The Hierarchy of Controls | What Is the Hierarchy of Controls? | Safety First |
What Is the Hierarchy of Controls? The hierarchy of controls is a method of identifying and ranking safeguards to protect workers from hazards. They are arranged from the most to least effective and include elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls and personal protective equipment. Often, you’ll need to combine control methods to best protect workers. For example, a local exhaust system (an engineering control) requires training, periodic inspections, and preventive maintenance (administrative controls). You will also need to consider feasibility. Elimination makes sure the hazard no longer exists. Examples: • Ending the use of a hazardous material • Doing work at ground level rather than at heights • Stopping the use of noisy processes. Substitution means changing out a material or process to reduce the hazard. Examples: • Switching to a less hazardous material • Switching to a process that u...