Hazard Identification Method

What is meant by Hazard Identification and what techniques are used for this purpose?

Hazard Identification is a basic and mandatory part of any organization’s management system. It is a crucial item that decides the fate of the organization’s performance and the safety and security of the workers and other assets around.

It ensures that the organization has the intent to identify the hazards in the first place, evaluate the risk associated with these hazards, adopt and implement relevant controls to ensure the risk level is minimized.

The hazard Identification method requires skills, experience, and knowledge. Without any of these, it becomes difficult for the organization to identify the hazards. A few of the hazard identification techniques are listed below;

1. Observation
2. Task Analysis
3. Checklist
4. Incident Investigation & Near Miss Reports
5. Failure Tracing Techniques 

1. Observation

An assessor can identify the hazard in the workplace by looking at it, but such observations are dependent on the experience, knowledge, and hazard observation ability of the assessor. The hazard can be present due to wrong use of the equipment, open storage of the flammable material, use of damaged equipment and who is carrying out the work, things like that. The assessor is required to look at them;

• Actual and Potential hazards: it can be done through observation as well as questioning.
• Invisible Hazards: these can be health dangers, triggered by the actual hazard etc. noise, lighting as well as dangerous substance presence.
• Behavioral aspects: controls for controlling the hazards etc.
  

2. Task Analysis

Task Analysis is a method to analyze all aspects of a task including safety, health, and environment that is to be performed ahead. Through this, safety and health-related hazards can be identified, and then relevant control measures can be adopted to implement at all levels.

The main benefit of this method is that it allows the user to perform it before the start of the job instead of during and after the task. The task is divided into components to perform the Task Analysis method, and each step is considered separately, to identify the hazards associated with each step, then control measures are considered separately for each step. There is a useful acronym SREDIM for Task Analysis elaborated below;

1. Select the task
2. Record the steps of the task.
3. Evaluate the risks associated with each step.
4. Develop a safe working method.
5. Implement the safe working method.
6. Monitor to ensure it is effective.

Through this method, only new SSWs are not only developed but existing systems are also improved, safety rules can be implemented, emergency procedures are introduced, relevant information about the hazards is provided as well as the layout of the work area can be developed.

3. Checklists

A checklist or inspection form is developed and used by the organization to ensure all safety aspects are checked consistently in a comprehensive approach. The checklist developed by the organization covers the key issues and problems that are to be inspected through the use of the checklist.

There are few limitations of the checklists e.g., if any factor is not covered in the checklist, it is less likely to be inspected during the inspection process. Secondly, the inspector can’t go out of the inspection checklist scope. One helpful method of structuring a checklist is using an approach of 4Ps;

• Premises

1. Access
2. Escape routes
3. Housekeeping
4. Working environment

• Plant and Substances

1. Machinery guarding
2. Local Exhaust Ventilation
3. Use/ storage/ separation of materials/ chemicals

• Procedure

1. PTW
2. PPEs usage
3. Work methods
4. Inspections

• People

1. Health surveillance
2. People’s behavior
3. Authorized people

There is one benefit of the checklist that it can be changed if there is any change in the procedure, equipment, or any accident, the checklist will be revised. Checklists should be revised regularly to ensure they have covered any issues highlighted recently.

4. Incident Report

These are reactive but useful data. The reports can be used from outside the organization as reference or internal incidents/accidents that occurred previously. Lessons learned from those accidents can be used for hazard identifications. Moreover, these reports can be used for the identification of certain diseases and accidents by government bodies. The organization is liable to maintain its record of all the accidents which have taken place. These reports are also usable in the risk assessment process.

5. Failure Tracing Techniques

A processing system can fail, lead to an accident. Moreover, failure tracing is also used in identifying the hazards and preparing the risk assessments. These techniques include HAZOP, Fault Tree Analysis, Event Tree Analysis, Failure Modes & Effects Analysis. one of the most powerful techniques is Hazard and Operability Study (HAZOP).

The whole system is divided into sub-components, then systematically it is evaluated what can go wrong, what will be the consequences, and what measures can be introduced to control the hazard.