X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) Laboratory, Analytical Centre, UNSW

Risk Assessment

(Provisional)

Contents

  1. How to complete a Risk Assessment
  2. Risk Assessment Form
  3. Risk Rating System
  1. How to complete a Risk Assessment

It is an OHS legal requirement to complete a risk assessment for a task you are going to perform.Through the risk assessment, you will have understanding of all potential risks involved in the task, and necessary precautions to minimise the risks.

To complete a risk assessment

  • You must attend Radiation Safety Training, and visit the laboratory to understand safety requirements and control measures.
  • Discuss with your supervisor about the details of your experiments, including any particular risks involved.
  • Fill up the Risk Assessment Form (RA form) and submit it to Safety Officer in Analytical Centre..

Explanation notes are included within the RA form in green text. You can type over the green text, or leave it till you are finished & then delete it at the end. All sections should have an entry even if it is only ‘not applicable’ (N/A) in order to show that it has been considered.

Each table is set up to expand as you type so that you will not run out of space. If more rows are needed go to Table (top row of the tool bar) then, Insert, Rows. Similarly to delete rows, Table, Delete, Rows and to split a table (if your list goes over a page) go to Table, Split table. Save your work as you go with different version numbers so that you can go back to an earlier version if needed. Make sure to delete all green text at the end of your work as they are just examples and not relevant in your experiment. Similarly the front 2 pages are also not part of the final risk assessment you will hand in.

Discuss the Risk Assessment with your supervisor, they will need to ‘sign off’ that the assessment is complete and covers all the hazards associated with the experiment. The form should then be given to the school office for review, please submit both an electronic and paper copy.

NB: It is a UNSW policy that no work should be performed that is Rated E (Extreme Risk). Activities that are rated H (High Risk) can proceed with the written approval of the Head of School.

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Management Document 004/2007March 2007

X-ray Diffraction (XRD) Laboratory, Analytical Centre, UNSW

Risk Assessment Form

Name:
Person completing this RA / Date written:
Date of writing / Supervisor:
Your Supervisor’s name / Date for Review:
Date 1 year from now
Supervisor’s statement
I have read this risk assessment provided by Person completing this RA and discussed it with him/her. I consider that the risks have been correctly identified and assessed. I also consider that the control measures specified are appropriate and sufficient in each case.
Signature: Date: / / .
Reviewed and approved by:
Name: Signature: Date: / / .
Instrument / Location (room, building) / Trained &Assessed by / Assessor Signature

1.Overview:

What is the task(s)?
Briefly explain the procedures of your XRD experiments. Think about the main steps of the task/experiment and list them here, include preparation and clean up steps, list hazards as you think of them, then put them in order at the end. A non specialist should understand the steps involved, so that they would be able to determine all of the likely risks involved.

2.Physical hazardsC=Consequences, L=Likelihood, RR= Risk Rating, see end page for rating table

As your document develops, these tables will move, so adjust the table breaks when you are finished to save editing time. You can just delete these lines of text (and extra lines) to join table together again.

3.Work Place Interactions:

List other activities in the surrounding area that may impact on your work:
Are other people also using the fume hood? A furnace nearby is a possible ignition source for flammable materials, poor house keeping in work area, people walking by or interrupting during a critical stage, etc
What controls need to be in place to reduce the risk to yourself, your work and/or others:
Do you need warning notices in the work area: “Caution HF now in use, please contact Joe Bloggs x 9999 before touching any item in this fume cupboard” etc, organize work so that the immediate area is not used by others, arrange for another person to be working nearby in case of a spill or accident.
What emergency procedures are required?
Check the spill kit: is it suitable, can it handle the volume of material being used? Is there an emergency shut off switch? Has it been tested? Where is the nearest fire extinguisher? Is it suitable? Do you know where the 1st aid kit is? What steps are required in the case of a building evacuation/or if you have to stop work quickly?

4.Alternatives

Are there any possible alternatives to performing this experiment? Is it possible to eliminate any of the steps of substances used?
Reduce the amounts used, or remove yourself from the activity?Is additional PPE required?
Consider the alternatives previously mentioned
  1. Eliminate the risk - Is it possible to completely eliminate the hazard by removal from the workplace? In a research environment this is not usually a practical method. Therefore other controls must be considered.
  2. Substitution - Once the hazard has been identified it may be possible to replace the activity, process or substance with a less hazardous one.
  3. Reduction - Is it possible to reduce the scale of the experiment? Use less starting material, fewer reagents etc.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) - Provide suitable and properly maintained PPE to cover and protect an employee.

3. Risk Rating System

The OHS Risk Rating System is to establish a consistent standard across the University for rating OHS risks. This is a requirement of both the University’s OHS management system and WorkCover’s OHS audit criteria for self insurers to be met as part of the University’s self insurer licence. The outcome of staff and students applying a consistent risk rating system across the organisation will beimproving decision-making in selection of adequate risk control measures, leading to more effective management of OHS risks,and preventing of injury and property and environmental damage.

