Safety Moment
Risk tolerance is defined as the willingness of a worker or a group to take safety risks. It involves evaluating multiple factors that influence a decision to either accept or reduce risk.
Generally, we might have an acceptance of a risk that is too high. If your risk tolerance is high, you will most likely have an accident as you will not be able to adequately assess the danger.
Becoming complacent in your daily tasks is one of the largest factors in safety incidents. You may have carried out the task a thousand times before, but it is usually some small thing you did not anticipate that causes an accident. Maybe you didn't notice someone had placed a cord across your walkway, or somebody had not replaced a guard after maintenance on a machine.
One of the best tools you can use to safely perform our daily duties is a Job Hazard Analysis (JHA). This tool makes you STOP and THINK before you ACT on the different risks associated with the task. You may have heard someone say,
"We've been doing it this way for 20 years and nothing has happened."
While that may be true, it doesn't mean a hazard doesn't exist. Always take a comprehensive look at all the possible hazards with an open mind and be aware of your surroundings. This will help you identify potential risks and ways to avoid them.
Before you start a task, simply ask yourself:
Below are 10 influencing factors for risk tolerance to be aware of:
