

because of exposure to a damaged electrical cord of a

electricity

computer and there is no earth leakage protection.

Manual handling

Cuts and lacerations

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The likelihood that a worker might suffer back strain from

manually lifting equipment.
The likelihood that a worker might sustain a cut while
repairing books.

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PCBUs must assess the risk of harm of each hazard in the workplace and put control measures
in place to minimise the risk of harm to workers. Assessing the risk of harm of a hazard
involves working out the likelihood of the hazard harming somebody, and how badly they
might be harmed.
By assessing hazards the PCBU can determine which hazards present the biggest risks, and
what controlling actions should be taken, and when. WHS law requires that all risks be
addressed, irrespective of whether the risk is serious or mild, or whether controlling it is easy
or difficult.
Before controlling actions may be prioritised, it is necessary to determine the comparative
level of risk of particular hazards. The level of risk is assessed by carrying out analysis of the
components of the risk. The components of the risk for any particular sequence of events
under consideration are:

The nature of the consequences of a particular sequence of events (i.e. the type and
degree of harm)

The level of exposure of persons to the hazard that would occur in that particular
sequence of events (i.e. the frequency, duration and extent of the exposure)

The probability (i.e. the degree of likelihood) of occurrence of that particular sequence of
events

Risk Assessment
Once hazards have been identified, the next step is to assess their significance. The
significance of a hazard is the combination of the probability or likelihood of injury or illness
from exposure to the hazard and the severity of the injury or illness that results.
Assessing the risk of a hazard can help determine:
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the severity of the risk

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whether any existing control measures are effective

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what actions should be taken to control the risk

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how urgently those actions should be completed

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The purpose of assessment is to decide priorities for hazard control. A successful hazard
control strategy requires a commitment by the organisation of considerable human, financial
and physical resources.
A risk assessment should be done when:
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there is uncertainty about how the hazard may result in an injury or illness

>

the work activity involves a number of different hazards and there is a lack of
understanding about how the hazards may interact with each other to produce new or
greater risks

>

there are changes at the workplace that may impact on the effectiveness of control
measure

Once the priorities have been set, the next step in the process is to decide on the appropriate
method for effectively controlling the hazards. Organisations must apply risk controls to
eliminate or reduce risks in the workplace. Two approaches to reducing risk are the:

Safe place approach: reducing risks associated with the work environment, usually by
incorporating controls into the design of equipment or isolating hazards.

Safe person approach: aims to change the behaviour of individuals in the workplace,
using methods such as training or using personal protective equipment.

Initiate immediate control

When you identify a hazard and have assessed it as a priority, then do something immediately
to reduce or control that hazard. Initial control measures include:

Warning signs
Using a combination of words and symbols to ensure even those with limited English skills,
and children who cannot read, can understand the warning.
The use of exclamation marks, skull and crossbones for poisons, large visible signs in capital
letters using red to convey danger, caution in yellow are all universal warning signifiers. If you
see a spill on the floor, before you get a mop and bucket, put a caution wet floor sign down.
If the toilet is blocked, stick a sign to the lid of the toilet and the toilet door before you report
the problem and contact a plumber.
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Figure 1 Examples of warning signs

Containment measures
These are measures to prevent anyone coming into contact with the danger. These can
include the use of barriers, switching off power at the mains, removal of the item from the
room, etc. The spill on the floor can be contained by the simple use of barriers or caution signs
placed around the area affected. Not all hazards can be contained by small measures and
there are, on extremely rare occasions, when the hazard is so great that the service will be
closed until that hazard is removed. If there is an infectious hazard, such an outbreak of a
notifiable disease within a service, then that service will be closed until the incubation period
has passed and no more cases are pronounced.

Communicate and report

The PCBU or Director is ultimately responsible for WHS in the workplace and any significant
hazard/risk must be reported to them immediately. It may be the PCBU or the Health and
Safety Representative (HSR) who then coordinates any actions required.
When a hazard is identified, all who are at risk must be warned. A simple spill on the floor will
require those present in the area to be warned. A more widespread and significant hazard will
require a more encompassing warning.

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For example, if an infectious disease occurs it will require warning all staff, clients and visitors.
By communicating information about the hazard, all are aware that you are busy attending to
the hazard and hopefully all are careful that they are not affected by that hazard. A written
report or documentation is necessary if the hazard is significant or has caused any incident or
injury. These documents must be kept and filed for legal purposes.

