Understanding Hazards and Risks
It would not be unfair to say that the identification, evaluation and control of hazards is the cornerstone of current workplace health and safety philosophy. The principle is simple, if we either eliminate the hazards or control them so they pose no serious risks to our health and safety, then we have a safe workplace. Any successful safety strategy has this principle as its foundation. However, the degree to which it is successful is dependent on the following three factors: The ability of the organisation to identify all of the hazards that are present The ability of the organisation to implement satisfactory control measures whenever necessary, and The level of commitment from all personnel within the organisation to accept the rules, regulations and safe work practices and procedures that have been established. Because the process of hazard identification and evaluation, often referred to as risk assessment, is so important, it is vital that everyone fully understands the meaning of the words, ‘hazard’ and ‘risk’, and, importantly the difference between. Hazards are always present so it is important that hazards are either completely removed or controlled so that the risks they present are deemed to be at an acceptable level. RUNNING TIME: 13 Minutes