What should you do before entering a hazardous area?

Before entering a hazardous area, conducting a thorough risk assessment is crucial as it helps identify potential hazards and evaluates the risks associated with those hazards. This step allows individuals to understand the nature of the risks they might encounter, enabling them to implement appropriate safety measures and responses. A risk assessment ensures that you have a clear picture of the potential dangers, such as chemical exposure, physical hazards, or environmental factors, and guides your decision-making on how to work safely.

While wearing appropriate personal protective equipment, notifying a supervisor, and checking weather conditions are all important safety practices, they rely on the foundational knowledge gained from a risk assessment. Without understanding the specific hazards present, one may not know what personal protective equipment is necessary, whether notification is required, or what weather conditions might affect the safety of the operation. Therefore, the risk assessment is the first and most critical step in ensuring safe practices when entering hazardous areas.