What Is a Hazard Report Form
A hazard report form is used to call attention to current and potential hazards in the workplace. It should be present in any workplace in all industries but most especially in high-risk environments.
All hazards, incidents, and near misses should be reported immediately to the immediate supervisor or safety officer present when the incident happens. All workers should be aware that this is standard practice in the workplace.
Having a safety hazard report form ensures that the workplace is safe for your employees. It also reduces any costly incidents or business interruptions.
To have an effective hazard reporting program, all employees should undergo training on how to avoid and properly report a hazard when they encounter them. They should be aware of what to do when they encounter a hazard that they cannot do something about.
This article covers the following topics:
1. What are the 6 types of hazards?
2. How to use a hazard report form
3. Improve your safety hazard report form with Lumiform
What are the 6 types of hazards?
In a safety hazard and risk assessment, being thorough is necessary to ensure the safety and security of the people and the place. Here are the different types of workplace hazards that OSHA identifies:
Safety Hazard
Safety hazards top the list of workplace hazards. According to the National Safety Council, the most common types of accidents that fall under this category are:
- Falling from heights
- Electrical hazard
- Working with heavy machinery
- Confined spaces
- Workplace violence
Biological Hazard
Also called biohazards, it includes biological substances that can cause people to harm or expose them to disease. Examples of biohazards include infectious materials, viruses, dust, bacteria, animal droppings, and insects.
While all types of workplaces are exposed to different kinds of biohazards, it is more critical in the food industry. If these hazardous materials are not handled properly, they can cause food poisoning.
Physical Hazard
Physical hazards are not limited to things that you can touch or see. Any dangerous situation that puts your life at risk is considered a physical hazard.
Unsafe or dangerous situations and extreme weather conditions are kinds of physical hazards.
Chemical Hazard
These types of hazards are present in chemical manufacturing plants or in import facilities. Workplaces that deal with hazardous substances are required to label each material properly and use the Safety Data Sheet. They should also train their employees on how to handle these chemicals properly.
Workplaces that have the presence of hazardous chemicals should have a hazard communication program in place.
Ergonomic Hazard
Ergonomic hazards are often found in workplaces that require manual labor, such as heavy lifting. However, it is also present in office setups where employees have poor posture because of uncomfortable chairs.
Work Organisation Hazard
These types of hazards cause stress that has both short-term and long-term effects. Some examples include heavy workload demands, sexual harassment, workplace violence, and more.
How to use a hazard report form
Hazards and dangerous situations can happen even to the safest workplaces. But having a thorough process of investigating and creating a hazard report form osha will prevent its likelihood of happening.
Workers should be trained and encouraged to report hazardous situations, incidents, accidents, and near misses. There should also be a dedicated team who are trained to analyze situations.
The lack of a hazard reporting program can cause damage, injury, financial loss, and death. Here’s how to properly assess and report a hazard at work:
Define incident and near-miss
Incidents are situations that can cause injury and damage to life and property. A near-miss, on the other hand, is a situation that could have resulted in injury or damage. Reporting near misses can prevent accidents from happening.
Emphasize the importance of reporting hazards
Whether you are part of the management or the workforce, reporting potential hazards is an essential part of a safe workplace.
During your day at work, you are in a perfect position to observe anything that might put people at risk or might damage the property. Even the small changes in the environment can spell a potential hazard.
Hazards can also come from the lack of proper instruction, inattentiveness to the task, poorly maintained equipment, or faulty work procedure.
Make sure that any situation, no matter how minor it might seem, will be reported using the right process.
Define the reason for investigation
Oftentimes, employees are afraid to file a report because they think they will be punished. Orient workers regarding the advantages of reporting hazards, incidents, and near misses.
The hazard report system should include informing the immediate supervisor about the incident or potential hazard so preventive measures can be taken immediately.
Start the investigation promptly
Any incident that puts a worker in imminent danger should be investigated immediately. Even minor incidents should not be taken for granted.
An area can still be dangerous even after the incident has happened already. Everyone should follow the emergency action plan of the company until the premises are safe.
Create a detailed report
A hazard report should include the following:
- Where and when the incident happened
- Who were involved, what happened in chronological order
- The potential hazardous effect of the incident, the extent of the damage, and more
- What is the cause of the incident or the events that preceded the incident
- Names of witnesses or people who were present during the incident
Improve your safety hazard report form with Lumiform
A strong system of record-keeping for hazard reports from OSHA is necessary for companies to keep track of hazards, risks, control measures, and corrective actions. In addition to complying with regulatory requirements, a reliable hazard analysis system helps identify hazards early to proactively improve workplace safety.
With Lumiform, you can more easily comply with the ever-increasing legal requirements for the documentation of hazardous substances by documenting with the mobile app via smartphone or tablet and being guided by the system through all documentation processes. Clean, transparent documentation helps you avoid high fines. The easiest way to do this is with a digital solution like Lumiform.
- The flexible form builder helps you turn any individual paper list into digital checklists within minutes.
- Using the super intuitive mobile app, you can take any exam in the field with your teammates in a foolproof, time-saving way.
- All exam results are automatically bundled into one report and can be sent to stakeholders.
