Forensic Engineers & Investigators
Risk Assessment
Risk assessment is an important evaluative process that requires collaboration with those who depend on its results. We can conduct these evaluative processes in a classroom environment or at the job site itself with nominated front line staff representatives.
Capabilities and services:
Facilitating workshop type evaluative processes to comprehensively evaluate workplace risks;
Application of Bow tie and simple spreadsheet risk review processes to AS/NZS ISO 31000;
Instructing Job Safety Analysis process techniques to document risk assessment conclusions.
How we do it
We believe that the best and most effective risk assessments are conducted collaboratively with personnel who will be directly involved in risk management and control. Our contribution lies in facilitating and guiding this process, and providing appropriate documentation that captures risks identified and records further actions to be implemented.
Case Study: Collaborative risk assessment
We were engaged by a recycle waste management company to lead their workers through a comprehensive risk assessment process involved with one of their operations. The company wanted to ensure that its workers were operating safely in accordance with the Health and Safety Work Act (HSWA) 2015, and to be able to produce authentic documentation that verified this.
The recycle waste management company had a number of drop-off areas, each one run and managed by one operator or, at most by two people. The employees were very ‘hands-on’ people, and not generally proficient with either reading or maintaining regular documentation.
The risk assessment process we chose revolved around discussion and collaboration with the workers. With the help of company management we gathered the employees together in a half day meeting for the purpose of carrying out a group Risk Assessment/Hazard Id/ Hazard Control assessment session. Risks that were identified for each site were listed and their risk rating was assessed collaboratively by the group. Possible controls to mitigate each of the risks were discussed collaboratively and effective mitigation strategies that everyone agreed could be practically applied were recorded.
These results were recorded on a simple A3 page that was prepared for each site as a wall display, with a column for review dates and extra space for site specific items. Users reviewed this every 2 to 3 weeks and a group Health and Safety meeting was held quarterly to share experiences, compare site specific items and add any new comments or procedures to the A3 document.
The client is happy that its employees have been given a tool that they are happy to manage and use, and that is effective for keeping their sites safe. It also fulfils the requirements of the HSWA 2015 regulations and has provided the company with authentic documentation that its workers are able to appreciate and utilse.