Setting safety priorities

Abstract

This paper examines the current practices employed in many parts of the world for managing risks and setting safety priorities and outlines the development of a model which will satisfy both the technical and sociological requirements for determining valid safety priorities.

Various methods used for setting safety priorities were examined and broken down into the respective variables which form part of their assessment.

It was observed that each documented method used different combinations of variables and many used completely different variables all together. From this information grew the realisation that if a variable is important and valid, surely it should be used in every determination of setting safety priorities.

The variables necessary to form a methodical assessment of safety priority were found to fall into two broad categories, these being: — Risk Assessment Variables — Priority Modification Variables

A model was then developed to incorporate the necessary variables for a complete assessment of safety priority.

A number of Melbourne based companies and institutions have been using the system since 1985 as part of their participatory decision making process. None have detailed any financial advantages of using the system, however, many organisations have reported a drop in disputation in relation to setting safety priorities and have also reported a greater acceptance of the final priority list.