title: Risk level based management system: a control banding model for occupational health and safety risk management in a highly regulated environment.
abstract: The Risk Level Based Management System (RLBMS) is an occupational risk management (ORM) model that focuses occupational safety, hygiene, and health (OSHH) resources on the highest risk procedures at work. This article demonstrates the model's simplicity through an implementation within a heavily regulated research institution. The model utilizes control banding strategies with a stratification of four risk levels (RLs) for many commonly performed maintenance and support activities, characterizing risk consistently for comparable tasks. RLBMS creates an auditable tracking of activities, maximizes OSHH professional field time, and standardizes documentation and control commensurate to a given task's RL. Validation of RLs and their exposure control effectiveness is collected in a traditional quantitative collection regime for regulatory auditing. However, qualitative risk assessment methods are also used within this validation process. Participatory approaches are used throughout the RLBMS process. Workers are involved in all phases of building, maintaining, and improving this model. This worker participation also improves the implementation of established controls.
authors.affiliation: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, P.O. Box 808, L-871, Livermore, CA 94551, USA. zalk1@llnl.gov
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Zalk
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kamerzell
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Paik
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kapp
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Harrington
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Swuste
mesh_terms: D033161:Government Regulation; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D017146:Models, Organizational; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control; D016272:Occupational Health / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017751:Safety Management / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration; D014481:United States