What is the most effective way to identify and assess safety risks at a customer site?

1 Know the standards and regulations

Before you visit a customer site, you should familiarize yourself with the relevant standards and regulations that apply to your work and the equipment you handle. These may include local, national, or international laws, as well as industry-specific guidelines and codes of conduct. You should also review the customer's own safety policies and procedures, and follow them accordingly. By knowing the standards and regulations, you can avoid violating any rules, fines, or legal consequences, and also demonstrate your professionalism and competence.

3 Evaluate the level of risk

After you have identified the safety hazards and risks at the customer site, you should evaluate the level of risk associated with each one. You can use a simple risk matrix to help you determine the likelihood and severity of each hazard and risk, and rank them accordingly. For example, a high likelihood and high severity risk would be considered very high, while a low likelihood and low severity risk would be considered very low. You should also consider the impact of each risk on your work, the equipment, and the customer, and how it could affect your schedule, budget, or quality.

4 Implement risk control measures

Once you have evaluated the level of risk at the customer site, you should implement risk control measures to eliminate or reduce the hazards and risks as much as possible. You can use the hierarchy of controls to help you choose the most effective and feasible risk control measures for each situation. The hierarchy of controls consists of five levels: elimination, substitution, engineering, administrative, and personal protective equipment (PPE). For example, you could eliminate a risk by removing the hazard completely, or substitute it with a less hazardous alternative. You could also use engineering controls to isolate or modify the hazard, or administrative controls to establish rules or procedures to limit exposure. Finally, you should always wear appropriate PPE to protect yourself from any residual risk.

5 Monitor and review the risk situation

The last step in identifying and assessing safety risks at a customer site is to monitor and review the risk situation throughout your work. You should always be alert and vigilant for any changes or new hazards and risks that may arise, and report them immediately to your supervisor or the customer. You should also review the effectiveness of your risk control measures, and make any adjustments or improvements as needed. By monitoring and reviewing the risk situation, you can ensure that you are working safely and efficiently, and that you are delivering the best service to your customer.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?