Checklist - Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment | Fire Service Safety Management System

1. Scope

Category 3 audits whether the department knows its hazards, has assessed the risk of each in a consistent way, has chosen controls in hierarchy order, and keeps the picture current as the work changes. It covers the hazard profile and station inventory; task and position hazard assessments for career and volunteer roles; the operational risk management framework used at incidents; the hierarchy of controls; the hazard reporting system with a named owner and closure; management of change; pre-incident planning; and psychosocial hazards.

It does not score the controls themselves (categories 7 to 15 each score their program’s controls), the inspection program (category 18) or the investigation of events (category 16). It scores whether the hazard picture that those categories depend on exists, is honest and is used.

Fed by 03 Hazard Profile and Risk Register Method and the Risk Management and Hazard Assessment policy (04 Policies).

2. Criteria

Source	What it requires	Items
Applicable provincial or territorial OHS statute: the duty to identify, assess, report and control hazards, which may require the written program to include a hazard identification system with evaluation of the workplace, procedures for identifying, reporting and controlling hazards, and monitoring with prompt follow-up (J04 Hazard Assessment and Workplace Inspections); committee consultation on the assessment method and the risk management plan (J06 Written Procedures and Committee Consultation)	Workplace evaluation; reporting and control procedures; monitoring and follow-up; consultation	3.1 to 3.6, 3.22 to 3.28, 3.30
Specific hazard regulations: the thresholds that assessments must use for fall protection (J16 Fall Protection and Rope Access), confined space (J17 Confined Space), WHMIS (J21 WHMIS, Hazardous Materials and Asbestos) and first aid (J24 First Aid)	Thresholds applied in the assessments; scored in the relevant program checklists (categories 13 and 14 among them), not here	3.7, 3.8
ISO 45001 cl. 6.1.2 hazard identification covering routine and non-routine work, emergency situations, human factors, past incidents and changes; 6.1.4 planning action; 8.1.2 hierarchy of controls; 8.1.3 management of change (ISO 45001:2018)	Ongoing, proactive identification; assessment method; controls in hierarchy order; change controlled	3.1 to 3.12, 3.17 to 3.21, 3.29 to 3.34
CSA Z1002 hazard identification, elimination, risk assessment and control (CSA Z1002:12)	A defined method with a consistent risk scoring and a hierarchy that starts with elimination	3.7 to 3.12, 3.17 to 3.21
CSA Z45001 Canadian deviation: elimination emphasized (CSA Z45001:19)	Elimination considered first and the reason recorded where not possible	3.17, 3.18
NFPA 1550 ch. 6 risk management plan; ch. 10 risk management at emergency operations (NFPA 1550, 2024)	Written risk management plan; risk management principles applied at incidents	3.13 to 3.16
COR element 2 hazard assessment, analysis and control (CFCSA, 2021)	Formal hazard assessments by task; worker involvement; controls documented; review on change	3.7 to 3.12
CFAI 11A.2 hazard reporting and communication, 11A.3 documented steps to address identified hazards, 11A.8 risk management at emergency operations, 2C.4 critical task analysis (CPSE, 2019)	Reporting path; documented action; operational decision framework; critical tasks linked to staffing	3.13 to 3.16, 3.22 to 3.28
Work-as-done and learning teams (Hollnagel, 2014; Conklin, 2012)	Hazard assessments describe the task as actually done, built with the people who do it	3.9, 3.10

The CFAI crosswalk in this note and in the checklist table is to the 10th edition (CPSE, 2019); the 11th edition applies to agencies appearing before the Commission from 2027 (CPSE, 2024), and the category structure is unchanged.

3. How to score

Score each item on D, I and E (0 to 3) and derive the item score per 01 Audit Program section 5.
Items coded with a plus sign need both evidence types to score above 1 on implementation.
Weights: C3 critical (x3), K2 core (x2), S1 supporting (x1). L items must score at least 2 for the category to pass.
Category score = sum(weight x item score) / sum(weight x 3). Effectiveness index uses E.
Sample at least five task hazard assessments across two specialty modules and one station, and trace three reported hazards from report to closure, before scoring.

