A hazard assessment is crucial in the workplace to proactively identify, evaluate, and control risks before they cause injuries, illnesses, or fatalities. It ensures legal compliance with safety regulations (like OSHA), reduces worker compensation costs, boosts morale, and improves overall productivity by creating a safer environment.

Key purposes of a hazard assessment include:

• Proactive Prevention: Identifying hazards before they cause accidents or injuries.
• Risk Evaluation: Determining the likelihood and severity of potential injuries or property damage.
• Implementing Controls: Establishing the hierarchy of controls (engineering, administrative, or PPE) to mitigate or eliminate risks.
• Compliance: Meeting OSHA requirements for workplace inspections and PPE documentation.
• Improved Safety Culture: Ensuring safer work methods, increasing employee awareness, and reducing operating costs related to accidents

Under OSHA’s PPE Standard (1910 Subpart I), the employer shall assess the workplace to determine if hazards are present, or are likely to be present, which necessitate the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). If such hazards are present, or likely to be present, the employer shall:

• Select, and have each affected employee use, the types of PPE that will protect the affected employee from the hazards identified in the hazard assessment;
• Communicate selection decisions to each affected employee; and,

• Select PPE that properly fits each affected employee.

The employer shall verify that the required workplace hazard assessment has been performed through a written certification that identifies the workplace evaluated; the person certifying that the evaluation has been performed; the date(s) of the hazard assessment; and, which identifies the document as a certification of hazard assessment.

Responsibilities

At UF, the Principal Investigator (or direct supervisor) is considered the employer and is responsible for conducting the hazard assessment of the spaces they oversee. EH&S provides a hazard assessment framework through the Gator TRACS module which is used by all labs to meet compliance. The hazard assessment must be conducted, at minimum, annually or as the scope of work or hazards change.

The employer/supervisor must provide training to each employee who is required to use PPE based on the results of the hazard assessment. Training must include: when PPE is necessary; what PPE is necessary, how to properly don, doff, adjust and wear PPE; limitations of the PPE; and proper care, maintenance, useful life and disposal of the PPE.

When the employer has reason to believe that any affected employee who has already been trained does not have the understanding and skill required, the employer shall retrain each such employee.