DUW10022

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY &

HEALTH (OSH) FOR
ENGINEERING

CHAPTER 4
HAZARD IDENTIFICATION, RISK
ASSESSMENT & RISK CONTROL
(HIRARC)

LECTURER:
PUAN NURHANUM BINTI OMAR
JKM, PIS

STUDENT LEARNING
OUTCOMES
At the end of this class, student should
be able to:

1. Explain hazard, risk and danger.

✓ Hazard
✓ Risk
✓ Danger

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 WHAT IS HIRARC?
✓ HIRARC is an important method used to ensure all the work procedures and the safety
precautions are taken into consideration before any task is performed.

PURPOSE To identify all the factors that may cause harm to employees and
others (the hazards)

To consider what the chances are of that harm actually be falling

anyone in the circumstances of a particular case and the possible
severity that could come from it (the risks)

To enable employers to plan, introduce and monitor preventive

measures to ensure that the risks are adequately controlled at all
times.

HAZARD
✓ Any source or situation at work with a potential for harm to humans, in terms of
injury, adverse health effects or ill health, damage to the environment and property, or
any combination of these incidents.

✓ Hazard identification is needed to identify each hazard that exists at work in order to
conduct a good hazard control.

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 RISK
✓ The chances, probabilities or likelihood of a person being harmed or experiencing an
adverse health effect, based on the severity of damages and injuries suffered when
exposed to a hazardous event with a specific duration.

✓ It may also apply to situations with property, equipment loss, damages in environment
or combinations of these events.

✓ The severity of the incident is calculated based on qualitative and semi-quantitative

assessment to quantify the level of risk.

DANGER
✓ Is a workplace hazard that puts workers or visitors at immediate risk of serious
physical injuries or even death.

✓ A dangerous incident, may be a health hazard, such as toxic substances, fumes, dust or
gases.

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 HAZARD VERSUS RISK
HAZARD is something that has the RISK is the likelihood of a hazard
potential to harm you. causing harm.

Because someone is present, there is a

Because no one is present, there is no
chance that this person will be attacked
chance of harming occurring.
by the crocodile.

STUDENT LEARNING
OUTCOMES
At the end of this class, student should
be able to:

2. Know types of hazard.

✓ Physical hazard
✓ Biological hazard
✓ Chemical hazard
✓ Psychological hazard
✓ Ergonomic hazard

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 TYPES OF HAZARDS

TYPES DEFINITION EXAMPLES EFFECTS

• A hazard created • Radiations. • Multiple injuries.
by factors within • High exposure to • Example:
PHYSICAL the environment sunlight. hearing loss,
that cause harm • Temperature heat stress,
to the body with extremes. suffer cramps,
or without heat stroke.
• Vibration.
contact.

TYPES OF HAZARDS (cont…)

TYPES DEFINITION EXAMPLES EFFECTS
• Treats to the • Blood and other • Allergies, illness
living organism, body fluids. & disease in
BIOLOGICAL primarily that of humans.
• Fungi or mould.
humans, • Bacteria & • Biological agents
working with viruses. enter the body
animal, people, through
• Insect or animal
or infections inhalation
bites.
plant materials. (breathing),
• Animal & bird
consumption or
droppings.
absorption.

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 TYPES OF HAZARDS (cont…)
TYPES DEFINITION EXAMPLES EFFECTS
• Expose to any • Liquids (cleaning • Can enter
chemical products, paints, human bodies
CHEMICAL preparation in acid, solvents). through
the workplace in • Vapours & inhalation,
any forms (solid, fumes from ingestion and
liquid or gas). welding. absorption.
• Gases (carbon • Can cause
monoxide). illness, skin
• Flammable irritation, or
material breathing
(gasoline). problems.
• Pesticides.

TYPES OF HAZARDS (cont…)

TYPES DEFINITION EXAMPLES EFFECTS
• Stressors that • Workplace • Referred to as
cause stress violence. mental-related
PSYCHOLOGICAL
(short term • Workload hazards.
effects) and demands. • These hazards
strain (long term • Sexual are more
effects). harassment. dangerous and
harder to
determine.

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 TYPES OF HAZARDS (cont…)
TYPES DEFINITION EXAMPLES EFFECTS
• Occur when • Improper • May result in
strain is workstations & sore muscles,
ERGONOMIC developed on chairs. serious long
the worker’s • Frequent lifting. term illness &
body due to the • Poor / wrong Musculoskeletal
type of work, posture. Disorder (MSD).
body positions • Awkward
and working movements of they
are repetitive.
conditions.
• Vibration.
• Repeating the
same movements
over & over.

HAZARD IDENTIFICATION
✓ Process of recognizing that a hazard exists and defining its characteristics.

✓ To keep workplace safe and healthy, employers should make sure there are no
hazards to which employees could be exposed.

✓ Employers should look for hazards in advance as part of their risk management plan to
prevent potential hazards.

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 HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION
(cont…)

Inspection
Research
on manual,
Audit datasheet,
accident
report
Survey

Observation Internet

JOB HAZARDS ANALYSIS

Determine
Identify the the
Select the Identify the Develop a
major preventive
work or job potential worker- Re-
sequence of measures to
task to be hazards for training evaluation.
steps for protect
analysed. each step. programme.
each step. against
hazards.

