Risk Assessment and Control
- Complete Hazard Risk Assessment
Identifying and Assessing Risks
Physician employers are required to maintain a physically and psychologically healthy and safe workplace. Identifying, assessing, and controlling hazards is the foundation of workplace health and safety. It is required under the Workers Compensation Act and the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Regulation.
Managing Risks and Hazards
Managing risks and hazards in your clinic involves considering what might cause harm to your staff and determining whether you, as the employer, are taking reasonable steps to prevent that harm from happening.
Identifying Hazards
Here’s how you can identify workplace hazards:
- Walk through the site to observe how tasks are performed.
- Assess activities, processes, equipment, and materials used by workers.
- Consult workers about any health and safety issues they’ve experienced.
- Review incident and first aid records.
Controlling Hazards and Reducing Risk
After identifying workplace hazards, evaluate the risks they pose to workers so you can prioritize appropriate controls.
Next, implement controls to eliminate hazards or, if that is not possible, use the next most effective measures to reduce risk. The hierarchy of controls can help guide these decisions.
Personal protective equipment is the last line of defence because it does not remove or reduce hazards and should be used alongside other controls.
While the controls are ranked by effectiveness, all should be considered and often work best in combination to reduce risk.
