About This Course
Workplace incidents and occupational illnesses remain a significant cost — human, financial, and reputational — for organisations across every sector. Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA) is the cornerstone of any effective health and safety management system, providing the structured approach needed to anticipate, evaluate, and control risks before they result in harm. Organisations that embed HIRA into their operational culture consistently outperform peers in safety performance, regulatory compliance, and business continuity.
This five-day TrainingComplex programme delivers a thorough grounding in the principles, methodologies, and practical application of HIRA. Participants move from foundational concepts — understanding the difference between hazards, risks, and consequences — through structured qualitative and quantitative assessment techniques, to the design of effective risk controls and the communication of findings to decision-makers. Real-world case studies drawn from construction, manufacturing, oil and gas, healthcare, and logistics ensure that learning is immediately transferable.
Beyond the technical skills, the course addresses the human and organisational factors that undermine risk assessment quality: cognitive biases, reporting cultures, and the challenge of sustaining vigilance in routine operations. Delegates leave equipped not only to conduct defensible, audit-ready risk assessments, but also to mentor colleagues, review existing risk registers, and champion a risk-aware culture at every level of their organisation.
TrainingComplex's expert facilitators bring extensive field experience across regulated industries, ensuring that every concept is grounded in practical reality. Whether you are building a HIRA capability from scratch or strengthening an existing safety management system, this programme provides the tools, templates, and confidence to make a measurable difference in your workplace.
Who Should Attend
- Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) Officers and Advisors
- Safety Managers and Risk Managers
- Occupational Health Practitioners
- Engineers and Technical Supervisors responsible for site safety
- Project Managers overseeing construction, infrastructure, or industrial projects
- Operations Managers and Plant Managers
- Compliance Officers and Quality Assurance Professionals
- Facilities Management Professionals
- Emergency Response and Business Continuity Planners
- Government Inspectors and Regulatory Officers responsible for workplace safety
Learning Objectives
- Explain the concepts of hazard, risk, exposure, and consequence within an occupational health and safety framework
- Describe the legal, regulatory, and international standards underpinning HIRA obligations (ISO 45001, OHSAS 18001, ILO-OSH 2001)
- Apply systematic hazard identification techniques including workplace inspections, job safety analysis (JSA), and HAZOP
- Conduct qualitative and semi-quantitative risk assessments using risk matrices and likelihood-consequence frameworks
- Use quantitative risk assessment tools including fault tree analysis (FTA) and failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA)
- Select and justify appropriate risk control measures using the Hierarchy of Controls
- Develop and maintain a comprehensive, audit-ready risk register
- Apply bow-tie analysis to visualise threat pathways and recovery controls
- Recognise and mitigate human and organisational factors that compromise risk assessment quality
- Communicate HIRA findings effectively to management, workers, and external regulators
- Design a HIRA review and monitoring schedule to ensure controls remain effective over time
Course Modules
Module 1: Foundations of Hazard and Risk
- Defining hazard, risk, exposure, and consequence
- Distinguishing occupational hazards by category: physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic, psychosocial
- The risk equation: likelihood, severity, and their interaction
- Overview of the incident causation models (Domino, Swiss Cheese, Bow-Tie)
- The business and human cost of unmanaged workplace risk
- Introduction to the HIRA process cycle and how it fits within an SMS
Module 2: Legal and Regulatory Framework for HIRA
- Key international standards: ISO 45001, ILO-OSH 2001, and OHSAS 18001 legacy requirements
- Regional and national occupational health and safety legislation obligations
- Employer duties, worker rights, and the legal duty to conduct risk assessments
- Documentation requirements and how regulators audit HIRA records
- Consequences of non-compliance: enforcement, prosecution, and reputational damage
- Integrating HIRA obligations into organisational policy and management commitment
Module 3: Hazard Identification Techniques
