Assess risks on a production line or work area: hazards, who could be hurt, controls and actions.
Machinery, manual handling, noise, chemicals and forklifts are typical manufacturing hazards. A written assessment helps you see which ones need action first.
Regulations set what assessments are required and how they must be done. Use competent people and follow them.
13 items. Use it on screen, or print it and fill it in by hand.
On a packaging line, operators clear jams by reaching past a guard. The assessment scores it 4 × 5 = 20. The action is an interlocked guard and a lockout procedure, done within two weeks, reducing the score to 1 × 5 = 5.
OSHA requires employers to protect workers from recognized hazards and has specific rules for machine guarding and lockout, so a written assessment shows those hazards were identified and addressed. It also gives supervisors a clear basis for prioritizing spending on guards and automation.
| Area | Line 3 injection molding, Rockford IL |
|---|---|
| Assessor | Tom (EHS) with operators Kayla and Jose |
| Hazard | Hot mold surface during part removal |
| Who and how | Operators, burns to hands and forearms |
| Initial score | Likelihood 3 x severity 3 = 9 |
| Controls | Robot picker for main part; heat gloves for sprues |
| Residual score | 1 x 3 = 3; review Mar 2027 |
The main control is engineering, a robot picker, with gloves left only for the smaller sprue task. That ordering follows the hierarchy of controls rather than starting with PPE.
A competent person with operators.
At least yearly and after changes.
Prefer removing the hazard over relying on PPE.
No.
Rate how likely the harm is on a 1 to 5 scale and how severe it would be on a 1 to 5 scale, then multiply them for a score out of 25. Decide in advance what the bands mean, for example 15 and over needs action before the task continues. Rescore after new controls to show the residual risk.
Review it on a set date, usually yearly, and also whenever a new machine is installed, a process or material changes, or there is an injury or near miss on that line. A changeover to a new product size can change reach distances and jam points. Record what triggered each review.
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