In this article, I’m going to cover clause 8.1.2 Eliminating hazards and reducing OH&S risks. I’m going to break this clause down and turn it into something you can all understand. You’ll then be able to apply this to your own organization's system and understand what the requirements will look like for you.
This clause gets straight into the requirements and gives us a nice list to work with and states that...
The organization shall establish, implement and maintain a process(es) for the elimination of hazards and reduction of OH&S risks using the following hierarchy of controls:
a) eliminate the hazard;
b) substitute with less hazardous processes, operations, materials or equipment;
c) use engineering controls and reorganization of work;
d) use administrative controls, including training;
e) use adequate personal protective equipment.
And that is the entire clause, so that leaves us with breaking these down and understanding what each of them mean and how they work together.
I remember this Hierarchy by using this little saying in my head. Try it and see if it works for you!
Every Saturday Eat A Pie
The hierarchy of control is called a hierarchy because each control is considered less effective than the one before it. It is common to combine several controls to manage OH&S risks to an acceptable level.
This means when determining what controls to put in place, start from the first in the list and then work your way down.
This means removing it by not using hazardous chemicals, removing mobile plant such as forklifts from certain areas, eliminating monotonous work, or removing a piece of equipment that causes injury or ill health. In some instances, this is achievable, however, if it is not, move to #2.
This is about replacing hazardous chemicals with less hazardous ones, changing slippery floor material to non-slip, or lowering voltage requirements for equipment.
This option could be isolating people from the hazard, having machine guarding installed, ventilation systems installed, noise monitoring and reduction, guard rails when working at height, ensuring workers are not working alone, and managing work hours and workloads. You can see with this option that you could implement these controls in parallel with #1 Elimination or #2 Substitution.
These controls are normally training, inspections, licenses, signage, and even health and wellness programs.
PPE includes clothing, safety shoes, safety glasses, hearing protection or gloves, as well as training and instructions on when, where, and how to wear or use the PPE.
And once again you can use these administrative and PPE controls in combination with the higher-level controls. We should never just use these lower-level controls IF there is an option to eliminate, substitute, or engineer.
Simply work through the hierarchy, top to bottom, and determine the relevant controls at each level for the OH&S risk you have identified. And I’m not saying the first time you do this, you’ll get it 100% right, because there is always an option to improve and change. You should continue to review the controls, monitor what’s working and what’s not working, and make improvements.
Finally, all of these actions, reviews, and implementation of controls need to have your workers participating in the process. This means your workers should be asked for their input and be part of the final decision-making process. Please do not forget this very important part of the process as when you involve your workers you have a higher chance of success.
Now that you have a better understanding of these requirements, it's time to take action and implement them in your own organization and ISO 45001 OH&S management system.
If you're itching to expand your knowledge on ISO 45001, make sure to check out our other articles on the topic, starting with a comprehensive breakdown of What is ISO 45001:2018 OH&S management systems?
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