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Every seven seconds, a worker is injured on the job in the United States. Many of these injuries could have been prevented with a thorough workplace risk assessment—a crucial step in workplace safety that too many employers overlook.
Conducting regular safety risk assessments helps businesses identify potential hazards, implement protective measures, and create a safer work environment for employees.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the key elements of a risk assessment, the different types of hazards to watch for, and how Axcet HR Solutions can help businesses enhance safety and compliance.
As a certified PEO headquartered in Kansas City, Axcet HR Solutions partners with businesses to conduct health and safety risk assessments, ensuring compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations while fostering a culture of workplace safety.
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A workplace risk assessment is a systematic process used to identify hazards, evaluate their potential impact, and implement measures to control or eliminate them. By conducting a health and safety risk assessment, businesses can reduce accidents, injuries, and exposure to harmful conditions, ensuring a safer work environment.
OSHA encourages employers to conduct regular safety and risk assessments to maintain compliance with federal and state regulations while protecting their workforce. These proactive evaluations are key to identifying workplace dangers before they lead to serious incidents.
A comprehensive safety risk assessment categorizes workplace hazards into five primary groups:
These hazards arise from environmental conditions, equipment, and workplace setup. Examples include:
Unaddressed, these risks can lead to burns, falls, respiratory issues or hearing loss.
Poor facility conditions and improper job setup contribute to process-related hazards such as:
A workplace’s safety culture plays a significant role in accident prevention. Behavioral hazards stem from:
Industries such as healthcare and waste management face risks from:
Mental health and workplace behavior can contribute to safety concerns, including:
Among the many benefits of Axcet’s workplace risk assessment services is that we often uncover hazards employers may have never realized.
OSHA sets clear expectations for maintaining a safe and healthy workplace. While OSHA encourages employers to establish a written General Health and Safety Program as a foundation for workplace safety, it mandates written control programs for specific hazards, such as excessive noise and exposure to respiratory and chemical risks.
A written General Health and Safety Program helps employers proactively manage workplace safety by:
Employers must develop written control programs for specific workplace hazards, including:
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To meet OSHA’s safety standards, employers must:
Failure to comply can result in OSHA penalties, legal consequences, and increased workers' compensation claims. Employers who proactively implement these standards help ensure a safer work environment and reduce liability.
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Risk management consulting, also known as workplace safety consulting, is an essential resource for businesses looking to improve their safety protocols.
Axcet HR Solutions’ risk management team assists businesses with:
Identify risks involving worker safety and OSHA compliance through safety inspections, review of incident reports, risk audits, and safe design and purchasing habits.
Assess the likelihood and severity of risk, the degree of harm it could cause, and the duration and frequency of employee exposure to the risk.
Implementing hazard elimination strategies, substituting hazardous equipment or materials, introducing safety barriers, and enforcing protective protocols such as employee training and personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements.
Once a health and safety plan is in place, ongoing monitoring is necessary to ensure the effectiveness of risk mitigation measures. Monitoring also helps to reveal process changes and new hazards that require employee training updates.
Axcet HR Solutions offers comprehensive workplace risk assessment services as part of our comprehensive PEO solutions for small and mid-sized businesses across the country. Our risk management team includes seasoned professionals with extensive experience in OSHA compliance, claims management and safety consulting.
By proactively addressing workplace hazards through structured safety risk assessments, businesses can safeguard employees, enhance productivity and remain compliant with evolving safety regulations.
Don’t wait for an accident to reveal safety gaps in your workplace. Schedule a consultation with a representative from Axcet HR Solutions today.
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