Hazard Identification and Safe Systems of Work
Finding hazards before they find you
Hazard identification uses workplace inspection, task analysis, incident and near-miss data, and consultation with the workforce. In quarries the recurring killers are: falls from height, entanglement in unguarded machinery, being struck by mobile plant, falls into water or excavations, and ground or face collapse. Silica dust and noise are the slow-burn hazards.
What makes a safe system of work
A safe system of work sets out the sequence of steps, the controls at each step, who is competent to do it, and what to do if conditions change. It must be communicated, understood and followed. Key elements: segregation of people and plant, defined pedestrian routes, exclusion zones, communication methods (radio, signals, banksman), and stop-work authority.
Traps in questions
- A banksman is not a substitute for segregation; it is a control where segregation is not possible.
- Stop-work authority belongs to everyone, not only supervisors.
- A method statement is only a safe system if it is understood and followed - paperwork alone is not control.
- Confined spaces (silos, hoppers, sumps) require specific assessment and, usually, permits and rescue arrangements.
Rule of thumb
If a pedestrian and a machine share space, the question is not "who has right of way" but "how do we separate them?"
Worked example
Clearing a blocked conveyor: the safe system is isolation and lock-off, proving dead, clearing the blockage with a tool, removing tools, and only then restoring power. Reaching in with the belt still able to start is the classic fatal error.