HRA Awareness

Definition of Health Risk Assessment

Health Risk Assessment (HRA) is a process of identifying, evaluating,

controlling and managing health risks associated with work to prevent acute

and chronic health effects.

Objectives of Health Risk Assessment

In other words:

Make sure that exposures to health risks are adequately controlled:

1. Identify relevant health hazards for the workplace

2. Review existing control and recovery measures

3. Ensure that legal and Company requirements are met

4. Ensure that exposures are reduced to As Low As Reasonably Practicable

HRA provides documented demonstration of ALARP for health hazards.

The overall objective is to manage the risk of harm to people by identifying and assessing health risks and by implementing control and recovery measures.

Benefits of Health Risk Assessment

• Protect the health of staff and contractors; pursue the goal of ‘No harm to people’

• Prevent health incidents and occupational illnesses, such as:

• Overexposure to noise and chemicals

• Food poisoning

• Noise induced hearing loss

And HRA also:

• Provides a systematic approach to identification and assessment of health hazards

• Focuses on control of health hazards

• Provides specific recommendations

Scope of Health Risk Assessment

1. All health hazards associated with work

• Biological health hazards

• Chemical health hazards

• Physical health hazards

• Ergonomic health hazards

• Psychological health hazards

2. All activities under operational control carried out by employees and contractors

• Existing operations

• Maintenance and turnaround activities

• New projects

• Acquisition, closure, divestment and abandonment of facilities

HSSE Management System

Leadership and Commitment

Policy and Strategic Obj.

Management Review

Corrective Action &Improvement

Assurance : Audit

Org., Resp., Resources Standards. & Doc.

Corrective Action &Improvement

Monitoring

Planning & Procedures

Hazard and Effects Management

Implementation/ Operation

CorrectiveAction

PDO has a systematic approach to HSSE management designed to ensure

compliance with the law and to achieve continuous performance

improvement. This HSSE management system requires the above elements

arranged to provide different feedback loops to achieve continuous

improvement in performance.

Managing Risk

HEMP

Leadership and Commitment

Policy and Strategic Obj.

Management Review

Corrective Action &Improvement

Audit

Org., Resp., Resources Standards. & Doc.

Corrective Action &

Improvement

Monitoring

Planning & Procedures

Hazard and Effects Management

Implementation

CorrectiveAction

HSSE Management SystemHazard and Effects Management Process

Health Risk Assessment

IDENTIFY ASSESS

CONTROL RECOVER

HEMP

Health Risk Assessment Accountabilities

Line Manager

Initiate HRA

Perform & Sign-

off

HRA

Implement

Remedial

Actions

HRA Competent Person

An individual assessed at the Skill Level in HRA, and approved by PDO Occupational Health to lead or update HRAs.

Managing Risk

Step 1: IDENTIFY

HEMP

ASSESS

CONTROL RECOVER

HEMP

IDENTIFY

In the IDENTIFY step, health hazards and their potential effects are

identified.

Health Hazards

1. Physical

2. Chemical

3. Biological

4. Ergonomic

5. Psychological

A health hazard has the potential to cause harm to health.

There are five categories of hazards addressed in the Health Risk Assessment Process.

The HRA includes both acute and chronic health effects.

An acute health effect occurs immediately or in a short time (seconds to hours)

following exposure, such as heat stroke, chemical burns and asphyxiation.

A chronic health effect occurs gradually over a long period of time (months or years),

generally following repeated and prolonged exposure. Examples are noise induced

hearing loss, asbestosis and blood cancer.

HEMP

ASSESS

CONTROL RECOVER

HEMP

IDENTIFY

Physical Health Hazards

Physical health hazards are hazards due to a physical agent (energy), such as noise and vibration, ionising and non-ionising radiation, extreme temperatures and pressures.

Examples include:

• Noise from compressors and air fans

• Hand-arm vibration from powered tools

• Whole-body vibration while operating moving machinery

• Ionising radiation from radiation sources (level gauges; non-destructive testing)

• Heat stress or cold stress from working in extreme climates

• Hyperbaric or hipobaric pressure

HEMP

ASSESS

CONTROL RECOVER

HEMP

IDENTIFY

Chemical Health Hazards

Chemical health hazards are hazards due to a chemical agent which produces an inhalation risk, such as dusts, mists, gases, vapors and fumes, or a dermal risk, such as liquids and solids.

