Risk Assessment Template Example (Page 2 of 4) in pdf

Risk Assessment Template Example Page 2

How do you know if the hazard is serious?

Each hazard should be studied to determine its' level of risk:

Product information / manufacturer documentation

Past experience (workers, etc)

Legislated requirements and/or applicable standards

Industry codes of practice / best practices

Health and safety material about the hazard such as safety data sheets (SDSs), or other manufacturer information

Information from reputable organizations

Results of testing (atmospheric, air sampling of workplace, biological, etc.)

The expertise of an occupational health and safety professional

Information about previous injuries, illnesses, "near misses", accident reports, etc. work environment (layout,

condition, etc.)

Capability, skill, experience of workers who do the work

Systems of work being used

Range of foreseeable conditions

How do you rank or prioritize the risks?

Ranking or prioritizing hazards is one way to help determine which hazard is the most serious and thus which hazard to

control first. Priority is usually established by taking into account the employee exposure and the potential for accident,

injury or illness. By assigning a priority to the hazards, you are creating a ranking or an action list. The following factors

play an important role:

Percentage of workforce exposed

Frequency of exposure

Degree of harm likely to result from the exposure

Probability of occurrence

There is no one simple or single way to determine the level of risk. Ranking hazards requires the knowledge of the

workplace activities, urgency of situations, and most importantly, objective judgement.

One option to rank risk is to use a table similar to the following:

Risk Assessment Template Example Page 2