The Five Step Risk Management Process
Preparation
- define the context
- identify activity/task/work area/personnel to be assessed
Step 1: Identify all hazards by:
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observing, inspecting, investigating, communicating and
consulting; and
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making a record of the hazards identified.
Step 2: Assess the risks these
hazards create by:
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assessing and prioritising the risks;
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dealing with the highest priority risks first; and
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dealing with less risks or least significant risks last.
Step 3: Decide on measures to
control the risks by:
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eliminating the risk;
-
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if elimination of the risk is not possible, select
these control measure in the following order of preference
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- Substitution
- Isolation (not administrative)
- Minimisation by engineering means
- Application of administrative measures and
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Use of Personal Protective Equipment
Step 4: Implement appropriate
control measures should:
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adequately control the risks;
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not create other risks; and
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allow workers to do their work without undue discomfort or
distress.
Step 5: Monitor the control measures
and review the process:
A: Monitor
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Have the control measures been implemented as
intended?
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Are the control measures adequate?
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Did the implementation of control measures create
other hazards or risks?
B: Review
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Has anything changed over time since the risk process
was implemented?
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Is the control of risks still adequate?
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Was the risk management process conducted effectively?
The five steps can be applied in all
types of workplaces, but in some cases it may be more effective to perform more than one step at a time. The
way the risk management process is implemented can depend on the type of business activity and tasks involved
at the workplace. For example, a small business may deal with its hazards differently to a very large
business.
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