Full transcript
0:00We had a lot of questions after our risk
0:02assessment videos. So today, I want to
0:05tell you a story about how we look at
0:07the world around us.
0:08Think about the last time you walked
0:10through your workspace. Maybe you saw a
0:13bit of water on the floor, a flickering
0:15light, or a colleague rushing to finish
0:17a task. Most people see these as minor
0:21annoyances, but in our world, those are
0:24the whispers of potential accidents.
0:27Everything we do in safety starts with
0:29one fundamental skill, hazard
0:31identification.
0:33Now, if you look at the triple P system
0:35we talk about so much, our policies,
0:38procedures, and practices, hazard
0:40identification is the content that fills
0:43that container of your governance.
0:45Without it, your safety system is just
0:48an empty box. A hazard, quite simply
0:51put, is anything with the potential to
0:54cause harm. It is the what can go wrong
0:57in any given situation. But to catch
1:00these things before they turn into a bad
1:03day, we need to know exactly what we are
1:05looking for. In our methodology, we
1:08don't just guess. We break down hazards
1:10into specific types, so nothing slips
1:13through the cracks. Let's start with one
1:16that is often the hardest to spot
1:18because it's about people. This is the
1:21behavioral hazard. This refers to
1:23aspects of the work environment where
1:26the behavioral actions of persons or
1:28even organizational factors can create
1:31or cause hazardous conditions.
1:34This isn't about blaming anyone. It is
1:37about recognizing how human actions can
1:40potentially cause harm in the workplace.
1:43Now, imagine a worker who is under
1:45immense pressure to meet a deadline and
1:48skips a safety check. That
1:51organizational pressure is the resulting
1:53action that we call the behavioral
1:55hazard. This is why we say safety isn't
1:59just about the gear, it's about the
2:01mindset.
2:03We also have to look at the invisible
2:05threats like biological hazards. This
2:08refers to the presence of living
2:10organisms or substances derived from
2:13living organisms that pose a threat to
2:16human health. These are known as
2:18hazardous biological agents and can
2:21include things like bacteria, viruses,
2:24fungi, parasites, and toxins produced by
2:28those living organisms. If you're
2:30working in an environment where these
2:32are present, identifying them is the
2:34difference between a healthy workforce
2:37and a localized outbreak.
2:40Then, of course, there are the chemical
2:42hazards. This refers to the potential
2:44harm that can arise from exposure to
2:47chemicals in the workplace or even the
2:49environment. These hazards are known as
2:52hazardous chemical agents and can take
2:54various forms including liquids, gases,
2:58vapors, dusts, and even fumes. Think
3:02about a cleaning crew using a strong
3:04solvent in a room without any windows.
3:07If they don't identify that a vapor is
3:10hazardous, they are simply walking into
3:12a respiratory nightmare.
3:16Before we continue, just a quick
3:18heads-up. We've officially launched our
3:20behavior-based safety mindset evolution
3:23schema training course, available now on
3:25our learner hub membership.
3:29Closely related to the physical
3:31environment are electrical hazards. This
3:34refers to the potential danger posed by
3:37the presence of electricity in the
3:39workplace.
3:40Exposure to electrical hazards can
3:42result in, obviously, electrical shock,
3:45but also burns and other serious
3:47injuries, or it can even be fatal. It's
3:51one of those hazards that demands
3:54immediate respect because it doesn't
3:56give you a second chance.
3:59We also have to consider the world we
4:01inhabit, which leads us to environmental
4:04hazards. This refers to any work
4:07condition that has the potential to
4:09cause harm to a person by their being
4:12present there, and includes exposure to
4:15things like noise, poor light
4:17conditions, and outside environmental
4:20conditions. It also applies to any
4:23events that have the potential to cause
4:25harm to the actual environment such as
4:28major leaks or spillages. If your team
4:31is working in a dark warehouse where
4:33they can't see the edges of shelving,
4:35well, that's an environmental hazard and
4:38an accident waiting to happen.
4:41Speaking of how we work, let's talk
4:43about ergonomical hazards. This is also
4:46known as musculoskeletal hazards and
4:49relates to factors in the workplace that
4:51can lead to strains or injuries due to
4:54poor ergonomic design. Now, these
4:57hazards typically involve the
4:59interaction between workers and their
5:01work environment. If your staff is
5:04constantly lifting heavy boxes from the
5:06floor to a high shelf without the right
5:09technique or equipment, their bodies are
5:11going to pay the price in the long run.
5:14Now, some hazards are more dramatic like
5:18fire hazards, for example. This refers
5:21to conditions or materials in the
5:22workplace that increase the likelihood
5:25of a fire actually occurring or even can
5:28contribute to the rapid spread of a fire
5:31or even the intensity of a fire. Think
5:34of a pile of oily rags left near a heat
5:37source or even an obstructed fire exit.
