You must evaluate the effectiveness of your control measures before implementing them. This is a continuous activity to guarantee that the hazard management measures remain relevant and safeguard employees and visitors.
After all, things change in the workplace: new plants and machinery, new processes, weather variations, new staff, and so on.
There are five steps you can take to continuously enhance and ensure that the hazard management methods you select are and remain the best available.
Determine who is in charge of health and safety
You must decide who is responsible for health and safety strategies, procedures, and paperwork. It’s usually your managers and supervisors, and their accountability varies depending on the procedure.
You must ensure that they have the power and resources to successfully adopt and maintain hazard management measures. Furthermore, you should keep an eye on their reports and recommendations in order to improve.
The amount and type of supervision required will be determined by the level of risk and the experience of your staff. Higher levels of supervision are generally required when you have new or inexperienced staff, introduce a new technique, or perform difficult and vital activities.
Plant and equipment maintenance should be done on a regular basis
To stay effective, hazard management methods must be monitored and maintained on a regular basis. When implementing each control, you must consider what you require. This will entail evaluating and testing all broken or worn plants and equipment, as well as repairing or replacing them.
It’s a good idea to create a routine check and maintenance schedule for the controls. When identifying threats, many organizations create a risk register that describes what action has to be taken, who will be accountable for taking the action, and by when.
You must ensure that the hazard control measures are still appropriate for the kind and length of the work. Always confirm that they are properly configured and that employees are using them.
Ensure that your training is current and that your employees are competent
Training is essential. Employees must understand what constitutes a workplace danger, how to identify one, and how to appropriately control the risks. They must be aware of their duties when engaging in high-risk activities in order to keep themselves and others safe.
Training must, above all, include the nature of the work, the accompanying hazards, and the hazard control measures that should be used.
In short, your staff must be capable of performing their duties safely. Your staff should be able to demonstrate competence in carrying out their tasks in accordance with the procedures. As an employer, you require proof of their ongoing competency.
You can’t just hand an employee a method and expect them to recognize that they understand and can carry it out. You must give continuing training in risk management measures.
Maintain up-to-date information on workplace hazards
Things shift. Manufacturers and suppliers may update information regarding the dangers of plants and substances. You must review any changes or updates to ensure that the hazard control measures remain effective.
In addition, if maintenance activities disclose new dangers or demonstrate that you are not addressing existing hazards, you will need to review your hazard control strategies.
When new legislation or information becomes available, the control mechanisms must be audited to ensure that they remain the most effective.
When introducing new machinery and equipment, ensure that your procedures and hazard management methods remain applicable.
Review and consult with your employees on a regular basis
Hazard control methods are more likely to be effective when work processes are reviewed on a regular basis in cooperation with your personnel.
Consider the following questions for yourself and your employees:
Are the hazard control measures effective in terms of both design and operation?
Are the control measures causing new issues?
Are there any threats that you are overlooking?
Are there any new work practices, equipment, or substances that make the job safer?
Is everyone following the safety procedures?
Do your employees require further teaching and training in order to work safely?
Is your staff actively looking for dangers and potential risk-control measures?
Are your employees open to discussing health and safety concerns and swiftly reporting problems?
Is the number and severity of health and safety events decreasing?
Conclusion
Hazard control procedures are an important part of managing workplace risk and avoiding fatalities, injuries, and illnesses. This post will go through how to create effective hazard control methods. We also offer advice on how to successfully execute them.
As a company, you must identify who is responsible for health and safety in your organization. Regular maintenance of machinery and equipment is required, as is keeping current information on working hazards. We propose that you and your staff examine hazard control methods for accuracy and efficacy on a regular basis.
Finally, training is essential; your staff must understand what constitutes a workplace hazard, how to identify one, and how to best control the risks. To maintain and show competency, you must retain continuing and accurate records of staff training. As a result, you fulfill your OHS requirements to keep your employees and others safe in the workplace.