ISO 45001 risk assessment: common gaps in manufacturing

HIRARC documents exist in every Malaysian factory. Working risk management exists in far fewer. When we audit ISO 45001 systems, the gap between the two is where the findings live.

The five gaps we find most often

• Risk assessments copied between similar machines without site-specific hazards
• Non-routine work (maintenance, cleaning, breakdowns) missing entirely from the register
• Contractor activities unassessed, despite contractors doing the highest-risk work
• Hierarchy of controls collapsing straight to PPE without considering elimination or engineering
• No worker participation: assessments done by one safety officer at a desk

What good looks like

ISO 45001 explicitly requires worker consultation and participation. The most reliable fix is also the simplest: put the operators who run the machine in the room when its risks are assessed. Findings drop, and so do incidents.

If your last HIRARC review predates your last process change, start there. An assessment of a line that no longer exists protects no one.