In OHS, risk management is the process which is prescribed in legislation, whereby we identify what hazards exist in the workplace, then we asses the risk of each and finally we eliminate or control these risks. 

When risk controls or elimination of risk has been implemented, we must review risk assessments and control measures to ensure that they are effective.

The steps are:

§        Identify hazards

§        Assess risks

§        Eliminate or control risks

§        Review risk assessments and control measures

What does this mean for my business?

This means that you must first consult with your employees about how you will do the risk management process and who will be involved, then you must conduct a hazard identification program, followed by an assessment of the risks associated with each hazard, and then you must implement control measures which either eliminate the risks or control the risks to prevent a person being injured at work. 

Once risks have been eliminated or controlled, there may be occasions when you need to review your risk assessments and control measures, to ensure they continue to control risk if there are any changes in the workplace.

Many businesses have already commenced this process and are well on their way to completing the risk assessments.

If I have identified hazard, can I go straight to eliminating or controlling the risk without doing the risk assessment?

No. It is a legal requirement under the NSW OHS Regulation 2001 that the employer assesses the risks of all hazards identified. This risk assessment is to assess the risk of harm to the health and safety of employees and other people who may legally be in the workplace.

If you have already identified control measures to use, you could proceed with implementing them, however a risk assessment must still be conducted.

Who should be involved in risk assessments?

The consultation arrangement which you have established in your workplace should be involved in the risk management process. How much or how little will depend on your own business circumstances. 

Some businesses have used OHS Committees to assist in doing the hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control process.

Supervisors of a particular department should also be involved in this process. If you have an OHS resource or professional, they should also be involved, however this is not prescribed in the law.

If I have identified a hazard and assessed the risk, can I just accept the risk rather than control or eliminate it?

No. Traditional risk management approaches in other business practices may have allowed the acceptance of risk, however under OHS law, the employer has a legal obligation to eliminate or control risk so that no-one is harmed. 

This is the duty of care requirement and is clearly prescribed in the NSW OHS Act 2000 (section 8).

How much detail do I have to go into with risk management?

You need to consider all possible hazards in the workplace which arise in the course of work. Be systematic and thorough in your identification of hazards in each section, department or process. The best results will be obtained when you involve employees and consult in this process.

Conduct risk assessments on each hazard and work with employees and others to identify ways to eliminate risk and control risk.

You only need to go into as much detail as is necessary to eliminate or control the risk from each hazard. You may need external help to identify hazards and assess or control/eliminate some risks.

I have hundreds of processes in our workplace; do I have to assess every single one?

Try not to be overwhelmed by the volume of work required. If you approach it systematically and have a plan, you will complete all your risk assessments and the control process.

Try to determine if the same process is performed in several areas of the business, necessitating only one risk assessment rather than ten. Schedule the assessments, allocate deadlines and follow up on these.

Enlist the help of other people in the business, such as a, OHS committee, OHS rep/s, supervisors, managers, leading hands and others. Remember that the best results come from involving many people in the process. Train a small risk management team to conduct the assessments.

Does the provision of 'instruction, training and information, supervision, personal protective equipment' fit into the risk management process?

The NSW OHS Regulation 2001 prescribes that these are also required in the workplace. These are examples of control measures used to eliminate or minimise risk.

The regulation also requires the employer to:

§        Obtain information from an authoritative source,

§        Provide for emergencies,

§        Provide amenities,

§        Maintain amenities and accommodation and,

§        Provide first aid facilities and personnel.