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Worked example scenario : Wood panel cutting process HIRARC FORM
A team of two workers operates a cross-cut saw machine. Their work includes loading wood panel onto
the machine, cutting the wood unloading the cut wood. They also need to repair and maintain the
machine regularly as well as to change the blades of the machine.

STUDENT LEARNING
OUTCOMES
At the end of this class, student should
be able to:

3. Express risk assessment.

✓ Risk assessment method.
✓ Semi-Quantitative Assessment.

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 RISK ASSESSMENT
✓ The process of analyse or evaluate the risk arising from hazard, taking into account
adequacy of exiting controls and deciding whether or not the risk is acceptable.

✓ The supervisors and workers self-evaluate the risks of tasks conducted and develop the
likelihood and severity of the hazards.

Risk = Likelihood (L) x Severity (S)

✓ Likelihood – event likely to occur within the specific period or in specified

circumstances.

✓ Severity – outcome from an event such as severity of injury or health of

people, or damage to property, or insult to environment, or any
combination of those caused by the event.

RISK ASSESSMENT (cont…)

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 RISK ASSESSMENT (cont…)
Risk = Likelihood (L) x Severity (S)

This ‘Risk Matrix’ table is

according to the DOSH’s
Guidelines for HIRARC 2008

Worked example scenario : Wood panel cutting process HIRARC FORM

A team of two workers operates a cross-cut saw machine. Their work includes loading wood panel onto
the machine, cutting the wood unloading the cut wood. They also need to repair and maintain the
machine regularly as well as to change the blades of the machine.

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 RISK ASSESSMENT (cont…)

TYPE OF ASSESSMENT

Semi-quantitative
Qualitative assessment Quantitative assessment
assessment

Numerical values are analysed

Uses a quantitative analysis using statistical methods for
both severity and likelihood. Quantify the quality
to develop the scales from
assessment into numbers
minor to major levels of Data from past accident
of scale.
likelihood and severity. statistics or from scientific
research.

HOW TO ASSESS RISK?

Look for the hazards.

Review assessment and Decide who might be

revise it if necessary. harmed & how.

Evaluate the risk and

check what is done to
Record finding.
prevent it from
happening.

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STUDENT LEARNING
OUTCOMES
At the end of this class, student should be
able to:

4. Explain risk control.

✓ Hierarchy of control.
a. Elimination
b. Substitution
c. Isolation
d. Engineering Control
e. Administrative Control
d. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

RISK CONTROL
✓ Is the process of evaluating the risk to safety and health from hazards at work.

✓ Identification of practicable measures for eliminating or reducing the risk, to

implement the measures and to continually review the measures in order to ensure
their effectiveness.

✓ The control process must follow the control hierarchy, in order, as prescribe in some
health and safety legislation.

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RISK CONTROL (cont…)

RISK CONTROL (cont…)

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 RISK CONTROL (cont…)

RISK CONTROL (cont…)

Eliminate the hazard. Substitute (replacing) the Isolation

• Elimination of specific hazard or hazard. • The process of confining the
hazardous work process, or • The process of changing a current hazards in a small area and
preventing it from entering the process, substance or material into minimizing the exposure of hazards
workplace, is the most effective a less hazardous outcome. towards the workers.
method of control.
• Example : a hazardous chemical can • Example : an insulated and air-
• Example : a salvage firm might be replaced with a less hazardous conditioned control room can
decide to stop buying and cutting one. protect operators from a toxic
up scrapped bulk fuel tanks due to chemical.
explosion hazards.

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 RISK CONTROL (cont…)
Administrative controls
Engineering controls • Involves planning to minimize
• Methods used for the design plant,
hazardous exposure towards workers Personal Protective Equipment
and visitors.
equipment or process to minimize (PPE)
hazards. • Example:
✓ Safe works procedures / policy • PPE and clothing is used when other
• Example: controls measures are not feasible and
✓ Redesign (containers can be made (workers can be required to use
where additional protection is needed.
standardized safety practices). LAST CHOICE
easier to hold and lift).
✓ Scheduling maintenance outside • Example:
✓ Automation (computer-controlled
normal working hour (evenings or ✓ Safety helmets
robots can handle spot welding
weekends) to reduce general ✓ Gloves
operations in car plants).
exposure. ✓ Goggle
✓ Barriers (special equipment ✓ Supervision and training.
guarding can prevent eye injuries ✓ High-visibility clothing
✓ Job rotations (can reduce the time ✓ Safety footwear
from welding arc radiation). that workers are exposed to a ✓ Safety harness
✓ Absorption (baffles can block or hazard).
absorb noise) ✓ Housekeeping, repair and
maintenance programmes.

Worked example scenario : Wood panel cutting process HIRARC FORM

A team of two workers operates a cross-cut saw machine. Their work includes loading wood panel onto
the machine, cutting the wood unloading the cut wood. They also need to repair and maintain the
machine regularly as well as to change the blades of the machine.

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• Worked scenario : Office

What needs to be done to minimise the

NO HAZARD Hazard consequence
hazard?
1

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• Worked scenario : Factory

What needs to be done to minimise the

NO HAZARD Hazard consequence
hazard?
1

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• Worked scenario : Construction

What needs to be done to minimise the

NO HAZARD Hazard consequence
hazard?
1

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• Worked scenario : Retail / Mall
What needs to be done to minimise the
NO HAZARD Hazard consequence
hazard?
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