Health and Safety Risk Control

Health and Safety Risk Control starts with a risk assessment to identify the workplace hazards so that employers can implement the most effective controls available.

In order to conduct an effective health and safety risk management process, it is necessary to have a clear understanding of the legal context, concepts, risk analysis, assessment, prevention and control processes, and the role played by all involved. It is also desirable to base risk management on solid and tested methodologies.

The aim of risk management is to identify what could go wrong, i.e., what could cause injury or harm to workers, and to decide on the best measures to prevent injuries and ill-health and then implement those measures.

Safety risk management is a planned way to reduce risks. Health and Safety Risk Control, on the other hand, is just one step in reducing exposure.

Health and Safety Risk Management is the methodical procedure for identifying, mitigating, and assessing risk exposure, with risk control being the stage of specific actions taken to reduce risk exposure.

Health and Safety Risk Controls include those activities put in place to reduce risks or attempt to eliminate them entirely. Alternatively, the control could be designed to prevent the risk from occurring. Often, the risk controls for an activity will try to reduce the losses that come with it.

A controlled risk is still a potential threat to employees in many cases, but the potential for an accident to happen has been significantly reduced. Alternatively, an organisation may choose to transfer the risk in part or entirely to another party.

MAKROSAFE have been assisting clients for more than 23 years with Risk Assessments and Risk Control in the workplace, contact us now to find out how we can assist you.
MAKROSAFE / SAFETYWALLET / MY SAFETY SHOP are in Partnership.

How is risk control done?

Risk control starts with a health and safety risk assessment to identify the presence and severity of any workplace hazards so that employers can implement the most effective controls available.

Risk control methods include elimination (removing the risk entirely), substitution (swapping an item or work process for a safer one), engineering controls (modifications to the environment or equipment that poses the risk), administrative controls (modifications to the workflow or work process), and personal protective equipment (safety gear worn by the workers, such as hard hats, safety glasses, and chemical-resistant gloves).

Risk assessments have little value unless they are applied by seasoned professionals on a continuous basis to ensure risk management and improvement.

Identifiying and managing your risks are required by the Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993, and Risk Assessment is also highlighted as a major focus in the Occupational Health and Safety Act Amendment Bill 2020.

Apart from being a legal requirement, health and safety risk assessments are good practise that helps businesses remain competitive and effective. It is a dynamic process that helps businesses and organisations set up initiative-taking risk management policies. It is the basis for putting in place the right preventive measures and should be the first step in any Occupational Safety and Health Management (OSH) system.

The definitions of hazard and risk are fundamental concepts in risk management.

A hazard is a source or situation that has the potential to cause injury and illness, i.e., an adverse effect on a person's physical, mental, or cognitive condition. Working on a ladder, managing chemicals, or walking on a wet floor are all examples of physically hazardous sources or situations. Psychosocial hazardous sources or situations include job content, job insecurity, isolation, bullying, or harassment.

An occupational health and safety risk is the combination of the likelihood of a work-related hazardous event or exposure(s) occurring and the severity of injury and illness that the event or exposures can cause.

Employers must understand where the risks are in their organisations and take steps to prevent or control them in order to avoid putting employees, customers, and the organisation itself at risk. The main goal of risk management is to get rid of or reduce risks as much as is reasonable. This is called the ALARP principle.

Risk management needs to be done in a step-by-step manner and should be done with the active participation of the entire staff, which is an especially important part.

In practise, various types of risk assessments are used, ranging from baseline risk assessments to issue-based risk assessments and task-based risk assessments, to identify and, through effective risk management controls, eliminate or reduce risk levels to acceptable levels for employees to work safely.

It is here that a Health and Safety Risk Control Package, available on My Safety Shop, will come in handy. 

Keeping your workplace legally Health and Safety Compliant may seem like a daunting task. At MAKROSAFE, we have an experienced team of OHS experts available to assist in keeping your company Health and Safety Compliant according to South African Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993 and Regulations.

The MAKROSAFE Health and Safety Risk Control Package will assist you with your Risk Management Programme.
By signing up with our Health and Safety Risk Control Package, MAKROSAFE will assist you with your Risk Management journey.


Together with SafetyWallet and My Safety Shop, MAKROSAFE has a full Health and Safety Risk Control Package.

By subscribing to SafetyWallet and taking a Risk Control Package, employers are not only answering the question of "is risk management important?" but they are also developing their health and safety management systems to the point where they may qualify for a health and safety compliance certificate. In the process, they are ensuring that all their employees can return home healthy and safe after work.

Click on the image below to find a SafetyWallet Solution that suits your business (Branch/Site specific) and get the 21 benefits along with the subscription:

SafetyWallet subscribers enjoy a discount on the package due to their subscription and compliance ratings. Subscriptions are available at SafetyWallet.

MAKROSAFE is the most successful provider of Occupational Health and Safety services in South Africa. Our clients can benefit from the efficient management of the health and safety programmes that we provide, as well as our assistance in achieving health and safety compliance.