Hazard Identification & Risk Assessment (HIRA): 1 Day

One of the primary objectives of the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act 85 of 1993 and generally accepted health and safety practices, is to create a healthy, safe, and prepared working environment. In doing so assist in preventing injuries and illness to employees, damage to company assets such as equipment and property, and also not cause unnecessary damage to our environment.

This can be achieved by identifying the hazards, assessing their risks, and formulating a health and safety risk reduction management plan, to effectively implement effective controls to address and reduce the hazards and hopefully eliminate them altogether. If the hazard is slight or has a low-risk rating, it could also be mitigated or accepted by management. Hazard identification risk assessment is a skill that has to be learned and our course provides candidates with good knowledge and the necessary skills to conduct a risk assessment in the workplace.

There are many references made to hazard identification or risk assessment in the OHS Act and its regulations. Below are a few examples:

• OHS Act (8) – Employers must ensure a workplace free of risks by taking steps to eliminate or mitigate hazards or potential hazards
• OHS Act (10) – Manufacturers must ensure that their products are safe and without risk
• OHS Act (12) – Employers must identify hazards and evaluate the risks associated with work which constitutes a hazard to the health of employees
• OHS Act (18) – Health and safety representatives must identify potential hazards and potential major incidents in the workplace
• Major Hazard Installation Regulations (5) – An employer shall carry out risk assessments and submit them to the chief inspector, relevant local government and provincial director.
• Construction Regulations (5) – The client must prepare a baseline risk assessment for an intended construction project
• Construction Regulations (9) – A contractor must, before the commencement of any construction work and during such construction work, have risk assessments performed by a competent person
• Construction Regulations (10) – A fall protection plan must include a risk assessment of all work carried out from a fall risk position and the procedures and methods used to address all the risks identified per location

Performing risk assessments is not about creating endless amounts of paperwork, but rather together identify, measures and control risks in the working environment. We suggest that the health and safety representatives and management attend the training in hazard identification risk assessment.