Summary of Practical Risk Assessment by using HIRARC Tool

00:00:00 - 00:20:00

In the "Practical Risk Assessment by using HIRARC Tool" YouTube video, the speaker discusses the HIRARC tool as a method for analyzing risks of hazards in occupational safety and health management. The tool consists of hazard identification, risk assessment, and risk control. The speaker emphasizes the importance of defining the scope of work and identifying critical tasks before starting the assessment. Hazards are identified through various techniques, and their associated risks are evaluated based on likelihood and severity. The HIRARC tool is widely used to protect workers, businesses, and comply with the law. The speaker provides examples of risk assessments in a sawmill factory and a woodworking environment, using a risk matrix to categorize risks. Control measures, such as elimination, substitution, engineering control, administrative control, and PPE, are suggested to manage exposure to high-risk tasks. The findings of the risk assessment are recorded in writing and retained as proof of the assessment and for reviewing working practices. The process is repeated for all work activities within an organization.

• 00:00:00 In this section of the presentation, the speaker introduces the HIRARC tool as a method for analyzing risks of hazards in occupational safety and health management. HIRARC stands for hazard identification, risk assessment, and risk control. Before starting the risk assessment process, it's important to define the scope of work and identify critical or high-risk tasks. The next step is to identify hazards, which are anything with the potential to cause harm, and distinguish them from risks, which are the likelihood that a hazard will cause harm. Hazards can be identified through various techniques, such as observing the workplace or consulting accident and illness records. Once hazards have been identified, the associated risks must be examined by evaluating the likelihood and severity of the event occurring. The likelihood is the chance of an event causing injury or harm, while severity is a measure of the expected severity of the event. The HIRARC tool is a widely used method for conducting risk assessments in various industries to protect workers, businesses, and comply with the law.
• 00:05:00 In this section of the YouTube video titled "Practical Risk Assessment by using HIRARC Tool," the speaker explains the concept of risk assessment using the HIRARC tool, focusing on the factors of likelihood and severity. The example given is a worker refilling a glue container, where the hazard is the container dropping and glue splashing into the worker's eyes. To measure the likelihood, factors such as the worker's grip, container weight, frequency of refills, and training are considered. Severity is determined by the physical properties of the glue, amount expected to spill, and whether the worker wears suitable PPE. The risk assessment is categorized using a risk matrix, with higher risk values leading to greater overall risk for the task. The speaker emphasizes the importance of controlling high-risk tasks to prevent accidents and the use of the Hierarchy of Risk Control model, which includes elimination, substitution, engineering control, administrative control, and personal protective equipment (PPE) as methods to reduce risk.
• 00:10:00 In this section of the YouTube video titled "Practical Risk Assessment by using HIRARC Tool," the speaker discusses the risk assessment process for a sawmill factory's moulding machine. They identify five hazards, starting with the rotating motion of the machine parts, which can cause injury or trap clothing, resulting in severity ranging from low to fatal. The machine is equipped with safety sensors and warning signs to mitigate this hazard. The second hazard is high noise from the planing process, which can cause temporary or permanent hearing loss. The machine's enclosure and sound-absorbing materials help reduce workers' exposure, but since they don't wear hearing protectors, their exposure remains at 90 decibels. The speaker also mentions other hazards, such as wood dust and manual handling, but only discusses these briefly. Throughout the assessment, they use a form to record findings and classify risk ratings based on severity and likelihood.
• 00:15:00 In this section of the "Practical Risk Assessment by using HIRARC Tool" YouTube video, the speaker discusses various hazards and their corresponding risk ratings in a woodworking environment. The first hazard is related to hearing damage caused by prolonged exposure to loud machinery, with a medium (6) risk rating. Workers are recommended to wear suitable hearing protectors, such as earmuffs or earplugs, to prevent loss of hearing. The second hazard is the generation of wood dust during planning processes, which can cause irritation, allergies, and serious lung diseases, including asthma. However, the use of a dust collection system effectively controls this hazard, and workers wear respirators for additional protection, resulting in a low (2) risk rating. The third hazard is the risk of injury from falling heavy wood, which can lead to broken legs and toes. Workers wear safety shoes with steel toe caps to reduce the impact of falling objects, resulting in a low (2) risk rating. The fourth hazard is the risk of musculoskeletal injuries due to standing for long periods, which is not considered a significant issue due to the workers' movement and the use of comfortable safety shoes. The risk rating for this hazard is also low (2). Finally, the speaker emphasizes the importance of recording the main findings of the risk assessment in writing and retaining these records as proof of the assessment and as a basis for reviewing working practices. All records must be retained as long as the organization is in operation.
• 00:20:00 In this section of the YouTube video titled "Practical Risk Assessment by using HIRARC Tool," the presenter discusses the steps involved in conducting a risk assessment using the HIRARC tool. These steps include identifying hazards, assessing the associated risks, suggesting control measures to manage exposure to the risks, and implementing these measures. The process is repeated for other processes or tasks within an organization until all work activities have been assessed. The presenter also mentions that a summary of the findings can be created to provide an overview of the overall risk rating for each work activity. The video concludes with the presenter wishing the audience well in managing safety and health at their workplaces.