STEP ONE

Estimate the potential consequences in terms of the severity of harm (ie injury to person or harm to the environment or property damage) should an incident still occur with the risk controls that you already have for this task or process. In determining the risk level, rate the consequences based on the most probable or likely consequences/outcome of exposure, but when performing high risk activities be mindful of the worst case scenario of exposure to the hazard.

Table 1Consequences level

Level / Health and Safety
Descriptor
1 / Insignificant.
Injuries not requiring first aid
2 / Minor:
First Aid required only
3 / Moderate:
Medical treatment required
4 / Major
Hospital admission required
5 / Severe
Death or permanent disability to one or more persons

Note 1- If there are potential environment risks, then refer to the environment risk rating system

Note 2- If there are financial risk impacts, then refer to the financial risk rating system.

STEP TWO

Estimate the most probable likelihood of the above consequences occurring should an incident (which could cause harm to persons, property or the environment) occur in the event of exposure to the hazard. This likelihood ranking is to take into account the existing risk controls that you planned or have in place.

Table 2. Likelihood level

Level / Descriptor / Description
A / Almost certain / The event is expected to occur in most circumstances.
eg. common or repetitive occurrence at UNSW
B / Likely / The event will probably occur in most circumstances.
eg. known history of occurrence at UNSW
C / Possible / The event could occur at some time. eg. history of single occurrence at UNSW
D / Unlikely / The event is not likely to occur in normal circumstances.
E / Rare / The event may occur only in exceptional circumstances

STEP THREE

Estimate the overall risk using Table 3 below for each hazard that would be present during the task or process from combining the individual rankings for likelihood and consequences for each hazard that you have already calculated above. Then you will need to prioritise all the assessed risks in order of significance and focus first on those with the highest risk level in terms of determining the risk control measures and their importance in managing the risks. In the case of rating the overall risk for an incident that has occurred, you are evaluating the actual risk rather than estimating the potential risk of work which is yet to be performed.

Table 3 Overall Risk Rating

Likelihood
level / Consequences level
1(insignificant) / 2 (minor) / 3 (moderate) / 4 (major) / 5 (severe)
A (almost certain) / Medium / High / High / Very High / Very High
B (likely) / Medium / Medium / High / High / Very High
C (possible) / Low / Medium / High` / High / Very High
D (unlikely) / Low / Low / Medium / Medium / High
E (rare) / Low / Low / Medium / Medium / High

STEP FOUR

Determine what action is required as result of your overall risk rating for each hazard. There is a legal requirement to eliminate all reasonably foreseeable risks to health and safety. If they can’t be eliminated, then the hazards giving rise to the risks have to be controlled using the hierarchy of risk controls, in accordance with OHS legislation, Australian Standards and Codes of Practice. The hierarchy of risk controls follows a descending vertical order in terms of their importance and those controls higher up the scale should be chosen in preference:

Firstly:Substitute a less harmful hazard eg less harmful hazardous substance or process;

Secondly:Isolate the hazard from the person eg enclose noisy machinery or the dust source;

Thirdly:Minimise the hazard using engineering means eg guarding machinery nip points;

Fourthly:Use administrative controls eg training, standard operating procedures, job/task rotation

Finally:Use personal protective equipment and/or clothing if needed.

If the OHS risk cannot be controlled by a single measure, then a combination of measures will be required to minimise the risk to the lowest level that is reasonably practical.

Once you have completed the overall risk rating for your planned tasks, this will determine if you need to take additional action before commencing work or a monitoring role once work commences as follows:

Low risk- the work is safe and no further action is required unless additional hazards arise during the work;

Medium risk- the work is safe, but the risk control measures need monitoring to ensure the risk level does not increase during the task or process;

High risk- the risk controls need to be reviewed and additional controls added to reduce the risk to medium level. You will need to have a very well documented system of work including standard operating procedures, training, monitoring and supervision as the purpose of the risk assessment is to control the risk;

Very high- the activity should not proceed at this time due to the potential risk of a fatality and an alternative safer method of work is required before work can commence.

Note: Where you observe an uncontrolled hazard giving rise to an immediate risk of personal injury or ill health for anyone in the workplace, the supervisor of the work or student should be notified immediately, so that the current situation can be assessed and the risks controlled.

Policy Title: / UNSW OHS Risk
Rating System / Contact Officer: / Kathy Richardson
Manager OHS & Environment
Approving Authority: / UNSW OHS Policy & Strategic Planning Committee / Approval Date: / 10/03/06
Review Date: / 10/03/07 / Last Amended: / 13/03/06

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Management Document 004/2007 March 2007