Description of Workplace and Its Activities:
It is a certain thing that risk assessment is a very important thing. That is because without performing risk assessment for all the potential risks, the workplace would be in danger. Risk assessment depends on the description of workplaces and its features. All the entrances, exits, stairs, place of fire hoses and all the places in which people perform their jobs and usually sit. Performing a professional risk assessment would not be performed without realizing all the workplace activities. The activities of the works in any place would help in expecting the potential risks that would occur in the place. For example, in factories of clothes have a big potentiality of fires because there are many materials that would cause fires such as cotton and wool. On the other hands, factories of petrochemicals have a bigger potential of fires in addition to a potential of explosions.
Principles of Risk Assessment (Definitions & Benefits):
Risk assessment could be defined as the process of identifying, evaluating, and estimating the risks levels, which are involved in any dangerous situation. Risk assessment also includes comparing all the risks levels and their standards in addition to determining the accepted levels of risks. There are five principles of risk assessment. The first principle is identifying all the existing or potential hazards. The second principle of risk assessment is identifying the persons who would be harmed from the hazards in addition to the expected losses. The third principle is evaluating all the risks and demonstrating all the measures of control. The fourth principle of risk assessment is recording the findings and finding the best and the most effective way of implementing these findings. The last principle of risk assessment is reviewing the performed assessment and making some updates in case of need (Burgon, 2013).
Benefits of Making Risk Assessment in Workplaces:
There are many benefits of identifying risks. First, identifying risks would help in taking all the proper measures before risks in order to avoid them. This would be through expectations of risks and taking precautionary measures before risks to minimize their harms and damages. Second, identifying risks would help in achieving an effective handling of risks. A good expectation of risks would lead an accurate and professional action during the time of risks. Third, identifying risks would raise the efficiency of people in the places of risks. This would be through training individuals on the best ways of dealing with risks. Thus, persons' efficiency and professionalism would be increased and this shall help the organization of handling any risk because the matter of handling any risk basically depends on the human element. Fourth, identifying risks shall raise the awareness regarding the methods of controlling any hazard in the place of work. Fifth, identifying risks would increase the employees' awareness regarding the potential risks. Sixth, identifying risks will help the officers of risk management and decision makers to put all the necessary standards of managing risks. Finally, identifying risks would reduce the number of accidents in the place of work and thus the costs of risks would be decreased (Weekes, 2011).
Reasons for Carrying A Risk Assessment:
There are moral, social and economic reasons for performing risk assessment. The first type of reasons is ethical and moral. When a company or an organization perform risk assessment, it would help in saving the lives of its workers and employees. This is a very ethical thing to save the life of a human. The second kind of reasons is social, meaning that it is related to the community. Reducing the accidents would save the community from all the hazardous accidents that would harm the community. Reducing incidents would not be performed without carrying specialized risk assessments from time to time. The third kind of reasons is environmental. Performing risk assessment would lead to the decrease of fires and explosions in an activity like petrol stations because there are many petrol stations all over the country. This would save the environment from harms and damages. All birds, trees, animals and fishes find a safe haven in any place with low number of accidents and hazards.
Qualitative and Quantitative Methods of Risk Assessment:
Qualitative analysis is meant by identifying all risks and their processes. In this type of analysis, risks are not analyzed mathematically to discover the distribution and probability more than the inputs. In the qualitative analysis, the individual or private risks are listed numerically. The qualitative analyses should be applied to all projects that are related to petrol and gas. On the other hand, quantitative analysis is meant by identifying the risks, which were marked by the qualitative analysis. That is to say studying all the risks that are having a big effect on the objectives of the project. In this type, the distribution of impact and probability are used and analyzed. The predicts of the quantitative analysis depend on risks effects in regard to time or money. The quantitative analyses may be applied and may not (Bansal, 2014).
Ability to Plan Risk Assessment:
The ability to plan risk assessment depends on many factors. The first factor is the existence of specialists who would do good plans for risk assessment. This is the first core issue of planning for a risk. The second factor is having a budget for planning for risks assessment such as setting all the fire extinguishing fixtures in a petrol station in addition to the training to the workers. This money would be spent on buying the essential tools and equipment in addition to making the necessary fixtures. The third factor is studying the place well in order to assess the potential risks properly. The last thing that raises the ability of risk assessment is the personal skills that are enhanced through training and role-plays of risks (Stanleigh, 2017).
Analysis of Workplace and Workplace Activity:
The analysis of workplace and workplace activities is very essential in order to assess the potential risks in a perfect and professional way. Studying all the places of the workplace and the usage of each place would lead to a good risk assessment. In additions, knowing the type of the activity plays a role in the matter. For example, the activities that include the manufacturing of papers, napkins, and cotton products are more potential to have fires. Similarly, the activities that depend on oil and petrol need a special caring and stricter safety procedures because these activities depend on flammable materials and substances that have a bigger risk on the human life.
Selection of Control Measures:
Selection of the control measures is a basic step in any risk assessment. The control measure would be defined as the taken action which would be performed to minimize the effects of the risk or to prevent risks from happening. There are many control measures and the measures which are used in a place such as a petrol station and could not be applied to other places. However, there are some control measures that could be applied in all places. These measures are like calling for the help of police and ambulances. Second, the existence of a medical team in order to relief the injured. Third, checking that all the fire extinguishing equipment are working well through the periodic maintenance. Fourthly, checking all the entrances, exits and emergency exits and making sure that there are no obstacles in the pathways. In the petrochemical factories, for example, control measures would be using foams and powders for fire extinguishing. On the other hand, on other factories, the control measures would mainly depend on water for control risks such as fires (Kuhl and Brück, n.d.).
Completion of Assessment:
After checking all the control measures, the stage of assessment completion starts. In this stage, all the safety measures are ensured in a petrol station. Moreover, all the potential risks are studied well in order to find the best and most effective ways to prevent fires or explosions from happening. The completion of the assessment should be performed through specialists who would be responsible for the final results. Moreover, this check is not final as it should be periodic in order to discover any shortages or defects in the risk assessment process or risk control plans. In fact, the completion of the assessment is the most important stage as it is the stage upon which all the risk control measures are built. It is the last stage before the occurrence of any risk, thus it has a big significance.
Perception of Potential Problems:
The perception of potential problems in a petrol station depends on many factors. The first factor is the skills that the specialist has which would enable him of discovering any potential problem before its occurrence. Second, the good study of the present facts. This shall help in expecting the future events in a scientific way. Studying the present effectively leads to managing the future easily. The third thing which takes part in the perception of the potential problems is studying the similar places which had problems in the past. For example, studying the problems which happened to petrol stations in the past helps in a good perception of potential problems to other petrol stations. The last thing is enhancing the problem-solving skills at the risk assessment team, besides promoting the critical thinking. All these matters are good steps in order to perform a good perception of potential problems (Crane, 2005).
