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Orange County Transportation Services Agency Safety Plan <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />IX. Risk Reduction Program <br /> <br />Risk Reduction Program and Control Process <br />The Risk Reduction Program and Control Process involves the analysis and corrective action taken to <br />reduce the risk associated with an identified hazard to the lowest practical level. Using the <br />assessment and evaluation results, hazards are mitigated to an acceptable level by one or more of <br />the below described methods, also known as the hierarchy of controls: <br /> <br />Design for Elimination or Minimum Risk: Where possible, hazards will be eliminated through design. <br />In many cases, hazards are inherent and cannot be eliminated through design. In other cases, <br />eliminating the hazard is not practical or financially feasible. If the hazard cannot be eliminated, it <br />will be reduced to an acceptable level by incorporating the principles of system safety, using fail-safe <br />devices and principles in design, incorporating high-reliability system components, and using <br />redundant or backup hardware and software devices. <br /> <br />Utilize Safety Devices: Hazards that cannot be eliminated or controlled through design selection shall <br />be controlled to an acceptable level using fixed, automatic, or other protective safety design features <br />or devices. These are permanent system design features that improve safety by automatically <br />controlling the risk of hazard without human interaction. Provisions shall be made for periodic <br />functional checks of safety devices. <br /> <br />Install Warning Devices: When either design or safety devices cannot effectively eliminate or control <br />an identified hazard, warning devices can be used to detect the hazardous condition and to generate <br />an adequate warning signal to correct the hazard or provide for personnel evacuation. Warning <br />devices should be standardized to minimize the probability of incorrect reaction of personnel to <br />these warning signals. <br /> <br />Develop Procedures and Instruction: When it is impossible or impractical to eliminate hazards <br />through design selection or adequately reduce its associated risks through safety or warning devices, <br />then approved procedures and training programs must be used. However, this is the lowest level of <br />control, and relies on training to recognize the hazard and personnel actions to avoid the hazard. <br />Procedures may include the use of personal protective equipment. Precautionary notations and <br />warning signs must be standardized. <br /> <br />Hazard resolution often requires a combination of the methods of control. The use of warning, <br />caution and other forms of written advisories alone to control undesirable risks will be carefully <br />reviewed to ensure that no other additional measures are possible. Hazards classified as <br />“unacceptable” are not permissible. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />79