2. OSH practitioners need to:
understand the factors considered in policy making and
standard setting.
Assess and manage risks in their workplace
There are models to help them assess and manage
risks at work place.
3. Proposed by Commission on Risk Assessment and Risk
management (1996).
Intended to reduce the risk to public health, safety and the
environment at the macro level.
Strategies to be adopted by federal agencies
Emphasize on collaborative involvement of stakeholders
Comprise of 6 stages.
4. Formulate problem in the
broad public health and
environmental context
Investigation and analysis of
the risks
Identification of the risk
reduction options and
potential consequences of
each options.
Responsible agency
makes decisions based on
input from stakeholders
Implements actions to reduce
risk
Carries out evaluation
The steps are repeated with
new technology or
information.
5. A guide for the assessment of risk at workplace
2 components:
Risk Assessment (Hazard identification, exposure
assessment and risk characterization)
Risk Management (Prevention and control and risk
communication)
6.
7. Includes all activities carried out
Determines substance, process or activity which have
potential to cause harm.
Intrinsic severity of hazard- found through detailed
process of assessing the potential harm eg assessment
of toxicological and epidemiological/clinical
information.
8. For risk managers in the workplace- starts with
hazards inventory.
Both hazards that exist during normal and unusual
work activities eg maintenance or breakdowns must be
assessed.
Sources of information for the inventory:
MSDS
Walk-through survey
Brainstorming of workers involved
9. Assessment of exposure
Walk-through survey
Detailed industrial hygiene survey (depending on nature of
hazards)
If exposure assessment is impossible, exposure modeling
(EM) is carried out.
EM can be conceptual, qualitative or quantitative.
It may involved simple or complex numerical techniques (e.g
calculation of chemical exposure from its solvent exposure rate, its
vapour dispersal and workers’ location at different times)
10. Risk can be ranked and prioritize for the action to
be taken
11. consider the cost of the action and the benefits to be
derived
But bear in mind, control measure taken to improve
health risks will improve overall the performance and
financial gain of the company
control and prevention is as far as practicable by the
employer
12. Health surveillance are instituted when measures to
prevent and control risk are associated with residual
risk that are not acceptable.
It is also the indicator of the effectiveness of control
measures
13. Communication to employees and stake holder of the
risk at workplace and control measure should be
taken.
Transparent and correction of perception should be
the way of all risk assessment assessor in reporting
their finding.
Therefore, information on the risk perception of
stakeholders is also important.
14. The measures taken need to be continuously reviewed
through a system of audits of the risk management
programmes
Review of control measure whether adequate in
controlling the hazard and continuous assessment can
reduce the risk at workplace
