Risk Mapping

A picture is worth a thousand words. Risk mapping is a tool used to identify and locate hazards that are injuring workers on the worksite, as well as to determine what actions should be taken toward reduces them. Through worksite drawings, unsafe or unhealthy conditions are identified. The final result is the localization and identification of hazards that are affecting specific areas or a crew of workers in order to define controls*.   In this sense, Risk Mapping may be effective due to:  

• It promotes workers participation
• It allows to work with participants with different educational skills
• It is not necessary to read or write becuase it is based on drawings
• It allows easily integrating different perspectives about hazards.

 

* *Mujica J (1992). Coloring the hazards: risk maps research and education to fight health hazards. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 22:767–770.

Keith M, Brophy J, Kirby P, Rosskam E (2002). Barefoot research: A Workers’ Manual for Organising on Work Security. Geneva, International Labour Organisation.