What is a hazard identification checklist?
Identifying hazards in the workplace is critical to implementing controls that help ensure the safety of workers and others involved. Hazard identification is the process of identifying potential sources of danger or harm when performing a work task in a specific work area.
Hazard identification is a part of the risk assessment, why it is sometimes called a hazard assessment. It is used to identify the risks associated with a hazard and to determine measures to eliminate or reduce that hazard. As a rule, hazard identifications are carried out by safety officers.
Especially in manufacturing companies or construction companies, protecting the health and safety of workers is one of the highest priority tasks. This is where hazard identification checklists come in. In order to be able to carry out the number of necessary hazard identifications and still be able to do a good job, hazard identification checklists are often used.
A hazard identification checklist is the best guide to make inspections easy, to organize them, and to promote a sense of responsibility and safety among staff. Normally hazard assessments are carried out at regular intervals and for completely new tasks. That is critical for implementing adequate corrective measures that can help prevent injuries and illnesses.
This article deals with:
1. Carry out the process of hazard identification with a checklist
2. 3 typical errors in an hazard identification checklist
3. Digital checklists for better hazard identification
Carry out the process of hazard identification with a checklist
The use of a hazard identification checklist reduces the probability of occupational accidents occurring and ensures the safety of all employees. Carry out simple health and safety checks by following the hazard identification process in these 4 steps:
- Inform yourself in advance about the risk assessment at the workplace
- Inspect the workplace and identify possible hazards.
- Find out if there have been any accidents in the past.
- Develop a plan for a safe working environment and take corrective action if necessary.
In the hazard identification process, however, it is also important to remember to make all employees aware of the issue. The implementation and monitoring of a safety management system ensures that all workers are alert to the workplace, watch for hazards and report them to the appropriate supervisor. Recognising the hazard in the form of unsafe conditions or unsafe acts during construction or operation/maintenance activities relies on a process of identifying and accessing hazards by recognising the risks in the system.
3 typical errors during hazard identification
A holistic inspection for hazards should be comprehensively documented. In the following, you will find three typical errors on the use of a hazard identification checklist:
- No one-time action
A good hazard assessment should be an ongoing process, one-off checks and corrective action will not ensure sustainable safety. - Involve external companies
When placing orders with external companies, the employer is also jointly responsible for their safety. The hazard identification should therefore be carried out there as well. - Several people in charge
The hazard identification should not be carried out by a single specialist, but by several safety officers to ensure a thorough hazard identification check.
App & Software for competent hazard identification checks
With Lumiform’s mobile app, you can easily perform any type of quality and safety inspection using a tablet or smartphone – online or offline. With the desktop software, you create checklists for your hazard identification and evaluate the data collected in the field. This significantly reduces the risk of quality loss, documentation errors, and damage to your reputation. Digitize your hazard identification checklists and internal processes with Lumiform:
- The flexible checklist builder from Lumiform helps you to convert any individual paper list into a digital hazard inspection checklist without much effort.
- Facilitate the work of safety teams by letting them fill in risk assessments via smartphone and tablet. That Lumiform guides the inspectors through the inspections, no training needs to take place.
- Attach photos and annotations directly to your hazard assessment.
- All results, images and comments are automatically bundled in a digital report.
- Comprehensive analyses help you to identify hazardous areas in your company more quickly and thus to continuously improve your health and safety measures.
- Store all hazard identification reports securely online in the cloud.
