The R.I.S.C. Assessment gives you information about where you are at risk of experiencing an accident or injury in 24 categories.
The R.I.S.C. Assessment provides each participant with realistic strategies most helpful to reducing their specific R.I.S.C. levels for each category. This information (available in both video and written form) is carefully detailed, easy to understand, and uses visual examples to clearly explain these concepts, helping participants remember the information they receive.
Each participant can then use the strategies they feel best applies to their situation to avoid experiencing an accident or injury and help others to do the same. Furthermore, each person’s results are theirs to share at their discretion, and they can review them at any time.
Description:
Areas, tools, and equipment where a part of the body can be caught between moving parts or a moving part and a stationary object.
Relevance:
Pinch points are some of the most common hazards we encounter and can result in minor injuries, limited mobility, psychological trauma, amputation, paralysis, or death.
What is measured:
Exposure to pinch points, obstructed visibility, proper equipment usage and condition, restricted area access, exposure to falling objects, entrapment risks, and presence of safety guards.
Description:
Exposure to cold temperatures and the consequences thereof.
Relevance:
Cold environments require proper planning and equipment to avoid equipment failure, problem-solving limitations, loss of dexterity, frostbite, and hypothermia.
What is measured:
Exposure to cold environments, emergency preparation, dietary practices, personal protective equipment (PPE) usage, and access to break areas.
Description:
Protection of and limiting access to accounts, data, and sensitive information stored online and in computer systems.
Relevance:
The digitalization of information and the prevalence of technology have made us more vulnerable to cyberattacks and theft, which can result in thousands of dollars in damages, the loss of intellectual property, damaged reputations, and lost time.
What is measured:
Password strength, potential for leaking sensitive information, credit card usage, network security, and access to computers and phones.
Description:
Safe driving practices and awareness of roadway hazards.
Relevance:
The most common form of travel often leads to accidents that can easily result in exorbitant medical bills, lawsuits, property damage, permanently disabling injuries, and sadly, the loss of life.
What is measured:
Vehicle condition, distracted driving, speeding, safety equipment, roadway hazards, impaired driving, visibility, and driving-in-reverse practices.
Description:
Knowledge and practices concerning safely using and repairing electrical systems.
Relevance:
Electricity powers the modern world, but it is extremely dangerous if underestimated. It can lead to fires, burns, infrastructure damage, high repair costs, and life-altering or career-ending injuries.
What is measured:
Exposure to electrical hazards, the presence of electrical conductors, electrical component accessibility, task review, lockout/tagout practices, tool and equipment conditions, safe electrical practices, electrical system quality, and PPE usage.
Description:
Being prepared for emergencies and adequately managing risks.
Relevance:
Emergencies can happen at any time, and our preparation for them and decisions in handling risks can increase the severity of those accidents and injuries.
What is measured:
Accessibility and condition of emergency supplies and stations, training and drills, risk awareness and exposure, management priorities, worksite familiarity, frequency of safety meetings, hazard communication and preparedness, record keeping, emergency warning systems, entrance/exit accessibility, proper planning, and first aid readiness.
Description:
Physical and emotional states that contribute to incidents.
Relevance:
Whether at work or at home, our emotional health, the stress we experience, and the fatigue we feel will always be factors when it comes to our safety and well-being.
What is measured:
Injury reporting, managerial support and approachability, fatigue-inducing activities, work/life balance, work/shift schedule, financial problems, job satisfaction, phobia exposure, workplace confidentiality, home and work atmospheres, the personal and social impact of stress, problem-solving, peer support, time management, emotionality, and the ability to act under pressure.
Description:
Actions that impact environmental quality and the effects they have on our health.
Relevance:
Our personal and collective health and safety is directly linked to the quality of the surrounding environment.
What is measured:
Proper disposal of contaminants, knowledge of environmental impact, water treatment limitations, air quality procedures, hazardous material handling, equipment condition, health awareness, and environmental sustainability practices.
Description:
The way people perform physical tasks that, if done incorrectly, can cause injuries.
