706 Conducting a Job Hazard Analysis

Risk = Probability x Severity x Exposure

Severity

The severity of an injury or illness for any given exposure is largely fortuitous: it's a matter of chance or luck. For instance, someone could fall from a plane and live to tell about it. It's not the fall, it's the nature of the sudden impact and orientation of the body that determines the severity of the injury. The common terms used to describe severity are:

• Minor - other than serious physical harm that does not prevent the employee from continuing to work in the same job.
• Serious - serious physical harm that prevents the employee continuing to work in the same job.
• Death - fatality

Exposure

Exposure is the condition of being exposed to hazard such that the employee is somehow affected by that hazard.

• Physical exposure can be thought of as "arms length" exposure to physical hazards. Exposure can be much farther than arms length if some kind of biological hazard exists. If the employee can get injured or ill as a result of proximity to a danger zone, physical exposure exists.
• Environmental exposure occurs when the employee can suffer some kind of injury or illness as a result of a hazardous environment. Distance does not matter. For instance, an employee may suffer hearing loss as a result of working near loud continuous noise sources.

Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.