Risk Management Strategy in Perspective of Chemical Industry

Job Title:

Analyst Name:

Date:

Task Description:

 This tank cleaning task in the chemical industry is selected for its inclusion of severe risk types, like the existence of physical hazards, exposure to chemical hazards, presence of flammable vapors, and sources of ignition (Popov, Lyon, & Hollcroft, 2016). Further, it is a non-routine task and as such performance of the same should follow a progressive written plan as well as OSHA training procedures, to assure the safety of the employees.   

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Task Steps

Hazard and Effect

Initial Risk

Risk Reduction Tactics

Residual Risk

Basic description of task steps recorded in sequence

Description and effect of existing and potential hazards based on observation and experience

Severity

Likelihood

Risk Rating

Description of  risk reduction tactics for each hazard using the Hierarchy of Controls method

Severity

Likelihood

Risk Rating

1

 Pre-task survey

Physical hazards, Chemical exposure, Oxygen deficiency, Flammable vapor (Scott, 2003)

Critical

 Likely

 16

 Substitution, Elimination, and Administrative Controls

 Marginal

 Likely

 12

2

 Pre-task safety team meeting

Monitoring and assessment of safety control to avoid the potential hazards, including PPE (Palmisano, 2016)

 Critical

Frequent

 20

 Engineering Controls, Administrative Controls, and PPE

 Marginal

Likely

12

3

Pre-task written plan

Step-by-step instructions to avoid possible sources of ignition in and around the work area, as well as create awareness of toxic dusts, sludge or scale, and oxygen levels (Palmisano, 2016)

Critical

Likely

16

Elimination, Substitution, and Engineering Controls

Marginal

Occasional

9

4

Pre-task training

 Following the guidance of OSHA apart from adopting the effective PPE for avoiding fall protection, immediate and long-term toxic effect, oxygen deficiency, and microbiological reactions (Scott, 2003)

 Critical

Occasional

12

 Administrative Controls. Engineering Controls, and PPE

 Negligible

Seldom

 4

5

Performance of the task

 Optimize employee safety on the basis of the size and complexity of jobs, including obtaining approval from the management for outside task (Palmisano, 2016)

 Critical

Seldom

8

 Elimination, Substitution, Engineering Controls, and PPE

 Marginal

Occasional

9

6

Post-task review

Review the situation frequently to improve the safety procedure during post-task period (Scott, 2003)

 Marginal

Frequent

 15

Administrative Controls

 Negligible

Seldom

4

Comment/Discussion (300-word minimum)

While assigning severity and likelihood for each hazard before and after the implementation of controls, critical nature of each stage is considered with a foremost priority. Before implementation of control pre-task survey, pre-task safety team meeting, pre-task written plan, and pre-task training are falling in the first level of importance. On the basis of their significance, severity, likelihood, and risk rating have been done (Scott, 2003). After the assessment, the task is performed according to instruction and written plan to complete the tank cleaning task with optimum safety. Hence the severity, likelihood, and risk-rating are also varied according to their risk priority. However, the risk rating of each hazard involved in the tank cleaning task can be segregated into pre- and post-implementation of controls stages to make a comparison of the two phases (Ostrowski & Keim, 2010).

During the post-implementation control phase, the task is dealing with residual risk and for that reason the severity of risk is much less than the pre - implementation of control phase. Further, risk reduction tactics are also implemented for which post-implementation stage faces less severity. While comparing the pre-task survey, pre-task safety team meeting, pre-task written plan, and pre-task training phases of post-implementation stage it can be observed that risk severity is much reduced. Similarly, the performance of the task and post-task review have also experienced marginal risk severity (Palmisano, 2016). In this context, it can be stated that after implementation of the risk reduction techniques some risks are reduced to acceptable levels while others require additional controls. Although the risk severity of the pre - task survey, pre-task safety team meeting, pre-task written plan, and performance of the task are adequately controlled, yet to reduce the risk to a negligible level additional controls require to be implemented. The additional controls may be in the form of administrative control, engineering control, elimination or substitution which either are not implemented in one phase or the other (Ostrowski & Keim, 2010). Further, the risk severity is reduced to a negligible / acceptable level in pre-task training and post-task review phases after implementation of the risk reduction tactics.

On the basis of above analyses, it can be stated that the organization, during its future course of activity, should adopt proper assessment strategies to consistently maintain its risk-taking attitude. Before commencing any hazardous activity, past experience should be analyzed to assure optimal safety for its employees. Besides, ‘Hierarchy of Controls’ should be implemented properly to reduce the risk severity.