What is a HIRARC Document and How to Use It

HIRARC stands for Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment, and Risk Control. It is a systematic approach to managing occupational safety and health in workplaces. This methodology is developed by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) Malaysia to identify potential hazards, assess the associated risks, and implement control measures to mitigate or eliminate those risks at the workplace.

The full document on HIRARC is released under the name of Guidelines for Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Risk Control (HIRARC) published in 2008.

What is the Purpose of HIRARC?

The guideline aims to offer a structured and impartial method for evaluating hazards and the risks linked to them. The goal is to establish an unbiased assessment of identified hazards and to present a strategy for managing the associated risks.

It should be noted that compliance with the guideline is part of the overall responsibilities outlined in the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (Act 514), wherein employers are obligated to ensure the safety of workplaces for both their employees and other relevant individuals.

Kindly note that the methodology of HIRARC as proposed in this Guidelines is intended for the assessment of physical hazards. Those who intend to assess health hazards in their workplaces, should make use of other risk assessment guidelines designed specifically for such purposes.

What Does a HIRARC Look Like?

In common practice, HIRARC is presented in a table format which is called a HIRARC Form, like below. Note that you can use your own version as long as it contains the important contents as shown here.

In an Organization, Who Should Do the HIRARC?

HIRARC is not a solitary endeavor! It is a common misconception for organizations to assume that the responsibility of conducting and establishing HIRARC documentation solely lies with the ‘Safety Personnel.’ In reality, the HIRARC process demands a collaborative effort involving the process owner(s) or person(s) in charge who possess a comprehensive understanding of the entire process.

Simultaneously, the Safety Personnel should be integral members of the team, contributing to coordination and providing relevant safety concepts and insights throughout the development process. The synergy between these parties is crucial to ensure comprehensive coverage of all associated risks.

However, when it comes to producing and writing the final HIRARC documentation, a different approach is necessary. Following the brainstorming session outlined above, organizations must decide which party will compile all the inputs and formalize them into a legally binding document. It’s essential to keep this in mind!

What is Risk?

In simple terms, risk is the possibility or chance of something bad happening. It’s about the potential for harm, damage, loss, or any negative outcome. When we talk about risk in different contexts, like in finance or safety, it’s about understanding and managing the likelihood and impact of undesirable events.

Let’s simplify the concept with following situation. Imagine you’re planning to go on a picnic with friends. There are a few risks involved in this simple scenario:

Table 1. Sample risks associated with going picnic.

Risk Type	Description
Weather Risk	The possibility that it might rain and spoil the picnic. You might check the weather forecast to assess this risk.
Food Safety Risk	The chance of food getting spoiled or causing illness if not handled properly. This risk can be managed by ensuring proper food storage and hygiene.
Transportation Risk	The potential for accidents or delays during the journey to the picnic spot. You might consider factors like traffic conditions and the reliability of your transportation.
Insect Bite Risk	The risk of getting bitten by insects during the picnic, leading to discomfort or allergic reactions. This risk can be mitigated by using insect repellent.

So there you go! In everyday life, we naturally assess and manage risks to make informed decisions. Developing an awareness and thoughtful consideration of risks in our daily lives empowers us to make informed choices that contribute to our overall well-being while reducing the likelihood of undesirable outcomes.

This principle seamlessly extends to our workplace environment, where the assessment of risks involves careful consideration of multiple factors to ensure a safe and conducive work setting. By embracing a proactive approach to risk evaluation, we pave the way for a healthier, more secure, safer and more productive work experience.

Can We Calculate Risk?

Yes! In fact, this article will explain in detail how to do so. The formula to calculate risk is as follows:

Risk = Likelihood x Severity

Table 2. Definition of Likelihood (L) and Severity (S).

Term	Definition
Likelihood	An event likely to occur within a specific period or in specified circumstances.
Severity	The outcome from an event, such as the severity of injury or impact on the health of people, damage to property, insult to the environment, or any combination of those caused by the event.

