School of Environmental Sciences

1
School of Environmental Sciences
Risk Assessment Software
1 Defining OHS Risk Assessment Duty of Care
4. The Risk assessment Utilising the Software
There are six points required to diligently
discharge the OHS Duty of Care. These six
points, established by judicial precedence, are
in fact the same underlying principles of
quality and risk management standards. They
provide a clear framework for structuring
software that allows small expert teams to
constantly facilitate large workforces in
preparation of risk assessments that are both
compliant and conform to the organisations OHS
management system.
2. A Goal of a Uniform Assessment Software
3. WorkCovers Focus
The software minimises perception difficulties in
evaluating risk. A common, perhaps universal,
difficulty that interferes with the understanding
of risk is that the greater the perceived risk
the more likely it is to over-estimate the risk.
Figure 1. Presents the list of hazards
initially supplied by an expert pool. Selecting
a relevant hazard from the list allows a list of
related risks to be reviewed and confirmed as
applicable. There is also a capacity for the
addition of hazards and identification of their
associated risks. Figure 2. Presents the risk
and draws the assessor to either confirm the
expert pools assessment or modify it to meet the
assessors specific situation. Then the controls
that are provided must be confirmed or
additional controls added. Figure 3. Is the
finalised document output that includes an
implementation check box. The four questions are
to confirm adherence and allow review. Any added
hazards, risks and controls appear with to
ensure that they are reviewed and added to the
database. Our continually improving software
is designed to conform to AS48012001 standard
for OHS Management Systems Specifications and
Guidelines and will allow internal and external
auditing in compliance with AS48042001 OHS
General Guidelines on Principles, Systems and
Supporting.
The requirement for a managed process is being
driven by the success of the present WorkCover
focus on the higher risk occupations and the
poor performance of the unintentional control
group of the supposed safer occupations.
The scope and aim of the software is to ensure
hazards are identified and their risks assessed
and the hierarchy of controls are adopted to
control the risk. Also, the system confirms
implementation, adherence and allows for audit.
Figure 1. Hazard Identification Page
NSW Judicial Precedence Of OHS All Due Diligent
Commissioner Staunton (2004) judgment   1.     
he defendant was familiar with the company's
occupational health and safety obligations and
relevant codes of practice and industry
standards   2.      he defendant had a system
in place to manage occupational health and safety
risks and had adequately supervised compliance
with that system   3.      the system complied
with industry standards and practice   4.     
company officers reported back to him defendant
on the operation of the system and safety
concerns were reported in a timely manner
  5.      he defendant reacted personally and
immediately upon becoming aware of the system
failure.    6. Compliance requires a
process of review and auditing, both formal and
random, in order to ensure that the safe
standards established are in fact being adhered
to and under ongoing review.  The defendant,
was able to establish compliance with 1 to 5,
however, not 6 and thus was convicted and
fined. WorkCover Authority of New South Wales v
Daly Smith Corporation (Aust) Pty Limited and
Thomas Edwin Curtis Smith 2004 NSWIRComm 349
(10 December 2004)
Figure 2. Risk Evaluation and control assessment
Page
Figure 3. Finalised Risk Assessment
Merging of AS43062004 and ISO 90002006
standards produces a quality driven risk
assessment methodology that also includes all 6
points of OHS Duty of Care.
The data below usually surprises most novice risk
assessors, as in reality one is more likely to
die from simply falling over than dying in a car.
David Valentine, Environmental Laboratories
Manager, School of Environmental Sciences, CSU.