E&M in action

Hazard identification: always and everywhere!

From 2 December 2024, the Safety Management System (SMS) will be an obligation for E&M. In a previous E&M Scope, we discussed how we recognise and acknowledge safety culture. An important part of this is recognising (potential) hazards. This applies to everyone who works at E&M.

Hazards can arise at any time and in any part of an organization, no matter the size or location. These might include a loose paving stone, stairs without a handrail, or working without personal protective equipment. It’s important to recognize that hazards have the potential to cause injuries to colleagues, damage equipment, or result in other types of material harm. How to recognise it? Within E&M, we have several ways to identify hazards, including audits, surveys, Management of Change processes, and occurrence reporting. This highlights the critical importance of reporting—not just seeing a potential hazard but recognising it and taking action. Many hazards lie within our own sphere of influence, but there are also risks beyond our control, such as extreme weather conditions.

This is where the essence of our Safety Management System (SMS) comes into play: preparing for potential situations before they happen. But how do we do that? Different approaches The hazard identification process is triggered by three different approaches:

  1. Predictive approach

· The aim of this approach is to eliminate or control all hazards and associated risks before the organisation is exposed to them (think Management of Change).

· In this case, any significant change in our organisation, processes or procedures should be the trigger.

2. Pro-active approach

· Data analytics and trends are the possible sources of input for a proactive approach.

· Results of audits, occurrences or, for example, information from Safety Action Groups can be used for trend analysis. The output of this in turn feeds the Safety Management System with data for risk management.

· This approach is highly desirable for the organisation because, based on data, we can already anticipate possible hazards.

3. Reactive approach

· This approach involves reactive action to issues that have already occurred, such as occurrences, audit findings or findings from Safety Observation Rounds.

Would you like to know more? Chapter 3.2 of the Safety Management System Manual provides a complete explanation of ‘Hazard Identification’. Several articles on SMS will appear in E&M Scope in the coming period.