Risk Management
It’s a legal requirement under WHS law for an organisation to establish a plan and guidelines for development, implementation and measurement of a risk management process for the control of foreseeable WHS risks identified in the work place. There is a range of material which outlines processes for their application including the current Act and Reg’s, associated codes of practice and international standards such as ISO 31000:2009 – Risk Management – Principals Principles and Guidelines.
Any organisation’s work activities involve a certain amount of risk which requires management. The amount of risk is dependent on the scope of work being conducted, location of the work site, workers involved etc.
Underpinning the entire process of risk management is the need to consult with workers and other persons who have duties under safety law and actively assess and manage risk together. Consultation is the key to Risk Management where workers are involved in the identification, development, implementation and the review of risk management strategies.
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With respect to risk management, a Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU) has a duty under the WHS Act to ensure health and Safety by eliminating risks to health and safety, so far as reasonably practicable, or reduce those risks as far as reasonably practicable. Therefore, risk management can be seen is a systematic process that involves several basic steps in identifying hazards, assessing hazards or risks, and eliminating, controlling or managing reasonably foreseeable risks.:
The current WHS Act of 2011 states in section 17 ,
- A duty imposed on a person to ensure health and safety requires the person: (a) to eliminate risks to health and safety, so far as is reasonably practicable, and (b) if it is not reasonably practicable to eliminate risks to health and safety, to minimise those risks so far as is reasonably practicable. Furthermore, the Australian Standard AS/NZS 4801:2001; section 4.3.1, states - 4.3.1 Planning identification Identification of hazardsHazards, hazardHazard / risk assessment Risk Assessment and control Control of hazardsHazards / risks.Risks:
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There are many ways to manage hazards and risks in the workplace. The most common approach is to implement what is known as the Hierarchy of Control (HOC). :
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1. Elimination
Level 1 Control
The most effective control measure is elimination eg eliminate the risk of fall from height by doing the work at ground level.
Most Preferred & Most Effective
Least Preferred & Least Effective
2. Substitution
Level 2 Control
Substitute the hazard with something safer eg replace solvent based paints with water based ones.
3. Isolation
Level 2 Control
Isolate the hazard from people. This involves physically separating the source of harm from people by distance or using barriers eg install guard rails around exposed edges in floors, use remote control systems to operate machinery, store chemicals in a fume cabinet.
4. Engineering
Level 2 Control
Change the workplace, equipment or work process (engineering controls) For instance, use mechanical devices such as trolleys or hoists to move heavy loads, place guards around moving parts of machinery, install residual current devices (electrical safety switches), set work rates on a production line to reduce fatigue.
5. Administration
Level 3 Control
For instance, develop procedures on how to operate machinery safely, limit exposure time to a hazardous task by job rotation, carry out preventative maintenance on machinery and equipment, provide training and instruction on safe handling for a manual task, use signs to warn people of a hazard.
6. PPE
(Personal Protective Equipment)
Level 3 Control
Developing and implementing a Risk Register is a vital part of an organisation’s Risk management process. Quite often, a Broad-Brush Risk Assessment (BBRA) is completed within the organisation to capture hazards associated with all activities within the organisation. This register requires reviewing on a regular basis and made available to interested parties inclusive of workers. Risk registers are an essential tool in managing risk and it’s advisable that these registers are linked and form part of an integrated risk management framework.
There are many risk management tools which are used in the risk management process. Such tools include, Pre-task risk assessments (such as Take 5, 60 seconds), Job Safety Analysis (JSA’s), Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS), Safe Work Procedures (SWP’s). Basically, they all do the same job and assist workers in identifying and controlling risk. A pre-task risk assessment (a Take 5) ensures that any non-routine jobs are quickly assessed prior the commenced of work being conducted. A routine job, that has been assessed previously, can be carried out on a SWMS / JSA as long as the job scope is reflective of the hazards identified in the completed SWMS.
The risk assessment and treatment process should be developed using consultation, communication, supervisory and review processes consistent with the workplace’s health and safety management system. Organisations, should expand their respective systems to incorporate not just WHS but all areas of organisational risk (eg financial, operational risk etc). An integrated RM framework is an appropriate and effective way of measuring risk throughout an organisation. Documenting and sharing information about RM is essential to ensure that appropriate people within the organisation are made aware and informed of the risk(s) being managed. |