Examples include:

• Crude oil

• Condensate

• Catalyst

• Cleaning agent

HEMP

ASSESS

CONTROL RECOVER

HEMP

IDENTIFY

Biological Health Hazards

Biological health hazards are hazards due to, or carried by, a biological agent (nature, living organism) such as insects and mites, moulds, yeasts, fungi, bacteria and viruses.

Examples in the workplace include:

• Food poisoning

• Malaria

• Legionella

• Poisoning animals

HEMP

ASSESS

CONTROL RECOVER

HEMP

IDENTIFY

Ergonomic Health Hazards

Ergonomic health hazards are hazards due to the interaction betweenhuman tasks, equipment and the environment. It is typically associated withmanual handling, sustained repetitive movements of the upper limbs, andsustained or extreme postures where tasks require application offorce. Ergonomic health hazards also include lighting where it is unsuitablefor the task.

HEMP

ASSESS

CONTROL RECOVER

HEMP

IDENTIFY

Examples include:

• Manual lifting of equipment

• Repetitive movements

• Non-optimal postures (mechanical posture for example for valve operation)

Psychological Health Hazards

Psychological health hazards are shortcomings of work design, organization or management which, depending on the social and environmental context, may impact on a person’s sense of stress. Stress is the adverse reaction that people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed upon them.

Examples include

• Heavy workload

• Conflicting or uncertain job expectations

• Frequent change

• Lack of participation in decision making

• Poor communication

HEMP

ASSESS

CONTROL RECOVER

HEMP

IDENTIFY

HEMPCONTROL RECOVER

IDENTIFY

HEMP

ASSESS

The ASSESS step is performed using the Risk Assessment Matrix

(RAM). This step serves to determine for which health risks a detailed

assessment is required.

Managing Risk

Step 2: ASSESS

Risk Assessment Matrix

Moderate

impact

Moderate

effect

Moderate

damage

Major injury

or health

effect3

Major

impact

Major

effect

Major

damage

PTD or up

to 3

fatalities4

No

impact

No effectNo

damage

No injury or

health

effect0

EDCBA

Massive

impact

Massive

effect

Massive

damage

More than

3 fatalities5

Minor

impact

Minor

effect

Minor

damage

Minor injury

or health

effect2

Slight

impact

Slight

effect

Slight

damage

Slight injury

or health

effect1

Has

happened

more than

once per

year at the

Location

Has

happened at

the Location

or more than

once per

year in the

Organisation

Has

happened in

the

Organisation

or more than

once per

year in the

Industry

Heard of in

the Industry

Never

heard of in

the Industry

INCREASING LIKELIHOODCONSEQUENCES

Moderate

impact

Moderate

effect

Moderate

damage

Major injury

or health

effect3

Major

impact

Major

effect

Major

damage

PTD or up

to 3

fatalities4

No

impact

No effectNo

damage

No injury or

health

effect0

EDCBA

Massive

impact

Massive

effect

Massive

damage

More than

3 fatalities5

Minor

impact

Minor

effect

Minor

damage

Minor injury

or health

effect2

Slight

impact

Slight

effect

Slight

damage

Slight injury

or health

effect1

Has

happened

more than

once per

year at the

Location

Has

happened at

the Location

or more than

once per

year in the

Organisation

Has

happened in

the

Organisation

or more than

once per

year in the

Industry

Heard of in

the Industry

Never

heard of in

the Industry

Pe

op

le

SE

VE

RIT

Y

As

se

ts

En

vir

on

me

nt

Re

pu

tati

on

HEMPCONTROL RECOVER

IDENTIFY

HEMP

ASSESS

HEMPRECOVER

IDENTIFY ASSESS

HEMP

CONTROL

The CONTROL step reviews the conditions at the workplace:

The way people can be exposed to the health hazards, frequency and duration of

exposure, the controls currently in place and how effective these controls are.

Managing Risk

Step 3: CONTROL

Identify Exposure Scenarios

Contact with a hazard is called exposure.

Examples of exposure are:

• Inhalation of fumes when welding

• Skin contact with cleaning chemicals

• Exposure to noise in pump room

• Exposure to dust when taking off contaminated work clothing

Exposure is a combination of:

• Magnitude (how much)

• Frequency (how often)

• Duration (how long)

HEMPRECOVER

IDENTIFY ASSESS

HEMP

CONTROL

Exposure and Health Risk

A health risk is the likelihood that a health hazard will cause harm to an exposed individual.

Hazard in isolation ≠ Health risk

Health risk = Hazard x Exposure

A hazard needs to come into contact with a person to constitute a health risk.