Relevance:
We use our bodies every day, and injuries such as strains, sprains, and tears can quickly impact our personal and professional lives, making any task we perform more difficult regardless of how simple it is normally.
What is measured:
Use of tools, frequency of working alone, age, work speed, complacency, distractibility, previous injuries, injury reporting, and exposure to fatigue-inducing/labor-intensive tasks.
Description:
Identification, elimination, and prevention of fire hazards and the ability to respond to fire emergencies.
Relevance:
Fire safety is essential for preserving property, physical and mental health, and the ability to provide for our families.
What is measured:
Entrance and exit accessibility, fire drills and training, hazard communication, emergency warning systems, fire prevention practices, accessibility of emergency supplies, electrical outlet quality/usage, tool condition, lockout/tagout practices, task review, hazardous materials, presence of ignition sources, and the ability to act under stress.
Description:
First aid readiness, exposure to biohazards, and sanitary conditions of our environments.
Relevance:
Injuries can happen at any time, and quickly responding to them can reduce their severity, save on healthcare costs, and potentially save someone’s life.
What is measured:
Ability to perform and receive first aid, exposure to accidents and injuries, access to medical equipment, sanitation procedures, facility cleanliness, injury reporting preference, and exposure to biohazards and unsanitary conditions.
Description:
Recognizing, communicating, and properly managing existing and emerging hazards.
Relevance:
A lack of hazard awareness is one of the most common causes of accidents and injuries, and the ability to identify, communicate, and control hazards is the best method of preventing them from becoming accidents.
What is measured:
Process and work-area review, sharing information, clarity of communication, management support, hazard controls, frequency of safety meetings, training, injury reporting, and hazard remediation time.
Description:
Tools and systems that are hazardous to touch.
Relevance:
Many of the tools, materials, and equipment we use every day, such as scissors, drills, or ovens, can quickly cause serious injuries that are difficult to treat.
What is measured:
Tool and protective equipment access and usage, the necessity and condition of sharp tools, alternative cutting options, electrical circuit exposure, equipment safety guards, hazardous contact materials, extreme heat/cold systems, and damaged equipment.
Description:
Household and industrial chemical use that can cause physical harm and pollute the environment.
Relevance:
Chemical use has become a common part of our lives, but these materials are also dangerous if used or stored improperly.
What is measured:
Hazardous chemical information, emergency equipment availability, process review, human exposure, environmental harm, and lone worker use.
Description:
Water consumption and exposure to hot and/or humid environments.
Relevance:
Water is a fundamental component for life on earth, and without it, our bodies start to break down and cannot function properly.
What is measured:
Water consumption, exposure to hot and humid environments, physical activity, access to water and break areas, and the use of protective equipment.
Description:
Physical obstacles, limited visibility, and insufficient illumination that obscure hazards.
Relevance:
Sight can easily be considered the most important and valuable of all our senses, but our vision is limited by visual obstacles, optical clarity, and poor lighting.
What is measured:
Illumination levels, obstructed viewpoints, corrected vision, the ability to locate emergency equipment and exits, and replacement lighting.
Description:
Legal requirements for environmental, health, and safety regulations.
Relevance:
Our actions have consequences, and if a decision we made or an obligation we neglect causes an accident, we can be held personally accountable for the results.
What is measured:
Direct/indirect consequences of accidents, personal responsibility, training, location and inspection of emergency supplies, proper usage of equipment, worker’s compensation benefits/penalties, and hazard and regulatory communication.
Description:
Security practices that prevent theft, property damage, and physical harm.
Relevance:
Breaches in security and unexpected/inopportune losses severely reduce our ability to prevent and protect ourselves from criminal activity.
What is measured:
Criminal activity awareness, home/vehicle access, entrance/exit accessibility, security systems, unauthorized access, communication, and risk awareness and exposure.
Description:
Condition, access, and use of tools, equipment, and structures.
Relevance:
Mechanics, structures, tools, and machines are the building blocks of industry and progress, but these systems have hazards of their own that can cause unnecessary damage to property or result in a severe injury.
