Working safely every day is important to protect our people from harm. There are proactive steps we can all take in our approach to managing and controlling risks to ensure a safer environment for all.
We can work safely by following the risk management cycle principles (see Figure 1) and proactively identifying hazards in our workplace.
Cath Jeffries, Director – Health, Safety and Wellbeing, says that risk management is best thought of as identifying what could go wrong to injure someone in your span of control, how wrong it could go, and what you will put in place to stop it going wrong. Central to this cycle is management commitment and leadership.
“We are dedicated to taking a proactive approach to identifying hazards, assessing risks, controlling risks and reviewing those control measures to ensure they are effective. Together, we can mitigate risks and create a safer work environment for all.”
Managing risks in our workplace
Figure 1: Risk Management Cycle
The first step of the cycle is to undertake hazard identification. A hazard is something that could go wrong that might result in harm to a person. Hazards can be identified in many ways including through an incident investigation, quarterly hazard inspection or simply by an employee raising a safety concern at a team meeting or huddle.
Next, it is important to assess risks and how badly the identified hazard could hurt our colleagues and patients. Assessing risk should include observation of the task.
Once the risk level has been identified, we need to think about what can be put in place to control the risk and eliminate it from happening. An effective way is to brainstorm with the risk assessment team or think about which control is most effective in controlling the risk. It is important that controls are practical for the employees doing the task.
The last step in the cycle is to review and monitor any controls that have been implemented to ensure they are effective in controlling the risk and assessing feedback from team members.
Where can I get help?
There are risk assessment tools available on Prompt. These include:
- Generic Risk Assessment
- Manual Handling Risk Assessment
- Occupational Violence and Aggression Risk Assessment
Our monthly communication pack includes further information.
If you require further assistance in managing risk in your area, please contact your Safety Advisor or email safety@monashhealth.org and our team will be able to assist you.
Approved by Chris McLoughlin, Executive Director – People and Culture