HEMPRECOVER

IDENTIFY ASSESS

HEMP

CONTROL

Identify Existing Controls

• Engineering controls

Plant and equipment; hardware items

• Procedural controls

Training requirements

Work instructions

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

HEMPRECOVER

IDENTIFY ASSESS

HEMP

CONTROL

The next step after identifying exposure scenarios, is to determine

which risk management controls have been put in place at the

workplace. There are different types of existing controls:

HEMP

IDENTIFY ASSESS

CONTROL

HEMP

RECOVER

In the RECOVER step, it is identified what can be done to regain control of

the situation if controls fail.

Managing Risk

Step 4: RECOVER

Identify Existing Recovery Measures

Recovery measures are required to mitigate the health effects shouldexposure control measures fail, and to prevent the escalation of healthrisks.

Examples of recovery measures include:

• Emergency respirators

• Emergency showers & eye wash

• First aiders and First aid materials

• Decontamination of workplace

• Local medical facilities

HEMP

IDENTIFY ASSESS

CONTROL

HEMP

RECOVER

As Low as Reasonably Practicable

(ALARP)

The control and recovery measures should reduce risks to a level whichis As Low As Reasonably Practicable.

In the first place, the risk should meet tolerability criteria and existingcontrol and recovery measures need to meet legal and Companyrequirements.

If the above can be confirmed, then the next question is whether additionalcontrol or recovery measures can be put in place to obtain further riskreduction and if yes, to decide on the practicality of these options forimprovement.

ALARP is not a scientific formula – it is a judgment where options forimprovement are considered and accepted or rejected. Rejection can takeplace if further risk reduction is impracticable or the costs are grosslydisproportionate to the improvements gained.

HEMP

IDENTIFY ASSESS

HEMP

RECOVERCONTROL

As Low as Reasonably Practicable

(ALARP)

The ALARP concept is displayed below:

HEMP

IDENTIFY ASSESS

HEMP

RECOVERCONTROL

Hierarchy of Control

A Hierarchy of Control should be used to reduce risks to ALARP.

The different types of control in preferential order are:

HEMPRECOVER

IDENTIFY ASSESS

HEMP

CONTROL

Elimination

Substitution (alternatives)

Engineering (plant and equipment)

Procedural

Personal protective equipment

Elimination of the hazard is always the preferred control. When this is not

possible, a control at a lower level in the hierarchy can be considered. This

process is repeated until the proper control (or combination of controls) is

selected for each health risk.

HRA Report & Remedial Action Plan

The HRA report is generated by the HRA Competent Person.

The Line Manager reviews the recommendations from the HRA report withthe HRA Competent Person to agree a Remedial Action Plan. For eachaction, this plan should list a responsible person and target date.

The Line Manager then:

• Implements the Remedial Action Plan to completion

• Maintains the controls and recovery measures specified in the HRA

• Arranges exposure monitoring and medical surveillance wherenecessary

HRA Report & Remedial Action

Plan

Routine Exposure Monitoring

Medical Surveillance Programs

Routine Exposure Monitoring

HRA Report & Remedial Action

Plan

Routine Exposure Monitoring

Medical Surveillance Programs

Based on the outcomes of the HRA as well as legal requirements,

measurements may need to be repeated on a periodic basis and a

routine exposure monitoring program is set up.

These measurements can serve different purposes:

• Confirm compliance with Company or

national exposure limits

• Verify exposure measurement results

previously obtained

• Confirm the continuing effectiveness of

control measures and give early warning of

changes in patterns of exposure

The monitoring program must be designed by a HRA Competent Person.

Medical Surveillance Programmes

Medical surveillance is a periodic assessment of an employee’s exposureand/or health condition, in order to detect adverse effects and prevent anillness from developing.

Medical surveillance is carried out for specific occupational health risks suchas:

• Noise

• Benzene

• Lead

• Cr VI, PAHs, Mercury

Medical surveillance methods include: audiometry, urine/blood analyses,questionnaires and focused physical examinations.

The HRA identifies which Medical Surveillance Programme is required.

HRA Report & Remedial Action

Plan

Routine Exposure Monitoring

Medical Surveillance Programs

Accountabilities and Responsibilities for HRA

1. Have the HRA process carried out, covering all Locations or Activities

2. Review the HRA recommendations with the HRA Competent Person and agree a Remedial Action Plan

3. Communicate relevant HRA risks and controls to impacted staff

4. Review the HRA when changes to operations or organisations are proposed as described in the Management of Change manual section of the CMF

1. Lead the HRA process

2. Update existing HRAs with new hazard information

Accountable: Line Manager

Responsible: HRA Competent Person