Risk Management - Part 1 of 4.

In May 2011 (http://safetyrich.blogspot.com/2011/05/four-levels-of-protection-from-hazards.html), we wrote about the four levels of activities which will protect workers. We called the first one Engineering because it comes in at the very start of a project. The best time to introduce this step into the process is as the bid is being prepared.

A primary axiom in Risk Management is that the earlier you consider action, the cheaper and more effective it is.  That speaks directly to the benefit of considering actions to improve safety.

When the Project Manager (or whoever is preparing the bid) looks at the specifications and other details of the project, the site, type of work, equipment and material is considered.  Required worker skills are determined. This is the time to focus on safety – early, before money has been spent and other resources committed to the project.

We begin by identifying the Probability of Occurrence – how likely it is that an event will occur. The next step is to identify the Severity of the harm or danger should the event occur. A fatality typically has a low probability of occurrence, but a high severity. On the opposite end of the injury spectrum, a small cut or abrasion has a high probability of occurring, but a low severity.

Now let’s get to the task of making the job safer. First, list all aspects of the work from high to low risk. Second, list everything that could go wrong – include worst case scenarios. Finally, decide how the risk is to be eliminated or minimized – Risk Management – in the next two steps: Work Process Design and protecting the worker with PPE when the hazards cannot be totally eliminated. We will cover those two in later articles.

See our Web site: SafetyRich