What Are Your Online Risk Assessment Options?

The evolution of risk management in software engineering has produced risk assessment software that ranges from the obsolete to the irrelevant. As Australia’s vast array of OHS laws and regulations change, it’s difficult to pinpoint what software risk assessment should be used for.

Some early editions involved writing a risk assessment online but were rendered useless if a construction worker happened to be on a site without internet access.

More recent forms of internet safety software hold many advantages for risk and compliance but are so complicated that the average worker – or IT technician for that matter – is unable to understand it.

So the search for useful online risk assessments has resulted in products that range from the obsolete to the irrelevant. But construction safety software is starting to gain traction in certain areas. New forms of health and safety management software are able to be used regardless of internet access and are developed with simple practicality in mind. These emerging forms of risk assessment software can implement the applicable safe work method statement and the intended control measures on a step-by-step basis. Moreover, the completed risk assessment forms are available to be downloaded as a pdf file for future compliance requests.

The construction risk assessment software we’ve developed here at SafeWorkPro is quicker, safer and more compliant. Our example of risk assessment software was developed in consultation with contractors and construction managers but we won’t sit here and try to sell it to you now. Instead, why don’t you just read up on our risk assessment software here and make up your own mind.

Let us know what you think on Twitter or Facebook.

Risk Assessment For Working At Heights

Risks in construction are hard to pinpoint but working from heights is one of the more obvious hazards. Even you’re an expert tightrope walker, it’s an accident waiting to happen as are many things in high risk construction work. A simple hazard and risk identification process can prevent a dangerous fall but what should a safe work method statement for working at heights look like?

Every worksite is different so there is no common SWMS template that can be applied to all. However there are many core control methods that can show you how to manage risk at heights.

1: Never work alone: two sets of eyes are more powerful than one. If someone is working from heights, than they’ll need a pair of eyes on them to identify risks that could be otherwise missed.

2: Height safety training: learning about the specifics threats associated with working at heights is the first step to preventing them. Knowing what can go wrong will push workers to reach for those higher OHS standards.

3: Up to date equipment: having current inspection tags on all equipment will ensure that safe operating procedures are backed by reliable gear.

4: Double check anchor point and lanyard: the length of these must not exceed the impact point.

5: Finish the risk assessment form first: don’t gamble with the legal consequences of skimming past the OHS action plan. Hazard and risk assessment procedures must be completed before work begins otherwise all duty holders can become liable.

This is by no means an exhaustive list but if you’re looking for something more comprehensive, like a free SWMS template, you can check out the one developed by WorkSafePro. Let us know what you think on Facebook or Twitter.

Hazard management and risk assessment: what’s the difference?

They both sound like they mean the same thing but there is a difference between a risk and a hazard. Understanding this difference is an aspect of health and safety information that is all too often overlooked by workers and managers alike. In the field of occupational health and safety, this is but one of many basic risk assessment questions.

There is a difference and it is an important element to most hazard and risk assessment procedures. Based on Workplace Health and Safety Queensland’s codes of practice, the below definitions of risk and hazard are applicable to all Australian jurisdictions.

A hazard is a “situation or thing that has the potential to harm a person.” These can be aspects to a workplace like machinery, tools, vehicles or chemicals. Alternatively a hazard could include certain elements to a workplace like the repetitiveness of a job, bullying or violence.

A risk is the likelihood of a person getting harmed (death, injury or illness) if they are exposed to a hazard. For construction workers, the level of risk associated with a hazard is determined by the completion of a risk assessment matrix (see image below).  

Understanding the difference is obviously important in getting hazard and risk identification right in the workplace but it is also crucial for writing risk assessments. Risk control methods are based on accurate risk reporting and hazard identification meaning if done inconsistently, then the well being of workers is unnecessarily insecure.

High Risk Construction Work

Not all building projects require a hazard risk analysis. In fact according to Safe Work Australia, construction activities must equal or exceed a cost of $250 000 to be legally defined as a construction project. Nonetheless any worksite that involves a specific type of high risk construction work must comply with OHS legislation Australia, or more specifically the Work Health and Safety Act. This means risk assessments.

OHS Legislation Australia

This legislation can be difficult to understand, with a range of varying regulators and government bodies having their own requirements for the completion of a construction method statement. Nonetheless the risks in construction remain the same no matter where the work is being undertaken. Safe Work Australia’s codes of practice outlines various types of high risk construction work and the methods of risk identification.

