Hazard Assessment — Alberta OHS
A hazard assessment is a systematic process of identifying hazards associated with a job, task, or worksite and determining controls to eliminate or minimize the risk of injury or illness. Alberta OHS legislation requires employers to conduct hazard assessments before work begins and whenever conditions change.
Hazard assessment is the foundation of any safety program. Before workers start a job, someone needs to think through what could go wrong and what will be done about it. Alberta OHS legislation makes this a legal requirement — not a best practice.
Types of hazard assessments
Formal hazard assessments are written documents that identify hazards for a specific job or task type. They are developed in advance, reviewed periodically, and used as the basis for safe work procedures and worker training.
Field Level Hazard Assessments (FLHAs) are done at the worksite immediately before starting a specific task. They confirm that the conditions on the ground match what was anticipated in the formal assessment, and identify any new hazards that have appeared.
The hierarchy of controls
Alberta OHS legislation requires employers to eliminate hazards where reasonably practicable. Where elimination is not possible, the hierarchy of controls applies: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, and personal protective equipment (PPE) — in that order.
PPE is the last line of defence, not the first. An employer who relies primarily on PPE without addressing higher-order controls is not meeting their OHS obligations.
Hazard assessments and COR audits
Hazard assessment is one of the most heavily weighted elements in a COR audit. Auditors look for: formal hazard assessments for all significant tasks, evidence that workers participated in developing them, evidence that controls are actually implemented, and evidence that assessments are reviewed and updated.
The most common gap is assessments that are generic or outdated — written once and never reviewed, or copied from another employer's program without being adapted to the actual work.
Frequently asked questions
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