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# Hazard and Risk - Risk Assessment (cont.) ## What is a risk assessment? (cont.) Risk - the combination of probability and severity that a person will be harmed or experience an adverse health effect if exposed to a hazard. Risk can also be applied to situations with property or equipment damage, or harmful effects on the environment. Probability - the extent to which an event is likely to occur. The probability of harm may also be referenced as the likelihood of harm. Severity - the seriousness of an incident, injury, or illness. Severity, or consequence, describes the highest level of damage possible from a hazard and is often described in terms such as catastrophic, critical, moderate, minor, or negligible. In general, risk can be expressed as: Risk = probability X severity Hazard control - control measure(s) and action(s) taken to reduce the risk of a hazard based on the risk assessment. Hazard control should also include monitoring, re- evaluation, and compliance with decisions (the term "controls" or "control measures" are also used and have the same meaning). Recommending or determining hazard controls may be incorporated into the risk assessment process, or completed separately following a risk assessment. For definitions and more information about what hazards and risks are, please see the OSH Answers document Hazard and Risk. ## Why is risk assessment important? Risk assessments are very important as they form an integral part of an occupational health and safety management plan. They help to: - Create awareness of hazards and risks. - Identify who may be at risk (e.g., workers, cleaners, visitors, contractors, the public, etc.). - Determine whether a control program is required for a particular hazard. - Determine if existing control measures are adequate or if more should be done. Prevent injuries - or illnesses, especially when done at the design or planning stage. - Prioritize hazards and control measures. - Meet legal requirements …

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# Why is it important to review and monitor the assessments? It is important to know if your risk assessment was complete and accurate. It is also essential to be sure that any changes in the workplace have not introduced new hazards or changed hazards that were once ranked as lower priorities to higher priorities. It is good practice to review your assessment on a regular basis to make sure your control methods are effective. ## What documentation should be done for a risk assessment? It is very important to keep records of your assessment and any control actions taken. You may be required to store assessments for a specific number of years. Check for local requirements in your jurisdiction. The level of documentation or record keeping will depend on: - Level of risk involved. - Legislated requirements. - Requirements of any management systems that may be in place. Your records should show that you: - Conducted a good hazard review. - Determined the risks of those hazards. - Implemented control measures suitable for the risk. - Reviewed and monitored all hazards in the workplace. Fact sheet last revised: 2025-03-12 ## Disclaimer Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy, currency and completeness of the information, CCOHS does not guarantee, warrant, represent or undertake that the information provided is correct, accurate or current. CCOHS is not liable for any loss, claim, or demand arising directly or indirectly from any use or reliance upon the information. Hazard and Risk - Risk Assessment CCOHS

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CCOHS CCHST Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Centre canadien d'hygiène et de sécurité au travail Hazard and Risk # Hazard and Risk - Risk Assessment ## On this page What is a risk assessment? Why is risk assessment important? What is the goal of risk assessment? When should a risk assessment be done? How do you plan for a risk assessment? How is a risk assessment done? How are the hazards identified? How do you know if the hazard will cause harm (poses a risk)? How are risks ranked or prioritized? What risk assessment methods should be used? What are methods of hazard control? Why is it important to review and monitor the assessments? What documentation should be done for a risk assessment? ## What is a risk assessment? Risk assessment is a term used to describe the overall process or method where of identifying hazards, assessing the risk of hazards, and prioritizing hazards associated with a specific activity, task, or job. It considers the probability or likelihood of harm from exposure and the potential consequence or severity of harm from exposure to a hazard. A risk assessment is a thorough look at your workplace to identify those things, situations, processes, etc. that may cause harm, particularly to people. After the identification of a hazard, it should be reviewed to determine how likely and severe the potential harm is. When this determination is made, you can decide what measures should be in place to effectively eliminate or control the harm from happening (hazard control). Some important terms related to risk assessments include: Hazard - a potential source of injury, adverse health effect, or damage to people, structures, equipment, or the environment. A common way to classify hazards is to categorize them as biological, chemical, ergonomic, physical, psychosocial, and safety hazards. Hazard identification - the process of finding, listing, and characterizing hazards. Hazard and Risk - Risk Assessment CCOHS

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CCOHS CCHST Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety + Centre canadien d'hygiène et de sécurité au travail Hazard and Risk # Hazard and Risk - Hazard Identification ## On this page What is a hazard? What is hazard identification? When should hazard identification be done? How are hazards identified? What types of hazards are there? How do I know what is a hazard? Where can I find more information about hazards? What if I am new to the task or the workplace? ## What is a hazard? There are many definitions of hazard, but the most common definition when talking about workplace health and safety is "A hazard is any source of potential damage or harm to someone or something." The CSA Z1002 Standard "Occupational health and safety - Hazard identification and elimination and risk assessment and control" uses the following terms: - Harm - physical injury or damage to health. - Hazard - a potential source of harm to a worker. Basically, a hazard is the potential for harm or an adverse effect (for example, to people as health effects, to organizations as property or equipment losses, or to the environment). Please see the OSH Answers fact sheet on Hazard and Risk for more information. ## What is hazard identification? Hazard identification is part of the process used to evaluate if any particular situation, item, or thing may have the potential to cause harm. The term often used to describe the full process is risk assessment: Hazard and Risk - Hazard Identification CCOHS

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CCOHS CCHST Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Centre canadien d'hygiène et de sécurité au travail Health and Safety Programs # Job Safety Analysis ## On this page <table><tr><th>What is a Job Safety Analysis?</th><th>How do I "identify potential hazards"?</th></tr><tr><td>What are the benefits of doing a job</td><td>How do I "determine preventive</td></tr><tr><td>safety analysis?</td><td>measures?"</td></tr><tr><td>Who should conduct a job safety.</td><td>How should I communicate the</td></tr><tr><td>analysis?</td><td>information to everyone?</td></tr><tr><td>What are the basic steps?</td><td>Appendix A: Sample Form for Job</td></tr><tr><td>What is important to know when</td><td>Safety Analysis Worksheet</td></tr><tr><td>"selecting the job"?</td><td>Appendix B: Sample Forms for Tasks</td></tr><tr><td>How do I break the job into "basic</td><td>and Job Inventory</td></tr><tr><td>steps"?</td><td></td></tr></table> ## What is a Job Safety Analysis? A job safety analysis (JSA) is a process which helps assess a job to identify hazards and necessary control measures. In a job safety analysis, each basic step of the job is broken down into steps to identify potential hazards and to recommend the safest way to do the job. Other terms used to describe this procedure are job hazard analysis (JHA) and job hazard breakdown. Some individuals prefer to expand the analysis into all aspects of the job, not just safety. This approach is known as total job analysis. Methodology is based on the idea that safety is an integral part of every job, not a separate entity. In this document, only health and safety aspects will be considered. The terms "job" and "task" are commonly used interchangeably to mean a specific work assignment, such as "operating a grinder," "using a pressurized water extinguisher," or "changing a flat tire." Generally, a job or task can be further divided into many smaller steps. Job safety analyses are not suitable for jobs defined too bro…