In general, hazards are anything that could potentially cause harm to a person or thing. In the workplace, it is typically something that could injure employees or cause injury or illness to visiting customers and clients. Hazard analysis is an important thing to take note of as a small business owner, since you are responsible for any injuries or illnesses taking place as a result of these hazards. By identifying them, you can work to reduce the risk of hazards.
What is a Hazard Analysis?
Hazard analysis is the preliminary step to contemplating your possible risk. It is the process of identifying the different hazards in your workplace and determining what your risks might be for illness or injury. It includes several scenarios of things that occur if these hazards are not taken care of. The goal of the hazard analysis is to provide a safe environment for everyone. In terms of a job hazard analysis, it is looking at the duties of each employee and how they are putting themselves or others at risk through these positions. It also helps find ways of mitigating these risks.
Why is Job Hazard Analysis Important?
There is a staggeringly high number of employees injured or killed while performing their daily business operations in the U.S. As the business employer, it is your responsibility to provide a safe working environment for your employees. Not only do you need to be aware of the hazards, but your employees need to as well. By having a hazard analysis done, your company is educated on the risks and can come up with logical solutions of reducing the risks.
What is Involved?
There are two steps to the hazard analysis: identifying the hazards and identifying the causes. First, the analysis consists of finding out what hazards are in your workplace, ranging from the equipment and tools you use to the environment as a whole. The next step is finding causes of these potential sequences of events. Many hazards are generalized, while others are specific to the type of company you have. For example, if you run a manufacturing company, you’re going to have much different hazards than an administrative office, though in both cases it is important to find out exactly what they are.
What is it Looking For?
The hazard analysis is going to come up with a series of scenarios with its results. This includes finding the contributing factors to the hazards, where it is occurring in the work environment, who could be exposed to it, what the trigger or cause is of the hazard and what the supposed outcome is. With this information, it is possible to come up with solutions to keep the hazards at a minimum, reducing your risk of workplace injury.
Getting your employees involved in the analysis and further steps to ensure their safety is important. Aside from this, always make sure you have protection for your company through workers’ compensation and general liability insurance.
