How to Identify Hazards
Rarely is an accident a simple case of one single event or cause. More frequently, many contributing events tend to line up to create the hazard. Here is an example of a hazard scenario that illustrates this idea:
Real-Life Accident
In the metal shop (environment), while clearing a snag (trigger), a worker’s hand (exposure) comes into contact with a rotating pulley. Thankfully, the worker acted fast and was able to pull his hand back before it was pulled into the machine. He reported the near-miss incident to his supervisor. The supervisor asked you to conduct a JHA on the worker's task to see if the hazard could be eliminated or effectively mitigated.
Let's look at the questions you might ask using the who-what-where-how-why method, and the findings will help you identify and correct the hazards inherent in this task:
- What can go wrong? The worker's hand could come into contact with a rotating object that "catches" it and pulls it into the machine.
- What are the consequences? The worker could receive a severe or fatal injury.
- How could it happen? The accident could happen as a result of the worker trying to clear a snag during operations or as part of a maintenance activity while the conveyor is operating. Obviously, this hazard scenario could not occur if the conveyor is not rotating.
- What are other contributing factors? The hazards and exposure related to this task can occur very quickly. It does not give the worker much opportunity to recover or prevent it once his hand comes into contact with the rotating rollers. This is an important factor, because it helps you determine the severity and likelihood of an accident when selecting appropriate hazard controls. Unfortunately, experience has shown that training is not very effective in hazard control when triggering events happen quickly because humans can react only so quickly.
- How likely is it that the hazard will occur? This determination requires some judgment. If there have been "near-misses" or actual cases, then the likelihood of a recurrence would be considered high. If the pulley is exposed and easily accessible, that also is a consideration. In this example, the likelihood that the hazard will occur is high because there is no guard preventing contact, and the operation is performed while the machine is running. By following the steps in this example, you can organize your hazard analysis activities.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
3-3. Which is true regarding accidents?
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