Hazard assessment

A first critical step in developing a comprehensive safety and health program is to identify physical and health hazards in the workplace. This process is known as a hazard assessment. Potential hazards may be physical or health-related, and a comprehensive hazard assessment should identify hazards in both categories. Examples of physical hazards include moving objects, fluctuating temperatures, high-intensity lighting, rolling or pinching objects, electrical connections, and sharp edges. Examples of health hazards include overexposure to harmful dusts, chemicals, or radiation.

There are a number of different ways to recognize hazards on the job site. Some techniques are more complicated than others. Some use methods like job safety analysis (JSA), where each step or part of a task is analyzed for potential hazards. Another approach when doing common or re-occurring tasks is to have workers perform a Task Safety Analysis (TSA), where the worker fills out a pre-printed checklist.