Easy to use pads can reduce at risk behaviours

Safe Machine, the machinery safety consultancy, has launched a set of easy-to-use pre-work risk assessment pads that assist those conducting an on-site pre-work risk assessment to document the procedure adequately and assess the wide range of risks thoroughly.

Commenting on the launch of the pads Derek Coulson, principal consultant for Safe Machine said; “These pads are bespoke to Safe Machine but they take their list of hazards from the HSE. They are suitable for use by anyone doing something for the first time, for example, service engineers going to sites they have never been to or maintenance people doing jobs they haven’t done before. They are for use with a method statement and risk assessment, and are intended to make people think about what they are going to do, on-site, before starting work, to make sure they have all of the correct equipment in place and have considered the hazards before jumping in.”

In 2003 Conoco Philips carried out a study that showed one fatality occurred for every 300,000 ‘at risk behaviours’. Workers in the engineering, manufacturing and processing industries in the UK often demonstrate an unacceptable number of ‘at risk behaviours’ simply because they do not have an understanding of how to conduct a proper risk assessment or because they feel under too much time pressure to conduct one. Safe Machine’s pre-work risk assessment note pads are a supremely simple tool that focus the mind of the person doing the job so they can quickly, but thoroughly, ensure that the work they are about to undertake is safe.

“With a paper form workers can assess their risk using a simple scoring system that asks them to document the likelihood and consequence of an injury”, said Derek Coulson, “if the score is in the red or yellow sector then a control measure must be put in place before carrying out the task. Only when the risks are understood, and controlled, should the task be undertaken.”

Pads come in A4 and A6 sizes, for pocket storage, and can be modified for individual companies with logos and hazard lists if required.