Quantitative Risk Assessment
Employers in general are under strict obligation to identify hazards and assess risks in the work place. Operators of industrial facilities are subject to particular legislation, which imposes special obligations. The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 1995 requires each employer to prepare a Safety Statement. This must be based on an identification and assessment of hazards. The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations, 2007 (SI No 299 of 2007) require that the identification and assessment of hazards be in writing.
Drawing on its extensive experience of all categories of projects, Arup can assist customers to identify hazards and assess risks. Techniques that are available include:
- Chairing and recording Hazard and Operability Studies (HAZOPs )
- Preparation of Fault Trees
- Predicting the consequences of loss of containment of hazardous materials
- Estimating the probability of events
- Hazard analysis (HAZAN ) using risk matrices
Other legislation requires risk assessment including the following:
- Pregnant employees
- Chemical and biological agents
- Generically Modified Organisms
- Facilities that have Major-Accident Hazards (Seveso or CoMAH sites)
The assessment requires:
- Identification of hazards
- Assessment of risks
- Evaluation of existing means for:
- Prevention
- Detection
- Control
- Mitigation
- Proposal of additional protection where necessary.
