Risk Management Implementation for Smart Facilities Management

The Nature and Causes of Workplace Accidents

  • Accidents in the workplace are not inevitable but are often the result of specific systemic and individual failures. A notable example is the workplace accident that occurred on 27 June 2024.
  • Fundamental reasons why accidents occur include:
    • Lax in Penalty: Refers to a failure in the enforcement of consequences for safety violations.
    • Lax of Individual: Focuses on the personal failures of workers, including negligence or lack of focus.
    • Lax of Control: Relates to managerial or organizational failures to maintain safety standards and oversight.

Common Types and Causes of Workplace Incidents

  • Major categories of accidents occurring in workplace environments include:
    • Slips, trips, or falls.
    • Falling objects impacting workers.
    • Being caught in or struck by moving objects and machinery.
    • Fire or explosion incidents.
    • Overexertion during physical labor.
    • Repetitive work-related stress injuries.
    • Exposure to or contact with hazardous materials.
    • Transportation-related incidents.
  • Primary human and operational causes identified for these accidents include:
    • Ignoring established safety procedures.
    • Mental distraction while performing tasks.
    • Taking shortcuts to complete work faster.
    • Being overconfident in one's abilities or the safety of the environment.
    • Making wrong decisions under pressure or due to lack of knowledge.
    • Performing work with instructions that are unclear or incomplete.
    • Malfunction or total failure of critical equipment and machinery.
    • Deficient maintenance of tools and facilities.
    • Poor housekeeping practices leading to cluttered or unsafe workspaces.
    • A hazardous environment that has not been mitigated.

Strategies for Accident Prevention

  • While workplace accidents can happen, they can be drastically reduced or eliminated through several proactive measures:
    • Adherence to relevant safety legislations.
    • Development and implementation of a suitable company Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Policy.
    • Provision of adequate financial and human resources to manage safety.
    • Ensuring the full commitment of all stakeholders.
    • Executing regular monitoring of both safe work practices and physical workplace conditions.

Foundations of Risk Management

  • Risk Management is defined as the systematic process of identifying, evaluating, and controlling risks within the workplace.
  • Key objectives of Risk Management include:
    • Fostering a culture focused on accident prevention.
    • Requiring regular risk assessments to pinpoint the exact sources of risk.
    • Taking specific steps to either eliminate or minimize those identified risks.
  • The Risk Management process follows 4 specific key steps:
    1. Risk Management Preparation.
    2. Risk Assessment of Works.
    3. Risk Management Implementation.
    4. Keeping Risk Management Records.

Key Step 1: Risk Management Preparation

  • Formation of Risk Management (RM) Team:
    • The RM Team is the primary body responsible for managing all Risk Management activities.
    • The team is appointed by the Employer and members must possess knowledge of the works they are assessing.
    • The RM Team Leader must be competent in risk assessment and is required to have attended an RM Course conducted by a Ministry of Manpower (MOM) Approved Training Provider.
    • Team members are drawn from various levels, including management, process/facility staff, supervisory staff, production/maintenance staff, and WSH staff.
  • Role of Risk Assessment (RA) Team:
    • Select members of the RM Team are assigned to the RA Team.
    • Their specific role is to conduct the actual Risk Assessments in designated workplace areas.
    • The RM Team defines these areas by clustering departments, functional areas, or specific work activities into manageable sizes.

Accessing Workplace Information for Risk Assessment

  • To perform their duties effectively, the RA Team must be granted authority to access essential workplace information, which includes:
    • The physical layout of the workplace.
    • Process or work flowcharts.
    • Detailed descriptions of work activities within organizational processes.
    • Inventories of chemicals, machinery, and tools used.
    • Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for all hazardous substances.
    • Historical records of past accidents and incidents.
    • Reports from previous workplace safety inspections.
    • Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Audit Reports.
    • Previous Risk Assessment Records.