What is measured:
Material and structural integrity, facility inspections, tool access and usage, safety guards, alternative and substituted tools, vehicle and equipment conditions, process and work-area review, hazard communication, complacency, storage practices, and lockout/tagout practices.
Description:
Loud noises and vibrations produced by environments and equipment.
Relevance:
One of the most often overlooked and ignored hazards is noise which can cause irritability, disorientation, and hearing loss as well as vibrational impact that can damage our bodies through direct or indirect contact.
What is measured:
Hearing protection type and usage, noise level awareness, vibrating equipment, exposure to noise and vibrations, and the usage and limitations of personal protective equipment.
Description:
Protective equipment used to prevent personal injuries.
Relevance:
PPE is a common measure that can prevent or reduce the severity of injuries to the most vital and vulnerable parts of our bodies.
What is measured:
Use and maintenance of PPE, PPE limitations, PPE accessibility, PPE condition, training, risk awareness, complacency, hazard communication, hazard controls, and alternative and substituted PPE.
Description:
Items, obstacles, and situations cause people to lose balance.
Relevance:
Gravity exists, and when combined with even small or seemingly insignificant slip, trip, and fall hazards, it can cause major injuries depending on age, location, speed, and many other factors.
What is measured:
Walking and working surface conditions, distractibility, work speed, storage practices, working alone, illumination levels, risk awareness and exposure, tool condition and substitution, management support, hazard communication, and PPE usage.
Description:
Satisfaction of social status and the ability to settle disputes.
Relevance:
How we are treated and how we treat others socially can have a profound and long-lasting impact on our overall health and well-being.
What is measured:
Social interaction, job satisfaction, personal and professional support, personal responsibility, consideration for others, empathy, societal impact of stress, views on personal role in society, hazard communication, risk awareness and exposure, and problem solving.
Description:
Forceful contact with objects.
Relevance:
In this fast-moving world of industry and progress, objects can strike us at any time, and these accidents can be severe and even life-threatening.
What is measured:
Work speed, storage practices, equipment condition, hazard communication, distractibility, complacency, exposure to falling objects and flying debris, obstructed viewpoints, illumination levels, driving-in-reverse practices, tool access and usage, process and work-area review, vibrational impact, training, and the presence of safety guards.
Each of the 24 categories measured in the R.I.S.C. Assessment represents an area in which accidents and injuries commonly occur. Although some of these accidents and injuries can be minor, they can also lead to major damage that can drastically change someone’s life, and not often for the better.
Examples of damage caused by major accidents include but are not limited to financial hardship, quality of life reduction, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), behavioral changes, depression, physical limitations, respiratory disease, cancer, amputation, paralysis, and sadly the loss of life.
Furthermore, the R.I.S.C. Assessment focuses on the most common causes of accidents and injuries within these categories across ALL industries and in our homes. By increasing each individual’s understanding of these categories, we can help avoid and eliminate multiple hazards that can harm us, our families, and our coworkers.
Although there are currently 24 categories represented in the R.I.S.C. Assessment, there are still additional topics within health and safety that many people would benefit from learning about. There are 6 additional categories to add to the R.I.S.C. Assessment to bring the total number of categories represented to 30.
These categories are still in the early design stage but will tentatively be added to the R.I.S.C. Assessment sometime in 2025:
Confined Spaces
Diet & Nutrition
Drugs, Intoxication, & Addiction
Explosives & Explosions
Financial Stability & Security
Nature & Wildlife Interaction
There are so many ways in which we can experience an accident or injury. So many, in fact, that it is impossible to track all the possibilities. However, it is possible to evaluate a person’s knowledge, behavior, environment, and observations to determine what types of hazards they are vulnerable to, how often they will encounter them, and what types of accidents and injuries they are most likely to experience. Your time is valuable. We understand that, but experiencing an accident or injury can take up a lot more of your time, if not all of it. It takes approximately 1 hour to complete the R.I.S.C. Assessment while the wait time for an emergency room visit is 2 to 3 hours on average. Take the R.I.S.C. Assessment today and let’s work together to save your time and help improve your quality of life.
