Health and Safety(3)

Basic
Health and Safety Environment
Training
NEBOSH International General Certificate in Occupational
Safety and Health

Unit IG1

Element 4(A): Health and Safety

Management Systems - Planning
Basic Health and Safety Training

6.Harard and Risk, Risk Assessment

 Hazard :
Something that has the potential to cause
harm to people, property or the environment
(or) something with the potential to cause
harm

Risk:
The chance or probability of that hazard causing
harm or damage to people, property or the
environment (or) the likelihood that a hazard will
cause harm - likelihood linked with severity
 Hazard Categories
• Physical
– E.g. electricity, noise, vibration, radiation, machinery
• Chemical
– E.g. mercury, solvents, carbon monoxide
• Biological
– E.g. legionella bacteria, hepatitis
• Ergonomic
– E.g. manual handling, repetitive tasks
• Psychological
– E.g. stress, violence
 Risk Assessment

What is Risk Assessment and why is it

needed?
 Objectives of Risk Assessment
Prevent:
• Death and personal injury
• Other types of loss incident
• Breaches of statute law
which might lead to
enforcement action and/or
prosecution
• The direct and indirect
costs that follow on from
accidents
 Types of Incident

• Accident
• Injury accident
• Damage only accident
• Near-miss
• Dangerous occurrence
• Work related Ill-health
 Relationship Between
Incident Types

Hazard Near Miss Injury

•published by the Health and Safety Executive and licensed under the Open
•Government Licence v1.0 (
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/):
HSG245
Accident Ratios

Frank Bird Accident Triangle

The 5 Steps to Risk Assessment
 Step 1: Identify the Hazards
Safety Health
Physical injury: Occupational disease or ill-health:
• Slips, trips and falls • Physical
• Falling objects • Chemical
• Collisions • Biological
• Trapping/crushing • Ergonomic
• Machinery • Psychological
• Electricity
• Transport
• Chemicals
• Drowning
• Asphyxiation
• Fire/explosion
• Animals
• Violence
 Hazard Identification
• Task Analysis
– analyses job components before
the job starts
• Legislation
– standards, guidance documents
• Manufacturers' Information
– safe use, maintenance, cleaning
• Incident Data
– accidents, near-misses, ill-health
 Task Analysis
S elect the task
R ecord the stages of the task
E valuate risks associated with each stage
D evelop the safe working method
I mplement the safe working method
M onitor to ensure effectiveness
 Step 2: Identify the People at Risk

• Employees
• Maintenance staff
• Cleaners
• Contractors
• Visitors
• Members of the public
(also trespassers)
 Vulnerable Groups

People at Special Risk:

• Young people
• New or expectant mothers
• Disabled workers
• Lone workers
 Step 3: Evaluate the Risk
What is risk?
It is a measure of the likelihood of harm
occurring and the severity of that harm. Or
to put it more simply:

Risk = Likelihood × Severity

 Step 3: Evaluate the Risk
The Risk Evaluation can be:
● Qualitative (based on
opinion)
Uses words to
describe likelihood
and severity, e.g. high,
medium, low, etc.

● Semi-Quantitative
Uses words and
numbers to describe
likelihood and
severity.
 Step 3: Evaluate the Risk
Likelihood Severity

1 = extremely unlikely 1 = very minor

2 = unlikely 2 = first-aid injury

3 = possible 3 = lost time injury

4 = likely 4 = hospital treatment

5 = very probable 5 = disabling injury

Risk Assessment Matrix
Semi-Quantitative Risk Evaluation
Advantages of semi-quantitative risk evaluation:
• Clarity of thinking
• Consistency of approach
• Prioritisation
• Timescale

Risk Rating Action and Timescales

15 and above Unacceptable
9 to 14 Tolerable
5 to 8 Tolerable (must be reduced to
below 5)
4 or below Acceptable
 Residual, Acceptable and
Tolerable Risk
If risk is unacceptable, more action is
needed
If risk is lower it may be tolerable for a
short period of time
If risk is acceptable the risk is adequately
controlled
 Priorities and Timescales
• High risk = high priority actions

• Low risk = low priority

BUT risk and timescale are not the same:

