RISK MANAGEMENT

Risk Management Articles   

What should be included in a Site-specific Risk Management Plan?

A Risk Management Plan requires a Statement that nominates who will be responsible for specific OHS&R aspects of the work and who will be available to deal with OHS&R incidents.

The Risk Management Plan must identify and assess the hazards associated with the works, along with the hazard control measures that will be implemented to ensure that people (both their own employees and others) are adequately protected from risk of injury or illness.

The Risk Management Plan must also include Site Health and Safety Rules, as well as Safe Work Method Statements for all work activities assessed as having a health and safety risk. Particular attention should be paid to work activities with high health and safety risk (for example working at heights, with or near hazardous substances, in confined spaces, or with plant and equipment).

Components of a Site-specific Risk Management Plan

Statement of Responsibilities

The Statement of Responsibilities must list the names and positions of persons who will be responsible on the site to:

•    Identify and assess the hazards associated with the works, and document the hazard control measures to be taken;

• Manage compliance with OHS&R legislation, regulations, standards and codes, and the Site Safety Rules;

• Assess service providers’ capabilities initially, and ensure they meet OHS&R requirements during the contract;

• Manage workplace injury management and rehabilitation;

• Manage the communications on OHS&R information to all personnel at the work site and (if applicable) the communications between OH&S Workplace Committees;

• Ensure that all personnel attend a company work health and safety induction training course before starting work;

• Conduct site-specific induction and work activity health and safety training;

• Maintain first aid stocks and provide first aid;

• Manage accident and emergency procedures.

Occupational Health and Safety Training

(including induction training)

Training is particularly important at the workplace. The health and safety of many can be put at risk by workers not being aware of their responsibilities or the Site Health and Safety Rules, or by not following safe work methods.

The service provider is required to:

• Identify the OHS&R training needs of management, supervisors and all personnel at the centre;

• Ensure that appropriate training is carried out; and

• Maintain appropriate records of OHS&R training provided to personnel at the centre.

Induction training must be provided to all personnel on site. Before any person carries out any work they must be provided with OHS&R induction training in:

• General work health and safety;

• Site-specific health and safety; and

• Work activity based health and safety.

Incident Management

Before starting any work under the contract, service providers must nominate the persons who will be available (both during and outside normal working hours) to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from incidents. There must be procedures for contacting these persons, and any changes to these nominations and procedures must be notified promptly.

These procedures must be clearly advertised on the project sites, to ensure all personnel and visitors to the site are aware of the contact names.

Site Safety Rules

Service providers are required to prepare Site Health and Safety Rules and ensure they are displayed on notice boards and other suitable locations on the site, and are provided to all personnel who may work on the site or visit the site. The Site Health and Safety Rules must include, but are not limited to:

• General health & safety

• Ensuring that appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), such as safety glasses and safety footwear, (where necessary) are worn by all the organisation’s employee’s, agents and visitors.

• Entry to, movement on, and exit from the site - ensuring only authorised access to the site and to areas of work, and ensuring the safe movement of persons, vehicles and equipment. (particularly in docks and service areas)

• Accident and emergency procedures - ensuring that first aid facilities are clearly identified and that everyone is aware of accident and emergency procedures

• Protection of all centre personnel and the public - ensuring the use of effective barricades, fencing and other protection

• Elevated work - ensuring all work performed at heights is in accordance with the relevant legislation, regulations, standards and codes

• Electrical work, installations and equipment - ensuring all such work and equipment complies with the electrical safety legislation, regulations, standards and codes

• Training - ensuring induction training, task training and refresher training is provided.

Safe Work Method Statements

Safe Work Method Statements should be prepared for all work activities assessed as having a health and safety risk. Particular attention should be paid to work activities with a high health and safety risk (for example working at heights, with or near hazardous substances, in confined spaces, or with plant and equipment).

When preparing Safe Work Method Statements, the personnel who are going to follow them should be consulted. This will encourage ownership of the job by the personnel.

Safe Work Method Statements must:

• Be on organisation’s letterhead and show the name and registered office address of the organisation

• Show the signature of a senior management representative of that organisation and the date signed.

Safe Work Method Statements must at least include:

• A description of the work to be undertaken

• The step-by-step sequence involved in doing the work

• The potential hazards associated with the work and with each step of the work

• The health and safety controls that will be in place to minimise these hazards

• All precautions to be taken to protect health and safety

• All health and safety instructions to be given to persons involved with the work

• Identification of health and safety legislation, codes or standards applicable to the work, and where these are kept

• The names and qualifications of those who will:

-          Supervise the work

-          Inspect and approve work areas, work methods, protective measures, plant, equipment and power tools etc.

•  A description of what training is given to people involved with the work

• The names of those who will be or have been trained in the work activities described in the Safe Work Method Statements, and the names and qualifications of those responsible for training them

• Identification of the plant and equipment that will most likely be used on site e.g ladders, scaffolds, grinders, electrical leads, welding machines, fire extinguishers etc.

• Details of the inspection and maintenance checks that will be or have been carried out on the equipment listed.

Risk Management Articles