Safe Operating Procedures

Safe Work Australia’s codes of practice outline what the PCBU (persons conducting a business or undertaking) is required to do in order to conduct safe operating procedures regardless of the nature of the construction work. Under national work health and safety regulation 297, the PCBU is required to:

• Identify possible hazards that, within reason, could increase risk
• Eliminate the risk to the extent that is possible
• If total elimination is not possible, then minimise the risk through the implementation of control measures
• Maintain control measures through continued reviews and revision so far as it is possible, to ensure the worksite remains compliant with WHS regulations

Enforcement Options

Safe Work Australia has compiled a list of the required licenses workers must attain before undertaking any of these high risk jobs. Without doing so both the worker and the PCBU risk punitive measures from the related regulator.

Completing the required paperwork and attaining the appropriate licenses is vital to ensuring your business does not feel sting of the regulators. Safe Work Australia provides the model of regulation and codes of practice that form the basis of safe work method statements (SWMS) however it is not a regulator itself. Each state has it’s own government regulator but because they’re based on the same framework established under Safe work Australia, their powers and responsibilities are somewhat similar. For example, unlike many other states, there is no Work Safe QLD but instead Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ) is the central regulatory authority. WHSQ’s role includes licensing and registrations, industry consultation, reviewing relevant laws as well as the enforcement of a hazard and risk management procedure in the workplace. Their compliance and enforcement options are broad and include:

• Workplace inspections and compliance requests

• A variety of notices including prohibition, improvement, non-disturbance, electrical safety protection and unsafe equipment

• On the spot fines ranging from $600 000/five years jail for PCBUs who have committed category one breaches (risk of serious injury or death) to $100 000 for category three breaches (failure to comply with notices)

• Seizure of equipment of substances

• Suspension or cancellation of license or accreditation

• Enforceable undertakings (legally binding agreements)

To reiterate: each state or jurisdiction has different regulators but the above enforcement options available to WHSQ are commonplace in other regulatory authorities. For more information Safe Work Australia has developed a thorough code of practice that systematically explains the WHS regulations.

Risk Reporting: what is a dangerous incident?

This is one of the many risk assessment questions that construction businesses ask but the answer is not as straightforward as you would assume. ‘Dangerous incident’ is a term that comes with certain responsibilities under OHS laws and has immediate effects on potentially any workplace risk assessment.

A dangerous incident can be classified as a workplace event that exposes any worker, manager or other person to a serious health or safety risk. There are numerous generic hazards and health risks at work that are identified under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011. These include:

  • The breakdown or partial breakdown of a structure
  • The breakdown or collapse of a shoring supporting an excavation/tunnel
  • The failure, breakdown, damage or collapse of a plant required to be authorised under risk assessment regulations
  • The inundation of mud, water or gas into an underground excavation/tunnel
  • The failure of a ventilation system in an underground excavation/tunnel
  • The fall from a height (at least 2-3 metres) of any substance, plant or object
  • The unrestricted release of gas, steam or a pressurised material
  • An explosion, implosion or fire
  • An electrical shock not classified as a serious electrical incident or a dangerous electrical event*

As soon as a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) becomes aware of a dangerous incident then they are required to immediately notify the relevant workplace health and safety regulator. For a list of the various regulators for each Australian jurisdiction, check Safe Work Australia.

*Note: in Queensland, a serious electrical incident or a dangerous electrical event has a different notification process under the Electrical Safety Regulation 2013.

Compliance Risk Assessment Matrix

When it comes down to it, the risk assessment matrix is just part of the broader risk assessment process that aims to make your workplace compliant with OHS legislation Australia. So to say there is a Workcover Risk Assessment Matrix would be inaccurate.

But health risks at work are a common part of any job and ensuring the health and safety risk assessment matrix is both properly completed and totally understood is a fundamental part of remaining compliant. To explain risk assessment properly we must also explain the compliance risk assessment matrix.

A matrix in this context works as a risk assessment scale of sorts. It gives the likelihood of a risk occurring and the severity of that risk’s consequence a numerical value. These two numbers are multiplied and the total number equates to level of risk a job is likely to involve (see table below). It is a flawed risk assessment method because it cannot deal with every possible scenario and its categorisations are ambiguous at best. Nonetheless the risk assessment matrix remains the main way to discern risk in a numerical form across Australia.

Safety Compliance Software: Taking the risk out of Risk Assessment

What is compliance?

Compliance basically means that you are playing by the rules, and in the game of safety and productivity, the Work Health and Safety Act (WHS) is top dog. The WHS Act states that the person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) is responsible for the health and safety risk assessment form of every worker. A failure to meet these requirements will result in sub-standard risk assessment scoring and possible penalties or fines from the relevant regulator. In the past, the completion and storage of paperwork was the most efficient method of compliance but today there are alternatives in risk assessment software.

What is a Risk in Health and Safety?

High risk construction work is generally considered to be any form of work that has the potential to cause injury or death. Safe Work Australia has identified a variety of high risk work and various codes of practice for each type.

