A holistic approach on workplace risk assessment through methodological consideration of human characteristics

Ioannis Anyfantis

doi:10.24840/2184-0954_004.001_0006

Abstract

Workplace risk assessment is a valuable tool to identify hazards, reduce risk and improve working conditions. During the last few years, scientific research has identified the so-called emerging risks that include issues like psychosocial risks, gender, ageing etc. However, previous studies have identified that risk assessment, when conducted, rarely takes into consideration those emerging risks, even though they can significantly affect occupational safety and health. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance of including all those factors in the actual workplace risk assessment that is conducted and reviewed by enterprises of any size. The need of including “human characteristics” when conducting a risk assessment is highlighted. Workers’ participation and job crafting could adjust physical, psychological and cognitive requirements to perform the job duties, as well as boundaries. Physical differences (as body build, gender, health, capability) as well as mental differences (attitude, motivation, perception) will need to be consider carefully when establish controls for work activities. Moreover age, organizational factors and culture can strongly influence human behavior. The need for a dynamic risk assessment, continually improved while considering human characteristics is highlighted. Finally, a framework for conducting a holistic Risk Assessment is proposed identifying key issues that should be considered.

Highlights

Workplace risk assessment (RA) is considered to be a requirement for every enterprise in order to establish an effective Health Safety Management System, either mandatory or voluntary
In the European Union (EU), the Framework Directive 89/391/EEC at 1989 established a common framework for enterprises to conduct a risk assessment, that effectively transposed into National Legislation for each one of the Member States (COUNCIL DIRECTIVE of 12 June 1989 on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers at work (89/391/EEC), 1989)
In practice, a workplace RA mostly consider workplace characteristics and little attention is given on human characteristics (Stubbs, 2000)

Summary

Introduction

Workplace risk assessment (RA) is considered to be a requirement for every enterprise in order to establish an effective Health Safety Management System, either mandatory or voluntary. In the European Union (EU), the Framework Directive 89/391/EEC at 1989 established a common framework for enterprises to conduct a risk assessment, that effectively transposed into National Legislation for each one of the Member States (COUNCIL DIRECTIVE of 12 June 1989 on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers at work (89/391/EEC), 1989). The process of conducting the workplace RA, includes the assessment of the risks in which workers are exposed to at work, which can be either a quantitative or a qualitative estimate and the appropriate occupational health and safety measures that are taken or should be taken in order to reduce those risks. Body strength, prevalence of heart related diseases or the secretion of different hormones, are topics extensively studied and documented (CDC, NCHS, 2015; Jayakumar, 2012)

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Conclusion