UNIVERSITY OF BUEA REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON

P.O. Box 63, PEACE-WORK-FATHERLAND

Buea, South West Region

CAMEROON
Tel: (237) 3332 21 34/3332 26 90
Fax: (237) 3332 22 72

FACULTY OF SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIROMENTAL
SCIENCE
Option: OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND
SAFETY

COURSE TITLE; RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND

STATISTICS
COURSE CODE; OHS 405
COURSE INTRUCTOR; PROFF KWATOH ANATHASIUS

NAME; SIMO KONGNE LUCRESSE

MAT; (SC21A652)

DATE; OCTOBER 2023

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION
1.1 RESEARCH QUESTION
1.2 OBJECTIES
1.3 RATIONAL OF THE STUDY
1.4 LIMITATION OF THE WORK

CHAPTER II

LITERATURE REVIEW

CHAPTER III
DESCRIPTION OF THE SITE
METHODOLOGY

CHAPTER IV

EXPECTED RESULT
 RISK ASSESMENT AND PROPOSITION FOR AN
ACTION PLAN IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
DRAINAGE SYSTEM IN SINOHYDRO COMPANY
Introduction

A risk assessment is carried out when identifying which workers are

at risk of exposure; determine what sources and processes are
causing the risk. Identify if and what kind of control measures should
be implemented and check the effectiveness of existing control
measures. A risk assessment involves estimating risks based on an
analysis of the relevant hazards and vulnerabilities.
A risk assessment may be appropriate to reuse in situation where all
hazard tasks, things, workers or circumstances are the same and no
worker or other person will be exposed to greater, additional or
different risk, however as stated above, if there are any changes at
the workplace, a new risk assessment should be performed. An
action plan is simply a list of all the tasks that you need to finish to
meet an objective; it focuses on the achievement of risk assessment
in the construction of a drainage system in the sinohydro company in
Douala

1.1Research question
 What is risk assessment?
 Why is risk assessment important?
 What is the goal of risk assessment?
 When should risk assessment be done?
 How do you plan for a risk assessment?
 How is risk assessment done?
 How are the hazard identified?
 How do you know if the hazard will cause harm (pose a risk)?
 How is risk ranged or priotized?
 What are methods of hazard control?
  Why is it important to monitor and review the assessment?
 What is an action plan?
 Why are action plan important?
 Steps to followed during an action plan
 Does the risk assessment and proposed action plan make it
possible to identify and eliminate health and safety risks of
workers during the construction of drains?

1.2 Objectives
1.2.1 Principal objective
o The main objective is to reduce the hazard from high risk
to low risk.
1.2.2 Specific objectives
o Going to the work place
o Identification of activity and risk on the work place
o To evaluate the risk present at the construction
company
o An action plan

1.3 Rational of the study

To ensures that employees should not have more injuries or

illnesses at the workplace

1.4 Limitation
 Language barrier
 Lack of vital information from the company
 Financial and materials
 CHAPTER II

LITERATURE REVIEW
Risk assessment is used to described the overall process or method where you
 Identify hazard and risk factors that have the potential to cause
harm(hazard identification)
 Analyse and evaluate the risk associated with that hazard (risk analysis,
and risk evaluation)
 Determine appropriate ways to eliminate the hazard, or control the risk
when the hazard cannot be eliminated(risk control)
A risk assessment is a thorough look at your workplace to identify those things,
situation, processes, etc. That may cause harm, particularly to people. After
identification is made, you analyse and evaluate how likely and severe the risk
is. When this determination is made, you can next decide that measures should
be in place to effectively eliminate or control the harm from happening.
The occupational health and safety-Hazard identification and elimination and
risk assessment uses the following terms:

Risk assessment-the overall process of hazard identification, risk analysis,

and risk evaluation.

Hazard identification-the process of finding, listing, and characterizing

hazards.
Risk analysis- a process for comprehending the nature of hazards and
determining the level of risk.
Risk evaluation-the process of comparing an estimated risk against given risk
criteria to determine the significance of the risk.
Risk control- action implementing risk evaluation decisions.

Risk assessment are very important as they form an integral part of an

occupational health and safety management plan. They help to
 Create awareness of hazard and risk.
  Identify who may be at risk (e.g. the employees, cleaners, visitors,
contractors, the public etc.)
 Determine whether a control program is required for a particular hazard.
 Determining if existing control measures are adequate or if more should
be done.
 Prevent injuries or illnesses, especially when done at the design or
planning stage.
 Prioritize hazards and control measures.
 Meet legal requirement where applicable.

The aim of the risk assessment process is to evaluate hazards, then remove that
hazard or minimize the level of risk by adding control measures, as necessary.
By doing so, you have created a safer and healthier workplace.
The goal is to answer the following questions;
a. What can happen and under what circumstances?
b. What are the possible consequences?
c. How likely are the possible consequences to occur?
d. Is the risk controlled effectively, or is further action required?

