Identify the Hazard

Being specific, which we should always be, you have to think about the process and the risks that come with that process.

e.g. Electrical work comes into contact with live electricity supply, and that does not interact well with humans. It burns skin, causes hearts to stop, and can and does regularly kill people

Assess the uncontrolled risk

What will coming into contact with Electricity do to you?

Death, Burning, Fire and Explosions.

Apply and list the control measures

Controls in this case would be to switch off the electricity supply, but that’s not often an available option. So Electricians, trained and competent, have been taught to “Isolate the Circuit”. This switches off the power to the cable run that feeds the items you are working on, making it safe. But what if someone, unrelated to the work, wants to use another part of that feed and investigates why the power is off in their part of the property? They will activate the circuit, and you will be electrocuted! So, we have to protect from that with another Control Measure, a Lock out-Tag out kit, which doesn’t allow the circuit to be re-energised.

Re-assess the risk

When we add Insulated Tools, Signage, Barriers and Qualifications to the Assessment, we have “Suitable and Sufficient” Controls. So now you can re-score the risks, keeping in mind all the controls we have now. If the uncontrolled score is 5, now with suitable controls, it can be scored 1. It is now “unlikely” that you will come into contact with the electricity supply. Whereas, without controls, that score is definitely 5, you WILL come into contact with electricity.

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