Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA) Course

Lesson 1 • Core Terminology and Definitions

Establishes precise meanings for hazard, risk, consequence, likelihood, and exposure. Shared language prevents miscommunication throughout all subsequent HIRA activities.

Lesson 2 • Hazard Classification Systems

Introduces physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic, and psychosocial hazard categories. Classification guides selection of appropriate identification and control methods.

Lesson 3 • Legal and Regulatory Drivers

Explains the duty-of-care obligations and regulatory expectations that mandate HIRA. Students connect compliance requirements to practical assessment activities.

Lesson 1 • Incident and Near-Miss Data Analysis

Uses historical incident records and near-miss reports as hazard identification inputs. Pattern recognition in data reveals systemic hazards not visible through observation alone.

Lesson 2 • Participatory Hazard Identification

Engages frontline workers through toolbox talks, surveys, and focus groups. Worker knowledge surfaces hazards that formal inspections routinely miss.

Lesson 3 • Job Hazard Analysis Technique

Breaks tasks into steps to identify hazards at each stage before work begins. Students practise JHA on representative tasks and document controls.

Lesson 4 • Workplace Inspection and Observation

Covers planned inspection protocols, observation checklists, and tour techniques. Systematic observation forms the baseline for all other identification methods.

Lesson 1 • Semi-Quantitative Risk Scoring

Assigns numerical scores to qualitative descriptors to enable ranking and comparison. Students apply scoring models and understand their assumptions and limitations.

Lesson 2 • Risk Matrix Construction and Use

Builds and applies a risk matrix to convert likelihood-consequence pairs into priority levels. Students learn matrix limitations and how to avoid common misuse.

Lesson 3 • Qualitative Risk Assessment Methods

Applies descriptive scales and expert judgment to assess risks where numerical data is scarce. Qualitative methods are fast and practical for routine workplace assessments.

Lesson 1 • Risk Ranking and Prioritisation

Applies scoring, Pareto analysis, and criticality ranking to order risks for treatment. Prioritisation ensures limited resources target the highest-impact hazards first.

Lesson 2 • Documenting Evaluation Decisions

Records the rationale behind every risk evaluation decision to support auditability and review. Proper documentation demonstrates due diligence and enables future reassessment.

Lesson 3 • Risk Tolerability Criteria

Defines acceptable, tolerable, and intolerable risk zones and the criteria used to set boundaries. Tolerability frameworks align organisational risk appetite with regulatory expectations.

Lesson 1 • Hierarchy of Controls

Presents elimination, substitution, engineering, administrative, and PPE controls in priority order. Students apply the hierarchy to select the most effective feasible control.

Lesson 2 • Monitoring and Review of Controls

Establishes inspection schedules, performance indicators, and trigger conditions for reassessment. Ongoing monitoring ensures controls remain effective as conditions change.

Lesson 3 • Risk Treatment Planning

Structures treatment actions into a formal plan with owners, resources, and deadlines. A well-formed plan converts risk decisions into accountable operational tasks.

Lesson 1 • Quantitative Uncertainty Analysis

Addresses data gaps and model uncertainty using sensitivity analysis and Monte Carlo simulation. Students interpret confidence intervals and communicate uncertainty to decision-makers.

Lesson 2 • Event Tree Analysis

Models the sequence of events following an initiating event to estimate outcome probabilities. ETA complements FTA by mapping consequences rather than causes.

Lesson 3 • Failure Mode and Effects Analysis

Systematically identifies failure modes, their effects, and detection capability for each component. FMEA produces a risk priority number to guide preventive maintenance and design.

Lesson 4 • Fault Tree Analysis

Constructs top-down logic diagrams linking top events to root causes through Boolean gates. FTA quantifies the probability of complex failure scenarios from component data.

Lesson 1 • Students recognise that office risks are often underestimated and underdocumented.

Covers ergonomic, psychosocial, fire, and electrical hazards in low-hazard work environments. Students recognize that office risks are often underestimated and underdocumented.

Lesson 2 • Construction and Civil Works HIRA

Addresses fall, struck-by, excavation, and plant hazards common in construction projects. Students apply JHA and site inspection methods to dynamic, changing work environments.

Lesson 3 • Process and Chemical Industry HIRA

Applies HAZOP and quantitative methods to high-consequence process hazards. Students assess toxic release, fire, and explosion scenarios using process safety principles.

Lesson 4 • Healthcare and Laboratory HIRA

Identifies biological, chemical, radiation, and patient-handling hazards in clinical settings. Risk assessment integrates infection control and patient safety frameworks.

Lesson 1 • Designing the HIRA Programme Structure

Defines scope, roles, procedures, and document hierarchy for an enterprise HIRA programme. A clear structure ensures consistent application across all sites and business units.

Lesson 2 • HIRA Performance Measurement

Selects leading and lagging indicators to measure HIRA programme effectiveness over time. Metrics drive accountability and reveal gaps before incidents occur.

Lesson 3 • Continuous Improvement of HIRA

Applies lessons learned, audit findings, and incident data to refine HIRA methods and templates. Continuous improvement sustains programme relevance as hazards and operations evolve.