CRSS cheat sheet

ISO 45001 and ANSI/ASSP Z10 both follow a Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle: establish policy and objectives, implement, monitor and measure, then review and improve.

ANSI/ASSP Z10 organizes the system into five sections: policy, planning, implementation and operation, evaluation and corrective action, and management review.

TRIR = (number of OSHA-recordable cases x 200,000) / total hours worked; the constant 200,000 equals 100 workers x 40 hours x 50 weeks.

DART rate uses the same formula and constant, substituting cases involving days away, restricted work, or job transfer for recordable cases.

Leading indicators (near-miss reports, training completion, inspection closure rate, audit findings closed on time) predict future outcomes; lagging indicators (TRIR, DART, severity rate) describe past outcomes.

ISO 45001 clause 5.4 requires consultation and participation of workers; clause 6.1.2 requires hazard identification to cover routine and non-routine activities plus emergency situations.

Management review occurs at planned intervals and must address status of prior actions, changes in internal and external issues, stakeholder needs, resource adequacy, and opportunities for improvement.

Documented information must be controlled for version, approval, distribution, and retention consistent with legal and regulatory requirements; obsolete documents are removed from use.

Risk = probability (likelihood) x severity (consequence). A common 5x5 matrix treats scores 1-4 as low, 5-9 as medium, 10-16 as high, and 20-25 as unacceptable.

Job hazard analysis breaks a task into sequential steps, identifies hazards per step, and assigns controls before the task is performed; it is revised when equipment, materials, or methods change.

HAZOP applies guide words (more, less, none, reverse, part of) to process parameters to find deviations from design intent; FMEA ranks failure modes by severity, occurrence, and detection.

Fault tree analysis is deductive and top-down, starting from an undesired top event and resolving contributing events through AND/OR logic gates.

Full-shift exposure: 8-hour TWA = (C1T1 + C2T2 + ... + CnTn) / 8, where C is concentration and T is time in hours at that concentration.

A PEL is an enforceable legal limit (for example, OSHA Table Z-1); a TLV is a non-enforceable health-based recommendation from ACGIH; an REL is NIOSH's recommended limit.

ALARP requires reducing risk until further reduction is grossly disproportionate to the cost and benefit, with the justification documented rather than assumed.

Management of change is a trigger for reassessment: new chemicals, equipment, processes, staffing levels, or facility modifications require hazard identification before implementation.

Hierarchy of controls, most to least effective: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, personal protective equipment; higher controls depend less on human behavior.

Energy control (lockout/tagout) sequence: notify affected employees, shut down, isolate all energy sources, apply locks and tags, release stored energy, and verify zero energy state.

PPE selection requires a documented hazard assessment, training in use and limitations, and verification of fit; PPE is the last line of defense, not a substitute for feasible engineering controls.

Local exhaust ventilation captures contaminants at the source and depends on adequate capture velocity and hood design; dilution ventilation lowers general concentration but does not protect an individual at the source.

Machine guarding under 29 CFR 1910.212 requires guards at the point of operation, and barrier guards or presence-sensing devices must prevent access to hazardous moving parts.

Fall protection triggers at 4 feet in general industry and 6 feet in construction; guardrail systems must have a top rail at 42 inches plus or minus 3 inches and a midrail.

Permit-required confined space entry requires pre-entry atmospheric testing, isolation, an attendant outside, entry authorization, and a rescue plan before entry.

Administrative controls (rotation, procedures, scheduling) reduce exposure duration but fail under high workload or turnover; their reliability should be documented in the risk assessment.

OSHA standards: 29 CFR 1910 general industry, 1926 construction, 1928 agriculture, and 1915/1917/1918 maritime.

OSH Act Section 5(a)(1), the General Duty Clause, requires a workplace free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm where no specific standard applies.

Recordkeeping: enter cases on the OSHA 300 log within 7 calendar days, post the 300A summary February 1 through April 30, and retain logs for 5 years.

