Examples of Hazard Assessment Methods

DOE-EM-STD-5503-94

Quantity of the hazardous material;

Type, nature, and form of the hazardous materials (e.g., radioactive, toxicological,

chemical, liquid, or solid);

Location of the material;

Conditions under which the material is processed, handled, or stored (e.g. temperature,

pressure, handling systems); and

Specific hazards associated with the material.

3.2.1.3. Job/Task

Each job and related task should be analyzed to determine the hazards that may be present. For

example: Trenching (job) may require the operation of machinery (task). In addition to the

obvious hazards associated with trenching (e.g., cave-ins), the hazards associated with operation

of the machinery should be assessed. The information obtained from the assessment of site

operations and the identification of hazardous substances should be considered when analyzing

the various tasks at the site. Jobs and their related tasks should form the basis for documenting

the information obtained during the hazard assessment (see section 3.5).

3.3. EXAMPLES OF HAZARD ASSESSMENT METHODS

Many techniques are available in the literature for performing hazard assessments. A list of

several methods that can be used for the assessment of identified hazards and subsequent

assignment of risk significance are contained in Appendix E.

3.4. HAZARD CONTROL

The most efficient way to protect workers from workplace hazards is to first remove obvious

hazards that can be eliminated without significant effort. Within the scope of clean-up activities,

this can sometimes be difficult, since the objective of these activities is the actual removal of

hazards.

Hazards should be controlled by the following hierarchy of methods:

Engineering controls;

Work practices and administrative controls, except where prohibited by standards, orders

or regulations; and

PPE.

Often, physical hazards discovered through preliminary evaluations and site/facility

walkthroughs can be eliminated without significant effort or cost. These hazards should be

removed to the extent possible before actual work at the site begins. Examples of ways to

eliminate physical hazards associated with the site include:

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