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What Is the Hierarchy of Controls? | Workplace Safety Explained
Watch Todd Jerome Jenkins introduce the hierarchy of controls, then apply the lesson with the companion knowledge check.
By Todd Jerome Jenkins, MS, CSP · Free to watch · No account required
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Hierarchy of controls · 5:17
Watch the lesson
Read the companion resource: Hierarchy of Controls and Knowledge Check
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Companion reading
Choose controls that interrupt the harm mechanism
The hierarchy of controls organizes options from elimination and substitution through engineering controls, administrative controls and personal protective equipment. It encourages changing the work or separating people from hazards before relying mainly on repeated individual decisions.
Begin with the mechanism that could cause harm. Can the exposure be removed from the task? Can a safer material or method be used without introducing a different serious hazard? Can a barrier, guard or other engineered arrangement prevent contact? Administrative measures and PPE may still be needed to support the selected arrangement.
A label on a form is not evidence of control performance. An engineering control needs suitable design, installation and maintenance. A procedure needs workable conditions, instruction and follow-through. Verify the combined protection with the people using it, including normal production demands and foreseeable changes.
Before the task
- Consider removing the exposure or changing the method first.
- Check the feasibility and new hazards of each option.
- Verify installation, use and continuing effectiveness.
Fictional work example
A task produces dust inside a room. An assessment that lists only a mask misses the opportunity to examine the material, cutting method, capture system and separation of nearby workers.
Consider: How should the team compare the options?
Compare your reasoning
Compare how well each option prevents exposure in the actual task, the support it needs and whether its performance can be verified. Combine controls where necessary.
Sources and further reading
Original companion notes and fictional examples · Updated . These notes support study; apply the actual workplace procedures and requirements. Government sources retain their own status and do not endorse this material.