Report to OSHA a work-related fatality within 8 hours and an in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye within 24 hours.

Inspection priority order: imminent danger, fatality or catastrophe, employee complaints and referrals, programmed planned inspections, then follow-up and monitoring visits.

Consensus standards such as ANSI, NFPA, and ACGIH become enforceable only when adopted by reference into a regulation or when cited under the General Duty Clause as recognized hazard evidence.

Approved state plans must be at least as effective as federal OSHA and may adopt stricter requirements; federal penalties and many standards still apply in state-plan states.

Employee rights include filing a Section 11(c) retaliation complaint within 30 days, requesting an inspection, and accessing exposure and medical records under 1910.1020.

Investigation purpose is to identify root and contributing causes and prevent recurrence, not to assign blame; disciplinary separation from the investigation preserves witness cooperation.

Distinguish the immediate cause (the unsafe act or condition at the moment) from root causes (management system failures such as inadequate training, design, or procedures).

Evidence sequence: secure the scene, photograph and sketch, retain failed parts and records, interview witnesses separately and promptly, then analyze.

Common analysis tools: 5 Whys, fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram, fault tree analysis, and barrier or change analysis; multiple causation is typical, so single-cause conclusions are suspect.

An injury is recordable if it involves death, days away, restricted work or transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, loss of consciousness, or a significant diagnosis by a physician.

Emergency action plans under 1910.38 must include reporting procedures, evacuation or shelter procedures, accounting for employees, rescue and medical duties, and names of contacts.

Emergency preparedness requires alarm systems, marked evacuation routes, assembly points, accountability methods, and scheduled drills with documented critique and corrective action.

Heinrich's 1:29:300 and Bird's 1:10:30:600 triangles illustrate that minor incidents outnumber serious ones; they are illustrative models, not predictive formulas for a specific site.

ANSI/ASSP Z490.1 criteria cover training needs assessment, design, development, delivery, evaluation, and documentation of the training program.

Kirkpatrick's four evaluation levels: reaction (satisfaction), learning (knowledge or skill gain), behavior (on-the-job application), and results (incident, compliance, or performance outcomes).

Hazard communication training is required at initial assignment and whenever a new chemical hazard is introduced; training must cover labels, safety data sheets, and location of written program.

Training effectiveness is verified by demonstration or testing, not attendance alone; materials should match worker literacy level and preferred language.

Safety culture is the shared set of values and assumptions about risk; safety climate is the measurable perception of practices at a point in time and is more responsive to intervention.

Behavior-based safety uses observation, feedback, and the antecedent-behavior-consequence model; programs fail when observations are used punitively or reported as quotas.

Near-miss reporting requires a blame-free policy, a simple reporting channel, timely feedback on actions taken, and visible follow-through by management.

Engagement increases when workers participate in writing job hazard analyses, leading inspections, and joining safety committees; participation is a leading indicator of program maturity.

Core ethical duties: hold protection of people paramount, act honestly, disclose conflicts of interest, protect confidential information, and practice only within demonstrated competence.

When a serious hazard cannot be resolved internally, the professional documents the hazard and escalation in writing and follows the chain of command before considering external reporting.

Certification conduct codes prohibit misrepresenting credentials, falsifying data, accepting undisclosed payments from equipment or service vendors, and signing work performed by others.

Worker medical information is shared on a need-to-know basis with human resources or management; exposure records are accessible to employees and their representatives under 1910.1020.

Contractor management requires prequalification review of safety performance, written programs, and training, plus site orientation, permit coordination, and oversight during work.

Contemporaneous documentation (inspections, corrections, training records, correspondence) is the primary defense in litigation and regulatory proceedings; later reconstruction carries little weight.

Stakeholders include workers, management, regulators, contractors, insurers, and the surrounding community; each requires different messaging while factual accuracy stays constant across audiences.

Ethical practice includes stating uncertainty honestly and flagging assumptions; recommendations presented as certain when evidence is limited erode credibility and create liability.