4.2 The Business Case for Hazard Recognition, Assessment and Control

Hazard recognition or identification is perhaps that most important function of an employer, a safety program, a health and safety representative/committee. Let’s review the business case for making hazard recognition a key activity at work.

Reduce Risk. The best way to reduce the number of workplace incidents is to avoid the incidents completely. Get ahead of the hazards, be proactive, identify hazards, assess risk and implement the controls necessary to minimize or eliminate the risk. An example, if the employer identifies low-lighting in the parking lot, have the lighting fixed, updated, replaced to reduce the chance of a workplace incident in the parking lot such as a slip and fall or a theft. The goal of the hazard recognition activity is to eliminate or reduce the risk of future incidents.

Financial. The investment in hazard recognition is low compared to the cost of a workplace incident. Employees that will assist with hazard recognition are already on the payroll. The employer needs to task employees to complete a thorough review of the workplace. Don’t forget meeting rooms, washrooms, eating areas, storage cabinets and parking lots. The employer may choose to hire a third-party company to assist or lead the hazard recognition activity. Either way, the cost of these pro-active activities is less than the cost of a workplace incident.

Participation. In some jurisdictions, the legal system talks about the “rights of the worker” which includes the right to know and the right to participate. There is no easier way to provide workers with the right to participate than to involve them in the identification of workplace hazards. An example, strike a small committee consisting of members of the health and safety committee and employees that work in the maintenance area to perform a walk through of the maintenance area to identify hazards that others may not see.

Training. Once an employer identifies workplace hazards, it is easy to establish a safety training program. An example, a wheelchair manufacturer recognizes they cannot eliminate the use of sharp objects and metal in their work process. They implement a “sharps” training program that emphasizes the use of proper PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) such as gloves, to every employee and re-trains employees on the sharps safety program annually.

Due Diligence. At the center of each safety program is due diligence, or the act of doing everything possible to ensure the safety of individuals in the workplace. An example, employers should the appropriate safety signage is located throughout their workplace in languages that represent the diversity of their employees.

Internal Responsibility System. The IRS or Internal Responsibility System suggests everyone is responsible for safety. An example, at the monthly staff meeting, the leadership team encourages employees to report hazards in the workplace and reviews safety concerns identified in the past 30 days, as well as the actions taken to eliminate or minimize each hazard.

Compliance and Record Keeping. Should an employer need to provide evidence of their safety program and compliance with safety legilation, keeping hazard identification forms on file is a required practice. For example, should an organization receive unplanned visit from their government safety agency or ministry, the organization must be able to retrieve hazard identification records that demonstrate a pro-active approach to safety.

“Hazard Recognition, Assessment, and Control” in Health and Safety in Canadian Workplaces by Jason Foster and Bob Barneston, published by AU Press is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, unless otherwise noted.