Campus Health and Safety

The importance of Risk Assessment

Risk assessment is important to ensure an overall safety performance in the University, as it is an integral part of departmental HSE management program. It helps to:

Prevent accident.
Recognize and control hazards.
Increase awareness of relevant hazards and risk.
Identify who may be at risk (e.g. staff members, students, visitors, contractors and the public.)
Determine whether relevant control measures are in place.
Determine if existing control measures are adequate.
Prioritize risks and control measures.
Set risk management standards, based on acceptable safe practices and legal requirements.
Cultivate a positive safety culture in your department/office

Source: Five Steps to Risk Assessment
http://www.labour.gov.hk/eng/public/os/D/FiveSteps.pdf

Your safety at work is our big concern! Failed in complying with proper safety procedures at work may ending with a serious accident.

Picture 1

A worker was working on a sub-standard working platform without proper fall protection eqipment. There was a hazard of fall of person from height.
Violation of safety requirements under Chapter 59 Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance.

Picture 2

A worker was working on the surface of a glass pane which was about 8 meters above ground. No personal protective equipment was provided for the worker, and there was no proper protection for the glass pane. There were hazards of fall of person from height, and also falling of objects when the glass pane failed.
Violation of safety requirements under Chapter 59 Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance.

Picture 3

Grass cutting was carried out near the roadside without proper fencing off and warning. There were a number of cases on campus where vehicle’s windscreen was damaged, or pedestrain sustained slight injury by flying objects arising from such operations.
The contractor failed to take necessary safety control measures to protect public safety.

In all three cases, risk assessment should have been performed, and appropriate safety measures implemented, to mitigate the risk.

Lesson Learnt

At entrance Piazza, a glass pane was badly damaged by a promotional banner blown loose during typhoon. Eventually, the glass pane failed and fell down to the ground. Luckily, nobody was hurt. It was revealed later that the banner was not properly affixed to the wall. To prevent recurrence, risk assessment for similar jobs should include possible consequences under inclement weather conditions.

In Hong Kong, the Chapter 509 – Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance “OSHO” imposes a “general duty of care” on employers, occupiers of premises and employees. This ordinance made it obligatory for the employers and occupiers to take a reasonable, practicable and a more systematic approach to the management of occupational health and safety in workplaces. A safe system of work needs to be established to identify all hazards, and defines safe methods to ensure that hazards are eliminated or risks minimized. Risk assessment is legally required for industrial and non-industrial operations.

Be reminded that at HKUST

Department Heads or Unit Heads should take the management responsibility for ensuring that all areas under their control, and any equipment or substance kept in those areas are safe and without risks to any person in there. This includes staff and students, as well as contractors and visitors.
Be reminded that risk assessment, method statement, system of work and associated hazard control measures should be task-specific.

When contractors are involved, an effective coordination and communication among contractors, sub-contractors, different levels of site management, supervision personnel and workers should be established and maintained to ensure proper implementation of safety control measures.
HSEO staff are here to help. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about risk assessment.

Remember prevention is always better than cure, let’s think ahead and keep each other out of harm’s way!