• Low cost, easy actions should be done
even if low priority
• Medium priority still needs rapid action
 Step 4 –Record Significant Findings
• Typical content:
• Activity/area assessed and hazards
• Groups at risk
• Evaluation of risks and adequacy of existing
control measures
• Further precautions needed
• Date and name of
competent person
• Review date
 Step 5 - Review
Significant change in:
• Process
• Substances
• Equipment
• Workplace environment
• Personnel
• Law
If it is no longer valid
• Accident
• Near miss
• Ill-health
• Periodically e.g. annually
 Risk Assessors
• Competent people
– training, knowledge, experience
• Team approach is beneficial
– workers familiar with tasks
– H&S specialists
– technical knowledge specialists
– line managers
– worker safety representatives
– Good communication skills and report
writing skills
– Attitude towards H&S
– Practical training
– Knowing their limitations
 Young Persons
• Under 18 (national law)
• Lack of experience
• Physical and mental maturity
• Poor risk perception
• Influenced by peer group
• Eager
• Control measures:
– prohibit certain high risk activities, e.g. high risk
machinery
– restrict work patterns and hours, e.g. no overtime
– train and supervise
 Pregnant Workers
• Hazards:
• Certain chemicals, e.g. lead
• Certain biological agents, e.g. rubella virus
• Manual handling
• Temperature extremes
• Whole body vibration
• Ionising radiation
• Night shifts
• Stress
• Violence
 Disabled Workers

• Identify:
• Health and fitness criteria
for some jobs
– e.g. eyesight requirements to
drive forklift trucks
• Workers with known
disabilities
– What are the implications of
their disability?
 Lone Workers
•Workers especially
vulnerable and more at
risk:
• Of violence
– e.g. prison officer, mental
health nurse
• If they are injured or ill
– e.g. confined space entry
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Personal Protective Equipment Regulations 1992
• Supply suitable PPE:
– appropriate for risk
– ergonomic
– fits
– doesn’t increase overall risk
– complies with standards
• Ensure compatibility of items
• Suitable storage
• Information, instruction and training
• Enforce use of PPE
• Replace or repair damaged or lost items
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Benefits of PPE Limitations of PPE
• Interim control •Doesn’t remove hazard
• Some situations •Only protects the wearer
only control •Requires good fit
option •Relies on wearer
• Emergency back •Requires training
up •Uncomfortable
•May increase overall risk
• Cheap (short •Incompatibility
term) •Unpopular so often unworn
• Immediate •Fails to danger
protection •No good if wrongly selected
•Contamination
•Expensive long term
Factors affecting the selection of PPE
 Safety Signs

Prohibition Warning Mandatory

Safe Condition Fire Equipment

• The Role and Function of a Permit-to-Work System
 Permit-to-Work System
A formal, documented safety procedure, forming
part of a safe system of work
Typical applications:
● Hot work (involving naked flames
or creation of ignition sources)
● High voltage electrical systems
● Confined space
● Operational pipelines
● Excavation near buried services
● Complex machinery
● Working at height
 Permit-to-Work
Consists of 4 elements:
1. Issue

2. Receipt

3. Clearance/return to service

4. Cancellation

May also be an extension

 Permit-to-Work System
• Issue – Pre Job Checks
– Description of work to be carried out
– Description of plant and location
– Assessment of hazards
– Identification of controls
– Additional permits e.g. hot work
– Isolation of services
– PPE
– Emergency procedures
 Permit-to-Work System
• Receipt – handover of permit
– Competent and authorised person issues permit to workers
– Workers sign to say they accept controls
• Work can now start
• Plant is now under the control of the workers
• Safety controller- prepares, issues and cancels PTW
• Acceptor- Receives, clears PTW after completion, transfers
safety document
• Issuer-Issues safety documents
• Designated person (DP)- APPLIES SAFTEY PRECAUTION W.R.T
PTW
• Safety Co-Ordinator- co-ordinates safety across company
boundary
 Permit-to-Work System
• Clearance – hand back of permit
– Workers sign to say they have left the job
site and equipment can restart.

• Cancellation
– Authorised person accepts plant back and
can remove isolations etc.
• Plant is now returned to the control of
the “site”
 Importance of Permit Control
• Poorly implemented
permits are useless
• Piper Alpha disaster was the
failure of a permit to work
system Government Licence v1.0 (
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/d
• People must be trained in oc/open-government-licence/
):
use
• Permits never issued from a
desk
• System must be monitored
 Hot Work Controls
• Remove flammable materials
• Fire retardant blankets/screens
• Floor swept of debris
• Floors damped down if necessary
• Fire extinguishers at hand
• “Fire watcher” present
• Post work checks to ensure
no smouldering embers
Work on Live Electrical Systems
• Work must be justified
– Not possible to work dead
• Precautions in place
• Workers are competent
 Confined Spaces
• Risk assessment by competent person
• Controls implemented (already
covered)
• Safe system of work
• Emergency arrangements
 Machinery Maintenance
• Work is carefully planned and
controlled
– May be several people working
• Hazards are communicated
• Services are isolated and locked off
• Stored energy is released
• Workers are competent
 Work at Height
• Avoidance if possible
• Prevention of falls by using
– safe platform with adequate edge
protection
• Minimise distance and consequence of
fall
– PPE and fall arrest devices
• Weather conditions considered
– Wind, ice/snow