HazCalc

"Taking the risk out of risk management"

HazCalc is our flagship safety management tool that assists the risk assessment and risk management process. It builds on the traditional qualitive risk assessment process by addressing the shortcomings normally associated with the subjective nature of this type of risk assessment.

Traditionally one of the biggest failings of qualitive risk assessments is related to hazard identification, which relies heavily on the experience of those involved to identify all hazards. HazCalc minimises this reliance by using a task based identification system tailored to the industry or area to which the assessment applies. This information is stored in a database so that tasks relating to the equipment or process are identified, and hazards associated with those tasks can then be presented as suggestions. Tasks and hazards can also easily be added to the database for use in future assessments, or when new roles or areas are created.

Risk scoring is also an area where quantitive assessments traditionally fail. Scoring generally involves application of a scoring matrix to apply a risk rating to the hazard, these matrix's are normally based on the severity of the potential outcome from exposure to the hazard, and the likelihood of occurrence. We found that the standard two dimensional 'severity by likelihood' grid did not provide enough resolution for accurate measurement of the effectiveness of hazard controls and generally did not take into account the possibility of avoiding the hazard and often not even the frequency of exposure to the hazard.

HazCalc uses it's own unique hazard scoring calculator that employs ALL of these methods of risk quantification, and presents the results in an easy to understand manner. It also generates safety category requirements for any associated control systems employed as part of the risk control strategy.

Control strategies are also suggested based on the identified hazards. These suggestions are prioritised based on the hierarchy of controls, with accepted industry best practice or mandatory control measures taking precedent.

Control solutions are also rated to demonstrate the effectiveness of the applied controls. This provides an easy to understand 'before and after' scoring and allows prioritisation of control measures based on effectiveness. These results are also presented in a risk reduction graph that displays both the risk reduction and also any residual risks remaining.

Reports for all assessments can be created and filtered according to custom defined criteria allowing easy demonstration of the effectiveness of risk control measures. Costs can also be entered, allowing items to be prioritised based on the cost of implementation and 'bang for buck'.

HazCalc is not just a risk assessment tool, it is also a tool that can form part of an effective risk management process. Actions can be recorded for each hazard item, and responsibilities appointed along with target dates. This allows the generated report to form part of an effective management of control strategy. This information can then easily be used to kick start other actions and processes such as providing the base requirements for a functional description, or the key elements in a safety improvement project.

HazCalc can also form part of an ongoing safety improvement strategy. All of the data inputted into HazCalc is stored in a database, this data is then available for future risk assessments, allowing the software to easily adapt to changes in risk management strategy or to be expanded to include new equipment, personell or processes. It also ensures that historic data is made easily available to future assessors, something that is currently a time consuming process, assuming that it is even available.

To find out more about HazCalc, please contact us.

HazCalc safety software solutions - Helping make your workplace a safer place