5. Determine the Risk
"Recognized" Hazards
It's important that decision-makers understand the risk, or the possibility that an accident will occur, if action isn't taken to correct the hazard. Why is it important to determine the risk? The higher the risk, the stronger your argument needs to be.
Let's take a look at the "Risk Equation" and see how we can use it to determine risk.
Risk Equation Variables
- Risk (R) is a function of exposure, probability, and severity. When one or multiple of those variables increase, there is a higher level of risk of illness, injury, or fatality.
- Exposure (E) is determined by considering the frequency and duration of physical/environmental exposure to a hazard.
- Probability (P) describes how likely exposure to a danger zone will result in an injury (unlikely, likely, highly likely).
- Severity (S) describes how serious the injury or illness might be (minor, major, fatality).
Risk Equation Example
Risk Equation
Open this Risk Worksheet to follow along.
Let's say you conduct a risk assessment for a task lifting heavy boxes. Two untrained older employees lift 80-pound boxes at least 10 times a day. They have to individually carry the boxes 50 ft to a loading dock. Using the Risk Worksheet, we can determine a risk score for the task that will help convince management to provide material handling devices or at least training on effective lifting techniques.
- Exposure (E): First, we need to determine exposure. This task is considered to be performed continuously, or many times a day. The rating will be "200" in this example. We will double the score to "400" since two employees perform the task.
- Probability (P): We can estimate that an injury will quite possibly occur. Other employees have suffered injuries performing this task. Since the employees are untrained and in their 50s, the likelihood of an injury increases. In this example we will assign a probability rating of 10. Since we doubled the exposure rating, we do not have to double the probability rating.
- Severity (S): This task will most likely result in a serious injury to the back that could be disabling. We'll give this task a severity rating of 20.
- Risk (R): Multiplying Exposure x Probability x Severity (400 x 10 x 20), we arrive at a risk score of 80,000. Wow! That is a high score and it means that a serious injury is extremely likely at any time.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
7-6. Which term describes how serious an injury or illness might be?
You forgot to answer the question!