A Risk Assessment and Hazard identification is a systematic process for establishing what can go wrong (cause) and what harm/loss could be caused (consequence)
Although risk assessments should be conducted and reviewed regularly, they should never become routine. Identifying hazards takes some effort but, if done properly, could save you possible serious trouble later.
To identify possible hazards successfully, means health and safety practitioners will have to go out physically and assess a workplace. They are expected to walk around and see what it is that could cause harm.
The inspection should also include talking to employees or their representatives to find out what problems they normally encounter. Especially employees involved in the activity that is being assessed know best if, and if so, what short cuts are normally taken, what normally is done have difficult tasks completed and what precautionary actions they take.
Often employees are unaware or not interested in the consequences some of their actions could have. To determine the risk , information from instruction manuals from manufacturers and suppliers can be used, as well as public sources like OHS websites, legal and technical standards and information provided by national bodies, trade associations or trade unions.
Health and safety practitioners should take time to look at what is actually happening in the workplace during the activity. They also should take non-routine and intermittent operations in consideration, like maintenance operations or changes in production cycles. Unplanned, but foreseeable events, such as interruptions in work activity, should also be considered as should long-term hazards to health.
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