- Workplace inspection and walk-through surveys: structure and recording methods
- Job Safety Analysis (JSA) and Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS)
- Hazard and Operability Study (HAZOP): principles, guidewords, and team roles
- Checklist-based hazard identification and its strengths and limitations
- Incident and near-miss data as a retrospective hazard identification source
- Engaging the workforce: toolbox talks, safety observations, and hazard reporting systems
Module 4: Risk Assessment Methodologies — Qualitative Approaches
- The risk matrix: likelihood scales, severity scales, and combined risk ratings
- Designing and calibrating a risk matrix for organisational context
- Qualitative risk profiling: identifying high, medium, and low priority risks
- Common pitfalls in qualitative assessment: anchoring bias and risk normalisation
- Group versus individual assessment: when to use each and how to manage disagreement
- Documenting qualitative assessments in a structured and defensible format
Module 5: Risk Assessment Methodologies — Semi-Quantitative and Quantitative Approaches
- Moving from qualitative to semi-quantitative risk scoring: the Fine and Kinney method
- Fault Tree Analysis (FTA): constructing trees, logic gates, and calculating top-event probability
- Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA): severity, occurrence, and detectability ratings
- Event Tree Analysis (ETA): mapping outcomes from initiating events
- Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA): when it is required and how to interpret results
- Limitations and uncertainty in quantitative methods: communicating confidence levels to decision-makers
Module 6: Bow-Tie Analysis
- The bow-tie model: threats, top events, consequences, and barriers
- Difference between prevention barriers (left side) and recovery controls (right side)
- Identifying barrier degradation factors and escalation controls
- Constructing a bow-tie diagram for a realistic industrial scenario
- Using bow-tie analysis to prioritise critical controls and allocate resources
- Linking bow-tie outputs to the risk register and emergency response plans
Module 7: Hierarchy of Controls and Risk Treatment
- The Hierarchy of Controls: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, PPE
- Selecting controls based on effectiveness, feasibility, and cost-benefit analysis
- Residual risk: assessing what remains after controls are applied
- Combining multiple control layers and the concept of defence in depth
- Common control failure modes and how to build in redundancy
- Documenting control decisions and obtaining management approval for residual risk
Module 8: Human and Organisational Factors in Risk Assessment
- Cognitive biases that distort hazard perception: optimism bias, confirmation bias, and normalisation of deviance
- Human error typology: slips, lapses, mistakes, and violations
- Organisational culture and its influence on risk reporting and assessment quality
- Complacency in routine operations and strategies to maintain vigilance
- Leadership behaviours that enable or undermine effective HIRA
- Designing HIRA processes that are resistant to human and organisational failure
Module 9: Developing and Maintaining the Risk Register
- Purpose and structure of a risk register: essential fields and data requirements
- Classifying and categorising risks for effective prioritisation and reporting
- Assigning risk ownership and accountability within the organisation
- Scheduling risk review cycles: triggers for ad-hoc review versus routine updates
- Integrating the risk register with incident management and change management systems
- Using risk register data to produce management dashboards and safety performance reports
Module 10: Communicating HIRA Findings and Building a Risk-Aware Culture
- Tailoring HIRA communication for different audiences: workers, supervisors, senior management, and regulators
- Presenting risk assessment findings: reports, visual aids, and executive summaries
- Facilitating risk review meetings: structure, participation, and decision-making
- Embedding HIRA into induction, training, and standard operating procedures
- Measuring the effectiveness of the HIRA programme: leading and lagging indicators
- Developing an action plan to implement or strengthen HIRA on return to the workplace
Requirements & Prerequisites
Participants should have a basic understanding of workplace health and safety concepts and some exposure to their organisation's operations or a specific industry environment. Familiarity with safety terminology and basic risk concepts is helpful but not mandatory, as the course begins with a solid grounding in fundamentals. No advanced technical or statistical background is required to benefit fully from this programme.
