Posted By Mike Charleston
Hi Steve

Hazard identification and risk assessment are different stages of the same process that often get merged in less risky (or low profile) circumstances.

An assessment can't be done without first identifying all of the hazards that the work COULD involve, then going on to assess who might be affected, the potential severity and the likelihood that hazards are actually realised in each case.

As for cost-effective methods of hazard identification, that is as long as it is broad!! Hazards have to be identified, so the more contributions from a variety of sources that are received into the process, the more confident one can be that all possible hazards have been taken into account. On the one hand, an approach that calls on a "cast of thousands" might be overkill for a given task in given circumstances - but it may not be if the assessment relates to an activity that has the potential to harm many people if it is operated wrongly.

All too often in less risky circumstances, the entire assessment activity is interpreted as needing one person (the assessor), who uses his past experience and training alone. In more risky and/or higher profile circumstances, this is quite rightly expanded into a small group of involved people from different disciplines and experiences. They jointly brainstorm all of the possibilities, regardless of any thoughts about how far-fetched or infrequent they might be. Once done, scoring can be used to assess the possibilities (but that takes us on to the assessment process, and scoring need not be the only way forward).

So .... cost effective hazard identification can mean one assessor for half an hour in one case; can mean a team of 4-6 people for half a day (or even longer) in another case.

Hope I have helped rather than confuse - do e-mail me if you would like to discuss this in any greater detail. Click on my name at the top of this message to activate a message to me (or hover your mouse over my name to see the e-mail address at bottom left of your screen).

Mike