But you may be wondering how do we assign values to that Likelihood and Severity. Let’s continue with the next topic.

How Do We Assign Values to Likelihood and Severity?

In simpler terms, ‘Likelihood’ value tells us how likely it is that a certain event will happen. To figure this out, we can ask questions like “Has this happened before, and how often?” Assessing likelihood involves looking at past experiences, analyzing data, or using measurements. The likelihood levels are on a scale from “most likely” to “inconceivable.”

Let’s break it down with an example. Imagine a small spill of bleach from a container when filling a spray bottle. This is something that is considered most likely to happen, and it might occur every time someone does this task during their shift given that he or she has to do the refill a few times per day.

On the other hand, think about a leak of diesel fuel from a securely sealed tank. This is less likely to happen compared to the bleach spill. So, the likelihood is lower for the diesel fuel leak.

In summary, when we talk about likelihood, we’re trying to estimate how probable it is for something to occur based on past experiences or careful analysis, and it can range from very likely to almost impossible.

Therefore, the guideline provides a simplified Likelihood table shown below for our reference. Note that you can define any suitable ‘Quantitative Approach’ that suits to the nature of your workplace.

Table 3. Sample Likelihood (L) rating table.

Likelihood (L)	Description	Sample Quantitative Approach	Rating
Most Likely	The most likely result of the hazard/event being realized	Once per week	5
Possible	Has a good chance of occurring and is not unusual	Once per month	4
Conceivable	Might occur at some time in the future	Once per year	3
Remote	Has not been known to occur after many years	Once per 3 years	2
Inconceivable	Is practically impossible and has never occurred	Once per 7 or more years	1

Let’s now define the ‘Severity’ table as per guidelines.

Table 4. Sample Severity (S) rating table.

Severity (S)	Description	Rating
Catastrophic	Numerous fatalities, irrecoverable property damage and productivity	5
Fatal	Approximately one single fatality or major property damage	4
Serious	Non-fatal injury, permanent disability	3
Minor	Disabling but not permanent injury	2
Negligible	Minor abrasions, bruises, cuts, or first aid type injury	1

Without further ado, let’s create our HIRARC document.

HIRARC Worked Example: Wood panel cutting process

Here is the scenario,

A team of two workers operates a cross-cut saw machine. Their work includes loading wood panel onto the machine, cutting the wood and unloading the cut wood. They also need to repair and maintain the machine regularly as well as to change the blades of the machine.

Caution: This example may not be applicable to similar work in your workplace

To simplify things, let’s break down the HIRARC development into 3 vital stages that are:

1. Hazard Identification
2. Risk Analysis
3. Risk Control

1. Hazard Identification

Before we can pinpoint the hazards associated with each step of the wood panel cutting activity, it’s essential to first identify the critical job steps within the entire process.

What is Hazard?

Exercise caution when identifying each job step, avoiding excessive detail on trivial tasks. The goal is to ensure the inclusion of all critical steps necessary to complete the entire process.

Table 5. Worked example part 1 – Hazard Identification.

No	Work Activity	Hazard	Consequences
1	Loading the machine with wood	Cutting blades	Cuts / first aid type injury
2	Operating the machine	Unguarding machine	Hand gets caught into rotating parts / amputation
		Flying wood fragments	Serious cuts & eye injuries by flying fragments of blades that break
3	Unloading cut wood	Heavy load	Muscular strain / back pain
4	Repair and maintenance of the machine	Unguarded machine, unsafe work practice	Serious cuts from blade & getting caught in rotating parts if the machine suddenly starts

2. Risk Analysis

After completing the Hazard Identification phase, we can proceed to analyze the risks as outlined below. It’s essential to note that as the number of your ‘Existing Risk Controls’ increases, the ‘Likelihood’ should decrease. In other words, they are inversely proportional.

