If you’ve ever done occupational health and safety training, you might have come across the concept of the ‘hierarchy of controls’. Despite the complicated-sounding name, the basic idea behind the hierarchy of controls is straightforward: when you want to reduce a hazard, start with the most effective method and work your way down.
It’s a simple framework that might seem like common sense, but once you understand it, it changes the way you think about risks, whether in the workplace or in everyday life.
So what is the hierarchy of controls? It comes in different versions, but they all start from the idea that the single most effective way of controlling a hazard is to eliminate it altogether. The hierarchy then works its way down through other types of control, in descending order of effectiveness:
- Substitution: if you can’t eliminate a hazard, try to use a less hazardous version of the same equipment or material.
- Engineering controls: if substitution isn’t sufficient, look for ways to physically isolate workers from the hazard or otherwise control it. (Some versions of the hierarchy list isolation and other engineering controls as separate steps.)
- Administrative controls: if the previous steps don’t sufficiently reduce the hazard, look for ways to change behaviour or processes.
- Personal protective equipment (PPE): if all else fails, ensure workers have clothing and other equipment that protects them from the hazard as much as possible.
An example: noise hazard
How might the hierarchy of controls work in a real situation? Let’s imagine there’s a piece of machinery in your workplace that makes a very loud noise for long periods of time. You’ve had noise levels monitored by Airsafe, and we’ve shown that not only is the noise unpleasant, it might actually lead to hearing damage in workers. What do you do?
Your boss might suggest simply buying earplugs (a form of personal protective equipment) for everyone in the workplace. But the hierarchy of controls shows that this shouldn’t be your first option. Not only is it inconvenient for everyone to wear earplugs, and not only does it affect productivity by making it harder to communicate, but it’s not effective as a catch-all solution. Off-the-shelf earplugs are unlikely to offer complete protection against noise hazards, and specialised PPE is expensive and cumbersome.
Instead, let’s work our way through the hierarchy of controls:
- Elimination: perhaps the activity can be eliminated from the workplace altogether, for example by having it done offsite.
- Substitution: perhaps newer, quieter machinery can do the same job.
- Engineering controls: perhaps physical noise barriers can be installed.
- Administrative controls: perhaps the activity can be performed at a time when fewer workers are around.
- Personal protective equipment: if the above measures aren’t enough, ear protection should be considered for employees whose exposure to the hazard can’t be avoided – but it must be scientifically shown to reduce the hazard sufficiently, and the workers must be given regular audiometric testing.
As you can see, the hierarchy of controls offers an easy-to-understand framework for prioritising the solutions that will be most effective.
How Airsafe can help
While the hierarchy of controls itself is easy to understand, applying it to specific hazards requires great expertise. That’s where Airsafe’s occupational hygiene team comes in. When doing any type of risk assessment, we use the hierarchy of controls combined with our expert knowledge to recommend measures that are both realistic and effective.
Want to know more? Call Airsafe today on 1300 888 338.