How to Perform a Risk Assessment?

The traditional workplace risk assessment form is made up of multiple layers of paperwork including safe work method statements (SWMS), a health and safety risk assessment matrix and job safety analysis (plus more depending on the type of work). This process is time consuming, expensive, stressful and obsolete. However at SafeWorkPro we’ve developed safety compliance software that provides a digital alternative to the hassle of paperwork. SafeWorkPro is a risk analysis tool that combines all these various risk assessment forms into one easy to use app available on any smart phone or tablet device.

Compliance is necessary according to OHS legislation Australia, but with safety compliance software, it doesn’t have to cost your business so much time or money.

Even Climbing the Ladder of Success Requires Safety Equipment and a Safety Analysis

On any construction site you are bound to see at least one ladder being used to conduct work at heights. However, statistics show from 2003 to 2012 that 46 workers died falling from a ladder. This indicates some serious flaws in the risk management process for this device. To help you successfully reduce workplace death and injury due to ladders, here are 3 handy tips!

1: Replace ladders with scaffolding

Often when faced with a task that cannot be completed from ground level, people’s first instincts are to reach for a ladder. Perhaps being so commonplace in households combined with its lack of mechanical operation make ladders seem like the best quick-fix. However, reports suggest that for heights of over 2 meters, scaffolding is often a much safer solution. Learn how to safely set up a scaffolding system here.

2: Use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

If there is no alternative to using a ladder, you should ensure workers are properly inducted as to what equipment to be using. For ladders this can include the use of safety harnesses and special non-slip boots.

3: Treat all types of ladders sensibly and with caution

Your instinct might be to brush this tip off as too obvious, but statistics show that even step-ladders have lead to serious injury in the workplace. All construction involves a degree of risk, so even the use of ladders should involve a risk assessment. According to Safe Work Australia, working at a height of above 2m requires taking even greater precautions as you must complete a SWMS.

It is important to ensure these safety measures are communicated to any workers on your site. Using our software that line of communication can be that much easier for you!

Health and Safety Risk Assessment Matrix

Part of a decent risk assessment is a health and safety risk assessment matrix. This is not an artificial world created by super intelligent machines to enslave humanity but at times can feel just as confusing. The basic definition of an OHS risk assessment matrix is a table that categorises various levels of risk and the probability of them resulting in financial loss, harm or death. For your convenience SafeWorkPro has included their risk assessment matrix template that will give you a basic understanding of what it should look like. For more information you can checkout Workcover Risk Assessment Matrix.

Risk Management Framework

The management of risk is defined by a framework of control measures which prioritise the highest forms of protection down to the lowest. This risk management framework, or hierarchy as it is also known, breaks various risk control methods into three levels ranging from most effective to the least reliable. Under OHS laws and regulations, duty holders are required to work through this framework when conducing risk management in construction.

This is a fundamental part of knowing how to perform a risk assessment.

Level 1 of risk management strategies

The best way to reduce risk in a workplace is by eliminating all hazards completely. For instance, if there is a risk of falling from heights then the best risk management strategy would be to work from the ground level instead. The same applies for hazards like dangerous chemicals or trips and slips.

The rule of ‘reasonable practicality’ states that if eliminating the hazard makes it impossible for the construction service to be delivered then the risks associated with the hazard should be eliminated. An example of this would be wearing a safety harnesses and having a supervisor while working at heights (see level 2).

Level 2 of risk management strategies

If eliminating a hazard or all of the risks associated with it is not reasonably practicable then there are several other approaches that can minimise the involved risks. These risk management tools and techniques include:

  • The use of risk assessment engineering controls (eg warning signage, noise barriers, maintenance of machinery)
  • Substituting the hazard with a safer alternative
  • Isolating the hazard from workers and other affected persons

Level 3 of risk management strategies

This is the least effective and least reliable risk management system because it relies on human behaviour and supervision. When used in isolation, level three of the risk management framework should be carried out in line with appropriate administrative controls (eg rest breaks, job rotations) and with the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).

In regards to the proper use of PPE, regulation 44-47 of the Work Health and Safety Codes of Practice state that the equipment must be:

  • “selected to minimise the risk to health and safety”
  • “suitable for the nature of the work and any hazard associated with the work”
  • “maintained, repaired or replaced so it continues to minimise the risk”
  • “a suitable size and fit and [be] reasonably comfortable for the person wearing it”
  • “used and worn by the worker, so far is reasonably practicable”
  • worn “…in accordance with any information, training or reasonable instruction.”

It is recommended that level 3 risk management strategies be used in conjunction with methods from level 2 or 1 where possible.

For more information on occupational health and safety regulations or on the risk assessment process, check out the SafeWorkPro Blog.