Hazard Control Evaluation

OSHA uses injury and illness rates to assess effectiveness of occupational safety and health efforts. Insurance companies use an experience model to determine good and poor risks for underwriting workers compensation coverage. Accident and injury experience does provide a good indicator about the effectiveness of hazard control initiatives. However, accident frequency and severity rates alone do not always accurately evaluate effectiveness of an accident prevention function. For example, an organization may experience an underreporting of occupational disease cases and hazardous materials exposures (Table 1.21). 

Evaluate senior leader commitment by determining time and resources allocated to hazard control efforts. Determine which policies and procedures enhanced hazard control effectiveness. Conduct evaluations to determine how well interfacing staff functions support hazard control efforts and accident prevention initiatives. Review submitted cost-benefit analysis reports to determine accuracy 

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After potential hazards have been identified, site access and hazard controls should be developed and put in place before work begins. This process of recognizing and evaluating new hazards and putting controls in place continues until the task or job analysis is complete. In addition, as mentioned earlier, as new information is discovered or becomes available, this should be immediately considered. If an amendment is in order, this should be completed and communicated to all involved. 

Hazards analysis techniques fall in two broad categories. Some techniques focus on hazards control by assuring that the design is in compliance with a pre-existing standard practice. These techniques result from prior hazards analysis, industry standards and recommended practices, results of incident and accident evaluations or similar facilities. Other techniques are predictive in that they can be applied to new situations where such pre-existing standard practices do not exist. 

The most common hazards control technique is a checklist. The checklist is prepared by experienced personnel who are familiar with the design, construction and operation of similar facilities. Checklists are relatively easy to use and provide a guide to the evaluator of items to be considered in evaluating hazards. API RP 14J has examples of two checklists which can be used to evaluate facilities of different complexity. Because production facilities are very similar and have been the subject of many hazard analyses, a checklist analysis to assure compliance with standard practice is recommended for most production facilities. The actual procedure by which the checklist is considered and the manner in which the evaluation is documented to assure compliance varies from case-to-case. 

Haase, H., Electrostatic Hazards Their Evaluation and Control, Verlag Chemie, New York, 1977. 

A collective term that encompasses all activities involved in identifying hazards and evaluating risk at facilities, throughout their life cycle, to make certain that risks to employees, the public, or the environment are consistently controlled within the organization s risk tolerance. 

The hazards that require inspection can be determined by (1) their potential to cause an injury or illness, (2) the potential seriousness of the injuries or dlnesses, (3) the number of people exposed to the hazard, (4) the number of injuries and dlnesses at a workplace related to a specific hazard, and (5) hazardous conditions defined by federal, state, and local regulations. The frequency of inspections should be based on the nature of the hazards being evaluated. For instance, once a serious fixed physical hazard has been identified and controUed, it is no longer a hazard. It will only have to be reinspected periodically to be sure the situation is stdl no longer hazardous. Random spot checking is another method that can indicate whether the hazard control remains effective. Other types of hazards that are intermittent will require more frequent inspection to assure proper hazard abatement. In most cases, monthly inspections are warranted, and in some cases daily inspections are reasonable. 

To prevent the undesirable consequences of accidents, hazards that can lead to accidents must be identified. Effective hazard identification and control require a systematic, comprehensive, and precise analysis of the process system and its operation. Once hazards are recognized, the adequacy of the mechanisms to control the hazards is evaluated. If control mechanisms do not exist or are inadequate, this must recognized and actions recommended. Several of the benefits of using a HAZOP are the ... 

Measure, audit, and evaluate the effectiveness of hazard controls and hazard control programs. 

Establishing and implementing techniques that involve risk analysis, cost, cost-benefit analysis, work sampling, loss rate, and similar methodologies, for periodic and systematic evaluation of hazard control and hazard control program effectiveness. 

Developing methods to evaluate the costs and effectiveness of hazard controls and programs and measure the contribution of components of systems, organizations, processes, and operations toward the overall effectiveness. 

Providing results of evaluation assessments, including recommended adjustments and changes to hazard controls or hazard control programs, to individuals or organizations responsible for their management and implementation. 

Measure, audit and evaluate the effectiveness of hazard control programs. (ASSE, 2012a, copyright American Society of Safety Engineers, reprinted with permission)... 

Assisting in the education of employees in health hazard identification, evaluation, and control. 

The CRC concept, believed to have been pioneered by Ludwig Benner of Events Analysis, Inc., applies RAC logic to hazard controls to develop a matrix to evaluate alternative control measures. It is used for selection and evaluation of hazard controls in conjunction with RACs. It is based on system safety precedence. The rules for use are... 

A communication tool the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) uses to inform internal staff and the public of significant occupational safety and health issues concerning hazard recognition, evaluation, and control in the workplace and at emergency response sites. SHIBs replaced the OSHA Hazard Information Bulletins (HIBs) and Technical Information Bulletins (TIBs), which provided similar information. 

The FHA may derive hazard control criteria or even performance criteria where none previously existed. It may also establish the exact applicability of mandated criteria (standards and regulations). However, because of its ability to determine actual applicability of specific criteria as well as verify that maximum allowable probabilities are correct, the FHA is often useful in the analysis of a fully operational system as well. Like the SHA and SSHA, the FHA will examine small components or events to determine potential impacts on safety and reliability of the system or subsystem. The FHA requires a detailed evaluation of the system or subsystem and examines... 

Evaluate overall hazard control performance as related to established objectives or goals. 

Organizations can use a variety of processes to analyze workplace hazards and accident causal factors. Hazard evaluations and accident trend analysis can help improve the effectiveness of established hazard controls. Routine analysis enables an organization to develop and implement appropriate controls for hazardous processes or unsafe operations. Analysis processes rely on information collected from hazard surveys, inspections, hazard reports, and accident investigations. This analysis process can provide a snapshot of hazard information. Effective analysis can then take the snapshots and create viable pictures of hazards and accident causal factors. 

Step D Develop and design hazard controls—Develop or design the best hazard control based on evaluating each hazard. Coordinate implementation of all feasible controls Step E Implement required controls—Coordinate and obtain management approval for implementation Step F Revise and pubhsh the JHA information—Update the JHA and then communicate implementation actions with tile organizational members... 

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