Some ‘work’ is inherently hazardous, and some people are prepared to accept a higher level of risk than others. So, who decides whether the work to be performed involves an ‘elevated risk’.
The first step of completing a WPTW is to identify whether a Permit is required, and part of this involves conducting a risk assessment on each aspect of the proposed activity. As the person responsible for authorising all work on site, the need for a Permit relies upon the Wellsite Permit Authority (WPA) and their perception of the risk, whether they consider it to be Low, Moderate or High.
A risk assessment is based on a subjective judgement that a person makes about the characteristics and severity of a risk. Risk perception is important in the communication process because it determines which hazards people are concerned about and how they deal with them. To the average person, the definition of risk is ‘the probability of something bad happening’ and risk communication does not always account for how an individual defines ‘something bad.’
But ‘risk’ in the field of Risk Management is defined as ‘the effect of uncertainty on objectives’, and the reason we use ‘controls’ is to reduce the level of that uncertainty to ensure we achieve the desired objective. Good risk management involves eliminating (or minimising) ‘uncertainty’ so we can be confident that we are going to get a particular outcome.
Some people might consider a particular activity to be a lower risk than others. Sometimes this can be related to confidence (or over-confidence), or to the level of competence or skill the person has to achieve the desired outcome. Risk perception factors are dynamic over time. New risks can become familiar, and skills and techniques can be developed to control those risks to a lower level. But the challenge can be that a more familiar risk can be down-played because of that familiarity, or a less confident person may not have the same skills or awareness to effectively perform the task.
As the person authorising the work, and the controls required to perform it effectively, the WPA must assess all aspects of an activity, as well as the skills and experience of the people doing the work. They will decide how confident they are that the outcome can be achieved safely and effectively, and if there is any uncertainty about achieving the required objective they will introduce controls to eliminate (or minimise) that uncertainty.
However, research from the past several decades makes it clear that when it comes to making decisions about health and safety we don’t always identify the most pressing threats and there is the possibility of a ‘risk perception gap’ where some risks can be overlooked.
The WPTW System is clear that the WPA is responsible for ‘establishing a safe working environment’ for the Work Party. This includes the identification and assessment of all risks associated with the activity being authorised, and it’s important that this assessment is as thorough and objective as possible.
So how can we ensure that the risk assessment is realistic?
- Gather as much information about the activity and each hazard and risk as possible
- Obtain advice from a technical expert, if necessary
- Physically inspect the area and equipment being worked on
- Ask for opinions from other personnel (i.e. their subjective judgement)
- Risk assess the activity on your company’s risk assessment form
- Consider factors such as the skills and experience of the Work Party, and the nature of the work environment, and how these might impact the risk
More information
For more information about risk assessment contact our support centre on 1800 078 939, or email [email protected].