5:40If those things aren't identified, you
5:43are essentially inviting a disaster into
5:46your building.
5:47Then we have the very broad category of
5:50physical hazards. This refers to the
5:53physical aspect of objects that can
5:55potentially harm a person and includes
5:58the physical states of the workplace or
6:00even the equipment being used. Things
6:03like falling objects and rotating or
6:05moving objects. If you have a machine
6:08with a spinning blade and no guard, that
6:11is a classical physical hazard. Now, one
6:15of the most common causes of injuries in
6:17any workplace is slip, trip, and fall
6:21hazards. This refers to any condition in
6:24the workplace that can lead to incidents
6:26involving slipping, tripping, or
6:29falling. These accidents are a common
6:32cause of injuries in various settings
6:34and can obviously be very serious. They
6:37seem simple like a loose cable or a wet
6:40tile, but they happen more often than
6:43almost anything else.
6:45And finally, we have thermal hazards.
6:49This refers to any condition or
6:52situation in the workplace that can lead
6:54to thermal stresses, burns, or injuries
6:57relating to temperature extremes,
7:00whether that is extreme heat or extreme
7:03cold. Identifying these hazards is just
7:06the tip of the iceberg. In the triple P
7:09system, once we identify a hazard, we
7:12also have to customize it to the
7:14appropriate reality of our business. We
7:16don't just use generic templates, we
7:19actually need to look at the specific
7:21equipment being used, the environment,
7:24and the actual human exposure on that
7:27specific site. Generic hazards leads to
7:30theoretical safety, but customized
7:33hazards leads to practical, measurable
7:36controls. This is the heart of the
7:39task-based risk assessment. We take a
7:41task like unblocking a drain or
7:43accessing a distribution board and we
7:46break it down into steps. For every
7:48single step, we ask, "What are the
7:51specific hazards here?" Once those
7:54hazards are actually identified, the
7:56system moves into high gear. The logic
7:59is not negotiable. Risk leads to control
8:03and control leads to the activation of
8:06your registers.
8:07If you identify a physical hazard of a
8:10spinning blade, for example, your
8:12control might be a machine guard. The
8:15control then gets put into the equipment
8:17register, so someone is responsible for
8:20checking that guard every single month
8:22to make sure it actually exists. Without
8:25that register, the control is just a
8:27good idea that everyone will eventually
8:30forget. But with the register, it
8:33becomes a measurable part of your daily
8:36operation. This is how we move from a
8:39reactive, hope nothing goes wrong
8:41approach to a more proactive, stable
8:45management system. Successful hazard
8:47identification isn't just a box-ticking
8:50exercise for the safety officer. It
8:53requires the involvement of the triple P
8:55champion and health and safety
8:57committee, and quite frankly, of
8:59management as well. These are the people
9:02who bridge that gap between governance
9:05and the actual work happening on the
9:07floor. When the committee is engaged and
9:10the champion is technically competent,
9:13then they can look at tasks and say,
9:15"Wait, we missed a thermal hazard on
9:18step three, for example." That's when
9:20the system really starts to protect
9:23people.
9:24And remember, as we talk about this in
9:27the mindset evolution schema, the goal
9:30of the coach is never to catch people
9:32doing something wrong. It is to observe
9:35the work, identify the hazard, and help
9:39people understand the why behind those
9:42controls. When we identify hazards
9:45correctly, the entire dashboard of your
9:48company reflects the operational truth.
9:51You can see exactly what your risks are,
9:55what controls are in place, and even
9:58what your budget needs to be to keep
10:01those controls functioning. It
10:03transforms the health and safety from a
10:05cost into a predictable manageable part
10:09of your business.
10:10But it all starts with that first step
10:14opening your eyes to these hazards in
10:16your environment. Whether it's a
10:18chemical, a loose wire or just a team
10:21that's under too much pressure to focus.
10:24Identifying
10:26the hazard is the first act of
10:27protection. So, next time you walk
10:31through the site, don't just see the
10:32work, see the hazards. Categorize them,
10:36customize them and get them into your
10:39registers because when you protect the
10:42system, you protect the people it exists
10:45to serve. Thank you for watching today's
10:47video. If you like the content, please
10:50consider leaving a like and hitting that
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10:54all the latest health and safety news.
10:56We are very excited to say that we've
10:58launched our memberships and we want to
11:00give a huge shout out to all of our
11:03first members. We really appreciate the
11:06support a lot. And if you guys would
11:08like access to the MES, the mindset
11:10evolution course, make sure to subscribe
11:13to our learner hub to receive that
11:15information. And then for the rest of
11:17the viewers out there, as always, stay
11:19safe, stay inspired and until next time,
11:23take care.