Training Methodology
- Structured workplace hazard identification walks using real facility layouts and photographs, practised in small teams
- Facilitated HAZOP sessions where participants systematically analyse process flow diagrams from industry case studies
- Job Safety Analysis (JSA) workshops in which delegates break down common work tasks and identify associated hazards step by step
- Risk matrix scoring exercises using scenarios drawn from construction, manufacturing, and healthcare settings to calibrate risk perception
- Bow-tie diagram construction exercises requiring participants to map threat pathways, barriers, and recovery controls for realistic scenarios
- Fault Tree Analysis and FMEA problem-solving sessions using pre-selected equipment failure scenarios
- Role-play of management risk review meetings, where participants present HIRA findings and field challenge questions from assessors
- Completion of a live risk register template that participants populate progressively throughout the five days and take back to their workplace
- Group debrief and root-cause discussion of real-world incident case studies to reinforce lessons and connect theory to consequence
- Peer review of completed risk assessments against a structured rubric, building critical evaluation and quality assurance skills
Organisational Benefits
- Significant reduction in workplace incidents, injuries, and occupational illnesses through proactive hazard control
- Improved regulatory compliance and reduced exposure to fines, enforcement actions, and legal liability
- Stronger audit performance as risk registers become structured, consistent, and defensible
- Enhanced operational efficiency as systemic risks are identified and eliminated before causing disruption
- Reduction in unplanned downtime, production losses, and insurance premiums linked to safety incidents
- Elevated safety culture as trained staff champion risk awareness at all levels of the organisation
- Greater confidence among clients, investors, and regulators in the organisation's commitment to safe operations
- A pool of internally qualified HIRA practitioners who can mentor colleagues and sustain the capability over time
- Aligned safety management systems with ISO 45001 and other internationally recognised standards
Where Is Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA) Training Offered?
This course runs in-person across: Kampala, Cape Town, Dar es Salaam, Riyadh, Mombasa, Johannesburg, Kigali, Naivasha, Accra, Lagos, Nairobi, Dubai, Abuja, Arusha, Pretoria, Nakuru, Zanzibar, Kisumu, Addis Ababa, plus Live Virtual (online) cohorts. Browse live dates for your city below.
Upcoming Schedules
| Location | Format | Dates | Price |
|---|
| Live Virtual |
Online |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
KES 80,000 |
| Kampala, Uganda |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
USD 1,900 |
| Cape Town, South Africa |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
USD 3,800 |
| Dar es Salaam, Tanzania |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,300 |
| Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
USD 4,500 |
| Mombasa, Kenya |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
KES 120,000 |
| Johannesburg, South Africa |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
USD 3,500 |
| Kigali, Rwanda |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
USD 1,900 |
| Naivasha, Kenya |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
KES 120,000 |
| Accra, Ghana |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
USD 3,800 |
| Lagos, Nigeria |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,500 |
| Naivasha, Kenya |
In-Person |
2 Nov 2026 – 6 Nov 2026 |
KES 120,000 |
| Accra, Ghana |
In-Person |
2 Nov 2026 – 6 Nov 2026 |
USD 3,800 |
| Nairobi, Kenya |
In-Person |
2 Nov 2026 – 6 Nov 2026 |
KES 105,000 |
| Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
In-Person |
2 Nov 2026 – 6 Nov 2026 |
USD 4,100 |
+227 more dates — view live schedule →
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a formal safety qualification to attend this course?
No formal qualification is required. The course is designed for professionals with some workplace experience and a basic familiarity with health and safety concepts. It is equally suitable for those new to a dedicated HSE role and for experienced practitioners looking to formalise and deepen their risk assessment skills.
Will I receive a certificate upon completion?
Yes. Delegates who attend all sessions and complete the practical assessment exercises will receive a TrainingComplex Certificate of Completion in Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA). This certificate demonstrates competence in HIRA to employers, auditors, and regulatory bodies.
How practical is the course — is it mostly theory or hands-on?
The programme is strongly practical. Approximately 60% of contact time is devoted to workshops, case study analysis, risk matrix exercises, bow-tie construction, and risk register development. Participants take away completed templates and tools they can apply immediately in their own workplace.
Is the course aligned with ISO 45001?
Yes. The curriculum is mapped to the requirements of ISO 45001:2018, including Clause 6.1 (Actions to address risks and opportunities) and its supporting hazard identification and risk assessment requirements. Attendance provides solid preparation for organisations pursuing or maintaining ISO 45001 certification.
Can the course be delivered in-house for our team?
Absolutely. TrainingComplex offers customised in-house delivery of this programme, adapted to your industry, operational context, and existing safety management system. In-house delivery is particularly cost-effective for teams of six or more and allows the case studies and exercises to be drawn directly from your own workplace.
