706 Conducting a Job Hazard Analysis

Factors that Increase Risk

Some or all of the factors listed below may influence one or both of the two key variables in the risk equation: probability and severity.

Factors primarily influencing probability:

• The frequency of exposure to hazards (continuous, often, daily, weekly, etc.)
• The duration of exposure to specific hazards (minutes to days, bloodborne, airborne, atmospheres, etc.)
• The number of employees exposed to hazards (many, few, none, etc.)
• The experience level of employees exposed to hazards (none, competent, expert, etc.)
• The number of hazards in the procedure (many, few, none, etc.)
• The employee's belief about the hazards (important, unimportant, nonexistent, etc.)
• Adequacy knowledge, skills, and abilities received from training (instruction, practice, evaluation)
• Ergonomic requirements of the task (force, vibration, posture)
• The expectation and adequacy of consequences following performance
• Availability and use of adequate protective equipment and clothing
• The number of opportunities for unsafe behaviors (many, few, none, etc.)
• Working under distress (hurry, fatigue, illness, personal problems, etc.)
• Unreasonable workload (physically/mentally incapable of meeting expectations)
• The proximity of employees to the point of danger (cutting, drilling, punching, working at elevation, etc.)
• The complexity of the procedure (number of steps, time-constrained, etc.)
• Personal factors (cognitive, emotional, fitness, skills, abilities)
• Workplace psychosocial environment

Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.