Workplace Health And Safety Australia Risk Management Steps

Posted by Steven Main on August 19th, 2015

One of the key requirements of the workplace health and safety Australia legislation is that the employer to systematically manages the risks arising from workplace hazards. With proper and effective consultation and communication with the workers the employers need to assess and identify the risks involved. With professional OHS consultants it becomes easier to manage the risks and develop plans to comply with the legislation.

Workplace health and safety system has particular relevance for managers, supervisors and staff members having responsibility for overseeing the activities of other employees and workers. With a system that is effectively implemented in their designated areas of responsibility there is reduction in hazards and their consequences. Usually the steps in the occupational health and safety Australia system used to manage work health and safety risks includes:
• Identify hazards and hazardous jobs
• Assign priority for each hazard and hazardous job
• Assess the risk to find out exactly what makes it hazardous
• Control the risk(s) or fix the problem(s)
• Evaluate periodically to check that work health and safety risks are being effectively managed.

While identifying the hazards which are an active process it is necessary that suggestions are taken from the employees and workers. Workplace health and safety Victoria interprets the term hazards as anything that can jeopardize the health, safety or welfare of workers, employers or visitors. In an organizational environment, hazards typically include equipment handling, overuse injury, work related stress, machinery maintenance, safety signs and noise, glare, trip hazards.

It becomes essential to assign priority for each hazard or hazardous job because large number of hazardous jobs is likely to result in injury. When people are exposed to risks the potential of consequences to hazards may result in serious injury. When any tasks that are found to present an impending risk of serious injury it is necessary to halt such processes and reduce the risk to an acceptable level.

Risk assessment is integral part of workplace health and safety because when a risk assessment is used to find out what makes the job hazardous it becomes possible to reach solutions for the potential problem. Risk assessment must be considered for risk factors such as physical activity required for the task, work environment, nature of the hazard itself, individual involved in the process and any existing condition that may increase the risk. Subsequent to risk assessment establishing suitable risk control measures and ensuring that they are in place is most important.