Once risk assessment has been completed, risks must be managed.
Section 30 of the HSWA says risks to health and safety should be eliminated so far as reasonably practicable and if not reasonably practicable, to minimise them.
When minimising risks use the hierarchy of control to choose the most effective control.
1 being the ‘most’ effective and 5 being the ‘least’ effective
1. Substitute the risk e.g. different process, equipment, substance
2. Isolate by separating people from the hazard, e.g. sound enclosure around noisy machine
3. Engineering controls e.g. automatic cut-off switches
4. Administrative controls such as policies and safe operating procedures
5. Personal protective equipment, such as hearing protection, steel cap boots, or respirators.
Start at the top of the list, as these are the most effective controls. The controls down the bottom of the list are the least effective.
Relevant workers and managers should be involved in discussing controls as they are the ones who will need to work with the controls. They can identify any potential negative impacts of controls and work out how to manage these.
When you have decided on a way to manage the risk, assess the risk again with controls in place. The risk score should have come down.
Ensure that hazards, risks and their controls are communicated to workers.