A lot has changed over my career; some things I thought were so concrete and fundamental to OSH that they would never change. Boy, was I ever WRONG! Take, for example, the “hierarchy of controls” – quite possibly the primary building block of OSH and Industrial safety for the past 73 years. When I was in school in the early 1990’s, we learned the basic five (5) tier model:
- Elimination
- Substitution
- Engineering
- Administrative
- PPE
These were put in place in 1950 by the National Safety Council. And just last October, the NSC published an article in their magazine titled The Hierarchy of Controls – A step-by-step path to eliminate or reduce hazards where they discussed this 5-tier model. OSHA, NIOSH, EPA, DOT, ANSI, all recognize this 5-tier model and incorporate it in their approach to SMS and enforcement. For those who read my articles here at SAFTENG.net, you will recognize my love for this model in all of my safety efforts. Let’s take a look at how each level plays a role in our SMS and how we can combine controls to manage a single hazard/risk.
