Hierarchy of risk control

When assessing the adequacy of existing controls or introducing new controls, a hierarchy of risk controls should be considered. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 Schedule 1 specifies the general principles of prevention which are set out in the European Council Directive. These principles are  

These principles are not exactly a hierarchy but must be considered alongside the usual hierarchy of risk control which is as follows  

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Hierarchy of risk control options and principles, and selection of countermeasures to provide a reduction in risk... 

Principles of prevention to be applied The MHSW requires employers who are implementing risk control measures (referred to as preventive and protective measures) to follow the principles set out in the regulations. These principles are a hierarchy of risk control measures of the type described in Chapter 5. The hierarchy begins with avoiding risks and ends with giving appropriate instructions to employees . 

The following is a summary of the preferred hierarchy of risk control principles as outlined in the HSE publication HSG65 as they relate to general health and safety. 

Figure 6.2 The hierarchy of risk control measures 3.1 Elimination...

Fig. 26.8 Hierarchy of consecutive control measures to control and minimise the risk associated with the hazard and the exposure, adapted from Quality Systems Toolbox, software and services for quality management www.quaiitysystems.com, with permission...

The principles of control outlined above provide a basis from which to consider the adequacy of existing control measures, both those already in place and those that are likely to be required. The principles themselves do not provide a hierarchy from which to assist confirmation that the risks have been reduced so far as is reasonably practicable, neither do they establish a hierarchy of which control or series of controls to use. 

In line with ISO 17776 (2000) and its general hierarchy of risk-reducing measures, this work will propose the following risk-reducing phases as generic safety functions Prevention, Detection, Control, Mitigation and Emergency Response. These functionalities act in the same sequence when placed on the chain of accident development (Fig. 1). 

FIGURE 5.1 Hierarchy of hazard controls for the management of risk. The hierarchy of controls model depicts strategies to reduce risk, with the most effective at the top and the least effective at the bottom. PPE refers to personal protective equipment. 

There are several steps which iadividuals and corporations can and should take to minimi2e the consequences of ha2ard occurrence, as well as risk to employees and the pubHc. Much of the legislation has adopted a hierarchy of controls that essentially fall iato two categories, ie, engineering and administrative (43,44). 

Once the precautions that are needed to control exposures are determined, the next step is to compare the level of controls needed against what controls are already in place. There frequently are multiple control strategies that will minimize the potential for exposure. The determination of which control strategy is the best to use is determined by the hierarchy of control principle. Our particular approach to managing risk is to use this hierarchy to evaluate possible risk management approaches for a specific project in conjunction with a modified layer of protection analysis (LOPA) approach.5... 

The air pollutants have many effects, among which the increased risk of health damage is of main concern in this study. To get an overview of all the effects, it is useful to construct a hierarchy of objectives for the control actions (cf. [4]). 

In the opening chapter of this book, reference is made to the hierarchy of some of the relevant international and European legislation and its influence on the development of risk-based approaches to help manage and control hazardous substances. Reference is made also to the central role of ecotoxicity testing in risk assessment. 

Compliance with the Carcinogens Directive requires the employer to assess the risk of exposure, and the nature and degree of that risk. The hierarchy of control mechanisms, in descending order of preference, is ... 

Suitable risk control measures must be develqred and used. The hierarchy of control measures, from most to least preferred is ... 

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