General principles of prevention and control

• Pages: 11-20

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3. General principles of prevention and control

3.1. Assessment of hazards and risks and prevention

and control measures

3.1.1. Employers should make periodic assessments of the hazards and risks to

safety and health from hazardous ambient factors at each permanent or temporary

workplace and implement the control measures required to prevent those hazards and

risks, or to reduce them to the lowest reasonable and practicable level. If a new source of

hazard is introduced, the assessment should be made before workers are exposed to the

hazard. The assessment should gather information on the hazardous ambient factors

present at the workplace, the degree of exposure and risk, appropriate control measures,

health surveillance, and training and information. The assessment should be reviewed

whenever there is a reason for it (see section 3.2). Later chapters of this code give

guidance on how these principles should be applied to particular hazards.

3.1.2. The assessment should be carried out in consultation with workers and/or

their representatives by the employers or by persons acting on their behalf who are

competent and have the necessary information, instruction and training. Where the

outcome of the assessment indicates a potential injury or risk to safety and health, the

results of the assessment should be recorded and made available for inspection by the

competent authority, and to workers exposed to the hazardous ambient factors and the

workers’ representatives. The record of the assessment should be retained for a period of

time as may be specified by the competent authority.

3.1.3. The first stage of the assessment should include inspection of the

workplace in order to identify:

(a) what hazardous ambient factors are present or likely to occur, including hazardous

substances, ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, hazardous optical radiation, electric

or magnetic fields, noise and vibration, and extremes of temperature and humidity,

including the work organization;

(b) what activities are likely to expose workers and others to the hazardous ambient

factors identified, including maintenance, cleaning and emergency procedures.

3.1.4. The second stage of the assessment should consist of the collection of

information about the hazardous ambient factors present or likely to occur in order to

determine the magnitude and significance for safety and health of any hazard or risk

which may occur including the relevance of work organization, and the practicability of

various methods of control. The information should include that provided by suppliers

(see paragraph 2.4.1 above) and other information in the public sphere. Determining the

magnitude of the hazard or risk should include determining the exposure of the workers

to the factors, unless other information is adequate for quantification of the risk. The

exposure levels should be compared with those exposure limits or standards prescribed

by the competent authority. Where there are no such limits or standards, other national

or internationally recognized standards should be used for comparison. In either case,