Convert Hazards to Risks

Introduction to Hazard Conversion

Once the hazards have been identified for each step of the process, it would be necessary to convert the identified hazards to risks. This is important in order to assess the risks. One must remember that it is the risks that are assessed and not the hazards.

In order to convert hazards into risks one needs to know how a risk is defined in terms of health and safety assessments. Various authors define risk differently, depending on what they want to achieve, however, for simplicity sake, a risk can be defined as an energy source that can go out of control.

In converting the hazards into risks, it is important to work systematically and consider every hazard for each step in the process, including informal steps and deviations from the prescribed process as determined earlier.

The structured way of going about this conversion process is as follows:

Ensure that all the energy sources in the sequence being considered are normally under control. This implies that the procedure followed in the sequence does not always result in some or other failure. If this is the case, the procedure first needs to be adapted to bring the sequence under control.

The next step is to determine which hazards (energy sources) can reasonably go out of control as a result of a one of the following fundamental factors:

Management System Failure

Management system failure includes failure of management systems such as ISO 9000; ISO 14000; OSHA 18000 or any other management system in use by the company.

Training Deficiency

When wanting to establish the existence of training deficiencies one needs to evaluate the training focus of the organization, including the training needs analysis and the control thereof.

Latent Design Defects

Failures as a result of latent design defects of this factor must be interpreted to include not only machinery design but also facility layout and design that may have latent defects.

Inappropriate Maintenance

It is obvious that any failure in the maintenance program of the equipment and machinery must be considered here, however it is just as important to consider that the facilities layout and design parameters originally used are considered for failures as and maintained.

Imperfect Procedures

During the evaluation of the procedures for a contribution towards risks factors, it is important to conduct a cross impact analysis of procedures. It may be discovered that a procedure that is perfectly safe to follow can adverse health or environmental consequences or visa versa.

Unsuitable Task Directives

Establishing if a failure in this factor is possible includes considering the influence of task directives such as hot work permits and the methods used to instruct a team to conduct a specific task. The key here is control over communication systems.

Substandard Physical Conditions

The existence of substandard physical conditions can normally be related too one of the above fundamental contributing factors. The effect of their existence, however, should be evaluated separately.

Unsafe Acts

It is normally not difficult to determine the existence of this fundamental contributing factor as we normally have quite a bit of experience in doing this. Care should be taken to also include unsafe acts not obviously linked to the potential risk.

Barrier Failures

When considering risks resulting as a consequence of barrier failures the assessor should consider physical as well as time barriers established to prevent the hazard to become a risk.

In converting the hazards into risks, it is important to work systematic and consider every hazard for each step in the process, including informal steps and deviations from the prescribed process as determined earlier.

The outcome of this part of the process would be a list that contains the step of the process, the energy source that can go out of control, the cause for uncontrolled energy as determined above as well as the potential consequence that it may result in.

© 2009 Carl Marx