Repair/control the hazard

The nature of the hazard will depend on the method of control and repair. If the hazard is a
significant danger, the PCBU or Health and Safety Representative (HSR) will organise and
decide the best schedule of events. If the hazard requires external resources such as
electricians or plumbers it may take longer to organise. It is easier if only one person, usually
the HSR or the Director, coordinates and controls the outside contractors. It is often time
consuming and requires follow-up and arrangements. However, it is important that you know
how to contact and who are the external contract repair people for your service, in case of
emergency.

Hierarchy of control
The hierarchy of control refers to a system of control measures put in place to address safety
issues.
WHS legislation requires that hazards and risks be controlled in a systematic manner with the
requirement to eliminate the hazard or risk practicable. If it is NOT practicable to eliminate the
risks, then the risks need to be reduced using control measure. These include substitution,
isolation, engineering controls and administrative controls.
Dealing with workplace hazards really comes down to applying some basic principles based
on a hierarchy of control levels:
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elimination - remove process or hazard from the workplace

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substitution - replace with a less dangerous process or substance

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isolation - separate or isolate the hazard from people

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engineering control - design equipment or tools to reduce the risk

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administration - training, signage, procedures, rosters

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>

personal protective equipment - used to protect the worker from the hazard, for
example, hearing protection

It is called a hierarchy because the control strategies are listed from top to bottom in order of
their ability to control hazards. Obviously, elimination of the hazard is the ultimate control
strategy, but a combination of control strategies can be used to minimise the risk.
The last level of control is to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) against the risk. The
latter approach does nothing to minimise or alter the original risk, and any failure of the PPE
exposes the wearer to the full hazard potential.
This is why the controls are referred to as a hierarchy, as you must start with the first control
measure of elimination, and work downwards only if it is not practicable to implement that
measure.
Once the primary control measure has been selected, then the use of various other control
measures may be utilised to further reduce the risk to an acceptable level.
Hazard control of associated risks may also include:
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administrative changes

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counselling/disciplinary processes

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housekeeping and storage

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issue resolution

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WHS records maintenance and analysis

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personal protective equipment

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purchasing of supplies and equipment

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workplace inspections including plant and equipment

Great care needs to be taken not to adopt a strategy to control one hazard only to create a far
greater one in the process. Also a strategy used to effectively control a hazard is not
necessarily a permanent solution. The situation must be constantly reviewed as changing
technologies and work practices may alter the nature of the hazard and make the current
strategy redundant.

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Identified inadequacies in existing risk control measures in accordance with the hierarchy of
control will mean that extra resources needs to be provided to enable implementation of new
measures. The HSC may identify intervention points in the control of hazards that require
external expert WHS advice, technical assistance or analysis.
The hierarchy of control strategies shown above has been incorporated into a Code of
Practice by Safe Work Australia called How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks. It is not
compulsory for PCBUs to implement this code, but by doing so the PCBU will demonstrate a
commitment to provide a safe and healthy workplace. A failure to follow the Code of Practice
may be used by a WorkCover inspector as evidence of a breach of a regulation. Two
organisations in a similar business may prevent incidents in different ways and this is fine as
long as each approach works.

Review
If the hazard has been identified, then it is important to recheck that the hazard has been
dealt with effectively. If the hazard required a change in work practice, this again must be
reassessed to see if there is improvement and a hazard reduction has been achieved.

Quality assurance
Quality assurance and continuous improvement in WHS means that an organisation uses a
risk management approach to identify potential workplace hazards, assesses the level of risk
that the hazard poses, introduces appropriate risk control measures to eliminate or minimise
the risk and monitor evaluate the effectiveness of risk control strategies on an ongoing basis.

Continuous improvement
Monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of risk controls is a key element driving
continuous improvement process. Input from families and staff to ensure that policies
processes and practices are regularly reviewed, update and reflect best [practice are also
important in this process.

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References
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NSW Government, WorkCover, 2011, How to manage work health and safety risks, viewed
18 August 2016 http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/clicktracking?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.workcover.nsw.gov.au%2F__data%2Fassets%2Fpdf
_file%2F0009%2F15201%2Fhow-manage-work-health-safety-risks-code-of-practice3565.pdf&index_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.workcover.nsw.gov.au%2F__data%2Fassets
%2Fpdf_file%2F0009%2F15201%2Fhow-manage-work-health-safety-risks-code-ofpractice3565.pdf&auth=%2FxmytXwoCzgmA97fLvHXSQ&profile=_default&rank=1&query=how
+to+manage+work+health

>

Safe work Australia, 2012, Managing risks to health and safety at the workplace fact sheet,
Safe Work Australia, viewed 18 August 2016
http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/swa/about/publications/pages/managingrisks-to-health-and-safety-at-the-workplace-fact-sheet

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