3 Occasional (monthly) 2 Limited (few times each year) 1 No significant exposure Step 6: Determine the probability of loss or how likely things may go wrong when a task is performed (e.g. with line locating, although it is done often, minor incidents may happen rarely, therefore may be assigned a ‘2’). 4 Likely to be expected 3 Occurs but not expected 2 Known to happen 1 Remotely possible Step 7: Calculate the likelihood that the loss will occur using the following table – frequency of exposure multiplied by the possibility of loss (e.g. for line locating the likelihood that a loss would occur is ‘8’). 4 4 8 12 16 3 3 6 9 12 2 2 4 6 8 1 1 2 3 4 Probability of Loss 1 2 3 4 Frequency of Exposure Step 8: Determine how severe the loss would be based on predictions of the type and source of loss (e.g. for line locating, you might expect a minor injury, so you would assign a ‘2’). Severity Category Health Safety Environmental Impact Financial Loss Public Impact 6 One or more fatalities Catastrophic – external disaster response Major environmental impact to neighboring receptors (public streams, vegetation, air, ground water) Extensive damage & extended downtime (corporate) Serious impact - large community 5 Serious injury – permanent disability, occupational illness Serious threat – internal disaster response Off-site release or repeated issues with potential for significant adverse impact Major downtime (Division/Area) Serious impact – small community 4 Serious injury – disabling Significant threat – Contained within the facility – large impact or Minor damages or Minor – families
Key employees charged with conducting hazard assessments should receive training in how to best complete the process. Steps for Conducting a Formal Hazard Assessment Create an inventory of jobs and tasks. Create a list of all the jobs within the scope of the employer’s business, and record the number of workers that perform each job. List all the tasks performed as part of each job. Identify and assess hazards. Each inventoried task is assessed to determine the potential hazards to which workers may be exposed. Involve those workers who perform the tasks in the process to ensure nothing is overlooked. Once hazards are identified, calculate their risk ratings by asking the following three questions: What is the frequency of exposure to the hazard? What are the consequences if the hazards are not controlled? What is the probability of an incident occurring? Prioritize hazards. Using the information from the assessment, determine the risk rating for each task, and rank tasks in order of priority, based on the level of risk. This will allow the tasks with the highest risk hazard to be addressed first. Determine controls. Address identified hazards by assigning methods of control to eliminate or reduce the hazard. The most effective controls can be determined based on legal requirements, manufacturers’ specifications, company rules, industry best practices, and worker input. Record the control methods, date of implementation, and names of those who participated. Follow up with periodic reviews to ensure the control measures are working and effective. Review hazard assessments. Formal hazard assessments must be dated and are subject to a regular review schedule to prevent the development of conditions that may put workers at risk. Reviews should take place annually, at a minimum, or any time a new process is introduced, a change is made to the operation, or a significant addition or alteration is made to a work site. 2.5.2 Informal Hazard Assessment Informal hazard assessments are known as Field-Level Hazard Assessments, (FLHA). Informal hazard assessments are commonly used during the course of the shift to identify hazards and to assess the effectiveness of the control measures in place.