Key Step 2: Risk Assessment of Works

  • The risk assessment process begins with Identifying Hazards. The RA Team uses gathered information to identify every form of hazard and risk present in the workplace to determine if the environment is safe.
  • Risk Evaluation follows hazard identification, where the team estimates the risk level of each hazard.
  • Evaluating risk requires predicting two components:
    • Severity: The potential consequences if an accident were to occur.
    • Likelihood: The probability of an accident occurring, which depends on existing controls.
  • The Risk Matrix is the standard tool for evaluation, often utilizing either a 3×33 \times 3 or a 5×55 \times 5 grid.

The Process of Risk Evaluation

  • Likelihood Assessment: Team members rate the likelihood of injury on a scale from Level 11 to Level 55.
  • Severity Assessment: Team members rate the potential severity of injury outcomes on a similar scale.
  • Determining Risk Level (Risk Prioritization Number - RPN):
    • The Risk Level is calculated using the formula: Risk Level=Severity×LikelihoodRisk\ Level = Severity \times Likelihood.
    • Example: If Severity is classified as "Major" (rated as 44) and Likelihood is "Occasional" (rated as 33), then the Risk Level is calculated as: 4×3=124 \times 3 = 12. Based on the matrix, this falls within the yellow zone.
  • Action for Risk Level: The RA Team, with concurrence from the employer, classifies results into three zones:
    • Low: Green zone.
    • Medium: Yellow zone.
    • High: Pink zone.
  • The formal Risk Assessment Form documents the hazard identification, risk evaluation (including SL and RPN), and proposed risk controls, including details such as department, process, activity, and signatures of the RA leader and members.

The Hierarchy of Risk Control

  • Control measures must be selected to reduce risk at the source. Additional controls are mandatory when risks are rated as "medium" or "high."
  • The Hierarchy of Control prioritizes methods from most effective to least effective:
    1. Elimination: Removing worker exposure to the hazard entirely. This is the first priority. An example is using industrial robots to perform dangerous work, ensuring the risk never reappears.
    2. Substitution: Replacing a process, machine, or product with a less hazardous version. An example is substituting a breakable water glass container with a plastic container to mitigate the risk of injury from broken glass.
    3. Engineering Controls: Implementing structural changes to the environment to interrupt the path between the worker and the hazard. An example is installing safety machine guarding on machinery.
    4. Administrative Controls: Reducing exposure through safety procedures, instructions, or signage. Workplace safety signs and warning labels are critical administrative tools for communicating hazard information.
    5. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Providing protective gear for the worker. This is the last option and should be treated as a short-term contingency. An example is wearing safety glasses while operating a drilling machine to protect the eyes.

Key Step 3: Risk Management Implementation

  • Implementation of Risk Control Measures:
    • The RM Team must seek formal agreement from the employer, self-employed persons, and principals (including contractors and sub-contractors).
    • Control measures must be implemented according to a specific timeline with clearly assigned responsible persons.
  • Communication with Stakeholders:
    • A two-way communication channel must be established between management and employees.
    • Persons-in-charge must inform all workers exposed to risks about the specific hazards involved, actions taken to control those risks, and the appropriate Safe Work Procedures (SWP).

Communication with Stakeholders and Feedback Mechanisms

  • Employees are encouraged to provide feedback on WSH issues to their management or supervisors.
  • Specific channels for this communication include:
    • Internal emails.
    • WSH Induction Training Sessions.
    • Safety Meetings.
    • Risk Assessment Meetings.
    • Staff Feedback Sessions.

Key Step 4: Keeping Risk Management Records

  • Proper record keeping is mandatory for accountability and continuous improvement.
  • The RM Team must document and maintain:
    • The methods used during the risk management process.
    • Data sources and analyses.
    • Findings recorded in risk assessment forms.
    • Records of risk control measures recommended and implemented.
    • Current and appropriate Safe Work Procedures (SWP).
  • Retention Period: All Risk Assessment records must be kept by the employer, self-employed persons, or principals (including contractors and sub-contractors) for at least 33 years.