There are many reasons a risk assessment is needed, including;

i. Before new processes or activity are introduced.
ii. Before changes are introduced to existing process or activities, including
when products, machinery, tools, equipment change or new information
concerning harm becomes available.
iii. When hazard are identified.
To plan for a risk assessment, you have to determine;
 What the scope of your risk assessment will be(e.g. be specific about
what you are assessing such as the lifetime of the product, the physical
area where the work activity takes place, or the type of hazard)
 The resources needed (e.g. train a team of individual to carry out the
assessment, the types of information sources etc.)
 What type of risk analysis measures will be used(e.g. how exact the scale
or parameters need to be in order to provide the most relevant
evaluation)
  What relevant laws, regulation, codes, or standards may apply in your
jurisdiction, as well as organisational policies and procedures.
Assessment should be done by a competent person or team of individual who
have a good working knowledge of the situation being studied. Include either
on the team or as sources of information, the supervisors and workers who
work with the process under review as these individual are the most familiar
with the operation.in general to do an assessment, you should;
Identify the hazards
Determine the likelihood of harm, such as an injury or illness occurring
and its severity
Identify action necessary to eliminate the hazard, or control the risk using
the hierarchy of risk control method.
Evaluate to confirm if the hazard has been eliminated or if the risk is
appropriately controlled
Monitor to make sure the control continues to be effective
Keep any document or record that may be necessary. Documentation
may include detailing the process used to assess the risk, outlining any
evaluation, or detailing how conclusions were made
The method and procedures used in the processing, use, handling or
storage of the substance, etc.
The actual and potential exposure of workers
The measures and procedures necessary to control such exposure by
means of engineering controls, work practices, and hygiene practices and
facilities.
The duration and frequency of the task (how long and how often a task is
done)
The location where the task is done
The machinery, tools, materials, etc. that are used in the operation and
how they are used
Any possible interaction with other activities in the area and if the task
could affect others
The lifecycle of the product, process or services
The education and training the workers have received
How a person would react in a particular situation(e.g. what would be
the most common reaction by a person if the machine failed or
malfunctioned)
 Overall the goal is to find and record possible hazard that may be present
in the work place. It may help to work as a team and include both people
familiar with the work area, as well as people who are not, this way you
have both the experienced and fresh eye to conduct the inspection. In
either case, the person or team should be competent to carry out the
assessment and have good knowledge about the hazard being assessed,
any situations that might likely occur, and protective measures
appropriate to that hazard or risk. To be sure that all hazard are found;
 Look at all aspect of the work.
 Include non-routine activity such as maintenance, repair, or
cleaning.
 Look at accident/incident/near miss record.
 Include people who work off site either at home, on the job sites,
drivers, teleworkers, with clients, etc.
 Look at the way the work is organized or done.
 Look at foreseeable unusual condition.
 Determine whether product, machine, or equipment can be
intentionally or unintentionally changed.
 Review all the phases of the lifecycle.

Each hazard should be studied to determine its level of risk. To research the
hazard, you can look at
 Product information/manufacturer documentation.
 Past experience (knowledge from workers).
 Legislated requirement and or applicable standards.
 Health and safety material about the hazard such as safety data sheet
(SDSs), research studies, or other manufacturer information.
 Information from reputable organizations.
 Result of testing (atmospheric or air sampling of workplace).
 The expertise of an occupational health and safety professional.
 Information about previous injuries, illnesses, near misses, incident
report etc.
 Observation of the process or task.
Ranking or prioritizing hazard is one way to help determine which risk is the
most serious and thus which to control first. Priority is usually established by
taking into account the employee exposure and the potential for accident,
injury or illness. By assigning a priority to the risks, you are creating a ranking or
an action list. There is no simple or single way to determine the level of risk.
The organization has to determine which technique will work best for each
situation. Ranking hazards requires the knowledge of the workplace activities;
urgency of situations and most importantly, objective judgement.

Once you have established the priorities, the organization can decide on ways
to control each specific hazard. Hazard control methods are often grouped into
the following categories;
 Elimination
 Substitution
 Engineering controls
 Administrative controls
 Personal protective equipment
It is important to know if your risk assessment was complete and accurate. It is
also essential to be sure that any changes in the workplace have not introduced
new hazards or changed hazards that were once ranked as lower priority to a
higher priority.

An action plan is a list of task or steps you need to complete to achieve your
goals.an effective action plan work like management plan for your company’s
initiatives, outlining the steps you need to take to make these larger goals a
success.
When you use a construction action plan template:
 It improved communication and coordination between team members.
 Reduced stress and anxiety during the construction process.
 Better use of resources, resulting in shorter project duration.
 They give you a framework for thinking about how you will complete a
project efficiently
To create an action plan you must followed the following steps;
 Define the problem
 Collect and analyze the data
 Clarify and prioritize the problem(s)
 Write a goal statement for each solution
 Implement solution. The action plan.
 Monitor and evaluate
 Restart with a new problem, or refine the old problem

CHAPTER III
DESCRIPTION OF THE SITE
The site is composed as follows;
A base, at the base level there is a concrete plant, a prefabrication
area; there is a scrap metal area, a mechanical workshop, a magazine,
offices, and a laboratory. It located at Douala 3rd which goes from
entrée bi to the industrial zone

METHODOLOGY
The methodology that will be applied during this research (project) will be as
follows
 A library research on the different potential risks when constructing a
drainage system.
 A trip to the worksite, which will allow you to make analysis and collect
data
 Taking photos of risk areas
 Interview with team leaders and some assigned workers
The type of materials that will be used includes;
 A checklist
 A camera
 the risk assessment matrix
 CHAPTER IV

EXPECTED RESULT

The expected result in this project includes;

 Zero accident.
 High performance of workers.
 Reduction of company cost.
 Development of HSE culture.
 Reduction of pollution in the environment.