Do We Need a Safety Risk Assessment?

Q: We just bought some brand new equipment. Should we consider a safety risk assessment?

A: Most organizations know that they need safety guarding around equipment. So why do you need to complete a thorough risk assessment?

1. Safe operations incorporate more than just the existence of safety equipment — there are multiple guarding options for any given application — so choosing the right one is crucial.
2. Even the correct equipment requires proper evaluation and setup.
3. Safety guarding is effective only when it’s set up in a way that is nonintrusive. Otherwise, it can slow production and even tempt employees to disable it. If employees aren’t properly trained in safety procedures, they might actually work against your efforts.

In a risk evaluation, the first step is to examine the equipment, the environment, the operators, and the processes that are used. Your Richard Greene representative identifies potential hazards and then rates them according to the severity and probability of risk.

Next, we look at available options for mitigating and reducing those risks. We work with you to determine which methods work best with your environment, equipment, and workforce.

We can also evaluate the need for redundant safety features, poring over electrical diagrams and other schematics to calculate where to break circuits, which safety measures might be prone to human error, and ways in which each solution might need to be customized to fit your needs.

Once a solution is selected and installed, we can help you test it, train your workforce, document proper procedures, and program necessary settings to maximize safety.

We’ll make sure you get a solution that truly enhances safety — while keeping productivity and worker satisfaction high.

To set up a risk assessment, contact the experts at Richard Greene Company by phone at 800-525-4039, by email at sales@rgreene.com, or on our website.