Occupational Hygiene and Safety Risk Assessment

OCCUPATIONAL HYGIENE AND SAFETY RISK ASSESSMENT.
Occupational Hygiene is This is the discipline whereby the organization anticipates, recognizes
and evaluates the various health risks in the working environment and plans on how well to
control and protect their workers as well as safeguarding the community as well (kimber, 2001).
Risk assessment is the evaluation of risk that relates to workers health and safety while in the
work environment from various hazards (kimber, 2001). It involves progressive examination of
various aspects in the work environment, these risks could be anything either work equipment,
material or work methods and practices that can cause harm. Some of the factors that can be
considered include what can cause any injury or harm, if the risks can be eliminated or if not
then what measures can be put in place to control any occurrence of these risks in future.
Examples of workplace risks include exposure to various factors such as: noise, heat, chemicals
in the inhaled air and those that may be ingested as well as those that can come in contact with
the skin. All these have a potential hazard of disease infection, irritation, dust and other effects.
Occupational hygiene risk assessment is a method for health risk and understanding how much
exposure to hazards and also exposure to various levels of hazards poses to workers and how it
can be appropriately eliminated, controlled and reduced. Various ways or steps to eliminate such
hazards include; Identifying the hazards or anything that can cause harm, the impact and effect of
the harm also assess risk and take action, make recommendation by recording and ensuring that
the findings are reviewed regularly (Western Sydney University, 2011)
Employers responsibility is to ensure that health and safety risk facing their workers are
potentially assessed well as need to identify who is at risk in the organization in the various level
of staffs engagements while also putting emphasis on new employees, disabled, pregnant, those
working in night shifts and breast-feeding women and those on internship and those in short term
contracts (Scott, 2018).
While assessing the risk employers should consider the likelihood of hazards that could cause
harm and the extent even after all the precautions have been taken some risk usually remains.
Employer should analyze whether the remaining hazards are categorized as high, medium or
low. Records of hazards from findings should be made and well-kept which include details of

risk assessment noted, action taken to reduce or eliminate such risk. Records shall provide proof
that assessment was carried out and will be used as a basis for later review (Hyett, 2008).
All risk assessment findings should be subjected to regular reviews to make sure that the agreed
safe working practices are followed by all level of management including all supervisors and all
line managers (ISO-3100, 2009).
The role of risk assessment
Hyett (2008) urgued that rrisk assessment focuses on impact it will have to the organization, with
the possibility of occurrence and reoccurrence, effects, threat as well as mitigation measures.
Major factors may affect the organization thus when this dangers are declared, it necessitates for
important decision to be made. This decision involves taking measures such as engineering
controls, change of work practices as well as individual measures which may be necessary to
avoid high cost of reconstruction while it was necessary to mitigate. Taking actions or mitigating
will benefit the organization by improving its public image and reputation. While all these efforts
are being put in place, legislation is required to prevent incidences of breach of this legislation
(Wang, 2006).
Risk assessment is therefore important because;
It identifies any risks present and various control in the work environment as well as identifying
who could be at risk for example visitors, employees, and public among others.
Helps in creating employee awareness as well as using this awareness as a training tool.
It is important in setting various risk management standards in accordance to the legal and safety
requirements.
It is helps in reducing incidences that can occur in the work environment thus improving safety
standards for example various injuries and illnesses in the work place.
It identifies if a particular control program should be put in place to control a specified hazard.