Entrustable Professional Activities

LG9: Hazard identification and risk assessment

Learning Goal 9

Hazard identification and risk assessment

Workplace and environmental hazard assessment

This activity requires the ability to:

  • identify, assess, and manage all workplace and environmental hazards that may have an effect on workers’ health
  • obtain the nature and extent of likely relevant exposures from workers/patients or community members, including histories and other appropriate records
  • describe the causation of injuries and diseases through evidence-based models
  • interpret reports around workplace, organisational, and/or environmental hazards
  • comment on workplace ,organisational, and/or environmental hazards’ potential health effects and required mitigations
  • relate and make persuasive recommendations on important hazards within workplaces and/or environment
  • outline processes to review current risk control measures
  • anticipate and alleviate potential hazards, including risk assessments and management principles
  • prepare clinical reports recognising the extent of exposure when defining the work-relatedness or environment-relatedness of a disease

Professional practice framework domain

Medical expertise

confident
Ready to perform without supervision

Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision

The trainee will:

  • develop, implement, assess, and evaluate systems to identify and manage workplace and environmental hazards
  • describe routes of exposure / pathological processes associated with hazards
  • describe the potential health effects of common and important hazardous occupational exposures, including:
    • biological
    • chemical
    • ergonomic
    • physical
    • psychosocial
  • assign causal links between exposures and diseases / injuries
  • explain the mechanism of injury or disease
  • offer evidence both for and against controversial conditions
  • predict the likely properties of a class of substance
  • apply the underlying principles of hazards to practical situations in familiar and unfamiliar workplaces and environmental settings
  • apply simple numerical reasoning to discussions concerning hazardous exposures
  • anticipate the likely route of exposure and rapidity of action based on the properties of a listed substance or a substance with similar properties
  • complete a psychosocial risk assessment

direction
Requires some supervision

Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity

The trainee may:

  • describe hazards and risks, with reference to likelihood and severity
  • identify hazards in various workplaces and environmental settings
  • identify potential sources of hazards
  • outline processes to assess and, where appropriate, alleviate potential hazards, including risk assessment and management principles

Communication

confident
Ready to perform without supervision

Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision

The trainee will:

  • use audience-appropriate verbal and written communication
  • prepare well-organised, clear reports
  • identify terms that may create ambiguity or that would be difficult to understand without specialised knowledge
  • consult with others relevant to the anticipation and management of workplace hazards
  • communicate effectively with groups of workers and community members where emotions may be high due to actual or perceived health impacts

direction
Requires some supervision

Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity

The trainee may:

  • describe and categorise occupational and environmental hazards
  • enlist commonly used terminology to describe risks and hazards in the workplace
  • interpret reports from other occupational health professionals, including occupational hygienists
  • use various media forms constructively
  • state clearly what is the case and what is likely to happen
  • create or arrange for preventive measures to be given verbally and in writing to relevant people

Quality and safety

confident
Ready to perform without supervision

Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision

The trainee will:

  • assess the adequacy of reports prepared by ergonomists, occupational hygienists, and organisational psychologists
  • determine whether current hazard control mechanisms and procedures are satisfactory

direction
Requires some supervision

Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity

The trainee may:

  • interpret reports prepared by ergonomists, occupational hygienists, and organisational psychologists

Teaching and learning

confident
Ready to perform without supervision

Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision

The trainee will:

  • regularly self-evaluate personal professional practice, and implement changes based on the results
  • actively seek feedback from supervisors and colleagues on own performance
  • maintain current knowledge of new technologies, health care priorities and changes of workers’/patients’ expectations

direction
Requires some supervision

Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity

The trainee may:

  • accept feedback constructively, and change behaviour in response
  • recognise the limits of personal expertise, and involve other health professionals as needed

Research

confident
Ready to perform without supervision

Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision

The trainee will:

  • demonstrate a systematic approach and clear understanding of research and statistical terminology
  • access, use, and interpret Safety Data Sheets (SDSs)
  • access and evaluate current sources of information relevant to occupational and environmental hazards

Cultural safety

confident
Ready to perform without supervision

Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision

The trainee will:

  • demonstrate culturally safe relationships with colleagues and workers/patients
  • demonstrate respect for diversity and difference
  • identify unconscious bias, including the impact of cultural beliefs, gender, religion, and socioeconomic background on decision making

direction
Requires some supervision

Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity

The trainee may:

  • demonstrate awareness of cultural diversity and unconscious bias
  • work effectively and respectfully with people from different cultural backgrounds

Ethics and professional behaviour

confident
Ready to perform without supervision

Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision

The trainee will:

  • promote a team culture of shared accountability for decisions and outcomes
  • encourage open discussion of ethical concerns
  • respect differences of multidisciplinary team members
  • consult with stakeholders, achieving a balance of alternative views
  • acknowledge personal conflicts of interest and unconscious bias

direction
Requires some supervision

Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity

The trainee may:

  • respect the roles and expertise of other health professionals
  • work effectively as a member of a team
  • promote team values of honesty, discipline, and commitment to continuous improvement
  • recognise the negative impact of workplace conflict

Judgement and decision making

confident
Ready to perform without supervision

Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision

The trainee will:

  • apply risk prediction rules and risk calculators to define event risk in individual workers/patients and groups of people
  • recognise situations in which knowledge of physical or psychosocial hazards can be put to good and apt use
  • link biological hazards with workplace or community situations and the likely exposure of workers/patients or members of the community
  • assess the organisational culture, task demands, and work environment impacting workers/patients
  • perform simple measurements, but know when hygiene / ergonomic expertise should be sought
  • plan, prioritise, and conduct walkthroughs of workplaces in line with a manual handling code of practice or standards for lighting
  • evaluate workplace and environmental hazards by conducting preliminary quantitative or semi-quantitative measurements and risk assessments
  • assess the adequacy of reports prepared by environmental professionals, ergonomists, occupational hygienists, and toxicologists

direction
Requires some supervision

Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity

The trainee may:

  • interpret appropriate data and evidence for decision making

Leadership, management, and teamwork

confident
Ready to perform without supervision

Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision

The trainee will:

  • discuss the features of a broad range of occupations, identifying likely workplace hazards
  • seek guidance from colleagues and educational supervisors on the scope and depth of inspections
  • develop and lead effective multidisciplinary teams by developing and implementing strategies to motivate others
  • involve other occupational health professionals
  • work with organisational leaders to achieve necessary health-relevant change

direction
Requires some supervision

Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity

The trainee may:

  • assess the range of personal and other team members’ skills, expertise, and roles
  • participate effectively and appropriately in multidisciplinary teams
  • seek out and respect the perspectives of multidisciplinary team members when making decisions

Health policy, systems, and advocacy

confident
Ready to perform without supervision

Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision

The trainee will:

  • consult with stakeholders on the development and implementation of programs that support good work through improved worker health protection and promotion
  • describe relevant codes, guides, laws, and standards that relate to workplace exposures, including psychosocial hazards
  • advocate for resources and support for health care teams and workplaces to achieve organisational priorities
  • influence the development of organisational policies and procedures to optimise health outcomes
  • identify the determinants of health of the population, and mitigate barriers to access to care
  • remove self-interest from solutions to health advocacy issues
  • recognise poor management practices that allow workers to be alienated, bullied, harassed, ill-trained, or likely to put fellow workers at risk
  • identify stakeholders who hold the greatest influence on changes to occupational health and safety practice in the workplace

direction
Requires some supervision

Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity

The trainee may:

  • promote the development and use of organisational policies and procedures