Envision a new worker operating the cutting machine. Initially, there might be a few ‘mistakes,’ but by actively ‘controlling’ his works through peer-to-peer guiding and instructing the worker through training, he will undoubtedly improve in his tasks, leading to a reduction in ‘mistakes.’ The same principle applies to the likelihood of hazard realization.

Now, what about the Severity rating? In many instances, the Severity rating linked to a specific hazard remains constant. However, it’s crucial to carefully examine each case to ensure accurate assessment.

Table 6. Worked example continued part 2 – Risk Analysis.

Existing Risk Control	Likelihood	Severity	Risk
Safe work practice	4	1	4 (Low)
Safe work practice, daily pre-use check and regular maintenance	4	3	12 (Medium)
Warning signs, Training, safety goggles issuance	4	3	12 (Medium)
Manual lifting procedure	3	1	3 (Low)
Lockout-tagout procedure, Safe work practice	4	4	16 (High)

3. Risk Control

Before delving into recommending additional risk controls to our hazards, let’s familiarize ourselves with the concept of priority. While the ideal scenario would involve entirely risk-free work activities, the practical world presents a different reality due to various organisational factors such as cost of implementation and resources allocation.

What is Risk Controls?

The objective of the risk controls is to bring down the risk to a level that is “reasonably practicable” to the organization.

Nevertheless, we can effectively prioritize based on the level of risk. To aid us in this process, the guidelines have furnished us with the following Risk Matrix.

Table 7. Risk Matrix

Likelihood \ Severity	1	2	3	4	5
1	1	2	3	4	5
2	2	4	6	8	10
3	3	6	9	12	15
4	4	8	12	16	20
5	5	10	15	20	25

To further enhance our decision-making process, the guidelines provide us with the ‘Action Priority’ table, depicted below.

Table 8. Action priority guidelines.

Risk Value	Description	Action
15 – 25	HIGH	A HIGH risk requires immediate action to control the hazard as detailed in the hierarchy of control. Actions taken must be documented on the risk assessment form, including the date for completion.
5 – 12	MEDIUM	A MEDIUM risk requires a planned approach to controlling the hazard and applies temporary measures if required. Actions taken must be documented on the risk assessment form, including the date for completion.
1 – 4	LOW	A risk identified as LOW may be considered as acceptable, and further reduction may not be necessary. However, if the risk can be resolved quickly and efficiently, control measures should be implemented and recorded.

Let’s proceed with the final section of the HIRARC documentation, focusing on assigning additional risk controls.

Table 9. Worked example continued part 3 – risk controls.

Recommended Control Measures	PIC	Due Date
Use cut-resistance hand gloves	Andy	27 July 20xx
Fix L-guard	Chin	26 August 20xx
Replace cutting blades with stronger/higher quality, Fix L-guard	Ravi	26 August 20xx
Use mechanical lifter	Abu	20 Aug 20xx
To make delay start button	Bakar	31 Aug 20xx

Lastly, all you need to do now is piece all the 3 parts together into a comprehensive HIRARC form.

There you have it! We’ve successfully created HIRARC documentation for one specific work activity among many. Now, you can proceed with addressing the remaining work activities within your workplace.

As a reminder, don’t forget to incorporate non-routine work activities into the HIRARC development process. The inclusion of non-routine activities is essential, and their specifics should be determined and defined based on the unique nature of your workplace.

When Should You Revise a HIRARC?

There isn’t a predetermined schedule for revising a HIRARC, but it is advisable to conduct timely reviews, such as annually or once every three years. As a general guideline, you should contemplate a review if any of the following conditions occur in the workplace:

1. Substantial alterations to the work process, encompassing changes in terms of personnel, machinery, methodologies, materials, or measurement.
2. Introduction of new processes, materials, or machinery into the work environment.
3. Occurrence of accidents or injuries related to the specific work process in question.

Read
HIRARC Guidelines by DOSH