In any business, knowledge can be a powerful tool.
This is not only true for conducting business but also for keeping employees safe from health and safety hazards. This is why it’s important for employers to be aware of all safety hazards in the workplace. Whenever a new hazard is uncovered, it’s best to write a hazard report detailing everything that is known about that hazard and what can be done to address the risk it creates. Of course, it’s critical that employers know how to write a hazard report and what to put in it. That’s why we wanted to create an outline for the type of information that should be included when writing a workplace hazard report.
Location
First and foremost, the location of every hazard needs to be documented. To be fair, not every hazard will be in a central location. Some will be noticeable throughout the workplace and others may not have an exact location. However, do your best to describe all areas where this particular hazard is a potential threat to employee health and safety.
Description
In addition to location, give a detailed description of the hazard. Be clear about what the hazard is, how it works, and why it’s considered a safety hazard. The goal here is to be as specific as possible in describing the hazard. In other words, no detail is too big or too small to mention. As mentioned, knowledge is a powerful tool when it comes to workplace safety. The more information gathered about a specific hazard, the easier it’ll be to address it later.
How it Was Discovered
If possible, the hazard report should include information about how the hazard was discovered. Keep in mind that not every hazard is obvious or clear to the naked eye. Was there an accident or a close call that led to the hazard being identified? Was it discovered during a routine inspection? Did an employee alert company leaders to the hazard? This isn’t always the most pertinent detail, but it should be included in the hazard report when possible.
Employees at Risk
A key part of understanding a workplace safety hazard is knowing what employees are at risk. Not every hazard is going to be a threat to every employee, so make it clear who’s at risk. It’s possible that a particular hazard will only impact one employee or a small group of people. Fully grasping a workplace hazard and the risk it creates is difficult without understanding who could be hurt. Plus, everyone who’s at risk for that particular hazard needs to know about its presence.
Potential Consequences
In order to know everything relevant about a hazard, you may have to extrapolate and little and envision some of the consequences of the hazard. If nothing is done to mitigate that particular hazard, what could happen? Is it possible for employees to be seriously hurt or is a major accident unlikely? Also, how likely is something like this to happen? It’s only by understanding the potential consequences of a hazard can you accurately measure the safety risk it creates.
Mitigation Techniques
Finally, part of a hazard report is deciding what can be done to limit the risk created by a particular hazard. Is it possible to get rid of the hazard entirely? Can adding certain protocols or giving employees protective equipment help? There won’t always be a clear answer or a way to completely eliminate the risk of a hazard. However, it’s good to know what options are available to help protect employees from certain hazards.
Do-It-All Safety Plan
To combat all safety hazards in the workplace, we recommend the safety management software from EHS Insight. This system is designed to tie together every element of occupational safety onto one platform. Therefore, identifying hazards and mitigating them becomes a more streamlined process, leading to a safer environment for everyone.
If you want the best workplace safety system available to help your employees stay safe, give us a call and we can have our software up and running in no time.