4. Checklist

#	Item	Stage	Wt	Evid	CFAI	Scoring anchors (1 / 2 / 3)
3.1 Hazard profile and station inventory
3.1	A department hazard profile exists, built on the method in 03 Hazard Profile and Risk Register Method, covering emergency operations by incident type, training, stations and facilities, apparatus and driving, non-emergency duties and health hazards (ISO 45001:2018, cl. 6.1.2; J04 Hazard Assessment and Workplace Inspections)	S1	C3 L	D	2B.1	1: partial / 2: all areas covered / 3: all areas covered and the profile reviewed within the last 12 months
3.2	Every station, including volunteer stations, training grounds and shops, has a workplace hazard inventory from a documented walk-through evaluation	S1	C3 L	D+O	2B.4, 6B.3	1: headquarters only / 2: every career station / 3: every station, and a walk-through confirms the inventory matches the building
3.3	The profile draws on the department’s own injury, exposure, near-miss and vehicle data for the last three years and on external evidence (line-of-duty death investigations, standards, guidance)	S2	K2	D	2B.1	1: own data only / 2: own and external / 3: both, with the sources listed and dated
3.4	The profile distinguishes high-risk, low-frequency tasks and flags them for learning-team review and training priority	S2	K2	D	-	1: no distinction / 2: flagged / 3: flagged and the training plan shows the priority
3.5	Each hazard in the profile names the program module and the owner responsible for its controls	S1	K2	D	11A.3	1: owners missing for many / 2: owners for all / 3: owners for all and matched to the Program Improvement Teams
3.6	The profile is available to members and to the committee, and the committee was consulted on it	S1	K2 L	D	-	1: not shared / 2: shared with the committee / 3: shared, consulted, and available to members
3.2 Task and position hazard assessments
3.7	A documented method sets the risk scoring (likelihood, severity, exposure or equivalent), the risk ranking and the action required at each rank, consistent with CSA Z1002 (CSA Z1002:12)	S1	K2	D	2B.1	1: scoring inconsistent between assessments / 2: one method / 3: one method applied in every sampled assessment
3.8	Task hazard assessments exist for the critical tasks of every active program module, and for the routine tasks at stations and in training	S1	C3 L	D	2B.4	1: some modules / 2: all active modules / 3: all modules and station and training tasks
3.9	Assessments were built with the members who do the task, through a learning-team session or equivalent, and the record names the roles who took part (Hollnagel, 2014; Conklin, 2012)	S2	K2	D+I	-	1: written by one person / 2: participation recorded / 3: members interviewed recognize the assessment as how the task is really done
3.10	Assessments describe conditions that change the risk (staffing, weather, time of day, equipment, fatigue, volunteer turnout) and the adaptation expected in each	S2	K2	D	-	1: a single static description / 2: conditions named / 3: conditions named with the expected response
3.11	Position hazard assessments exist for career and volunteer roles, including non-operational roles (mechanics, inspectors, administrative staff, instructors)	S1	K2 L	D	-	1: operational roles only / 2: all roles / 3: all roles and reviewed on any change of duties
3.12	Each assessment is dated, signed by the program manager, and reviewed at least every three years or after an event, a change or a learning review	S1	K2	D	-	1: undated / 2: dated and signed / 3: dated, signed and within review period
3.3 Operational risk management framework
3.13	A written operational risk management framework sets the principles applied at incidents (risk a lot to save a lot, risk a little to save a little, risk nothing for what is already lost, or the department’s equivalent) and how the incident commander applies them (NFPA 1550, 2024, ch. 10)	S1	C3	D	11A.8	1: principles unstated / 2: written / 3: written and referenced in the incident management procedure
3.14	Incident commanders and company officers can state the framework and describe a recent decision taken under it	S1	C3	I	11A.8	1: fewer than half / 2: majority / 3: majority with a specific example
3.15	Critical tasks for each risk level have been analysed and linked to the staffing and effective response force the department plans for, so that two-in/two-out, rapid intervention, rehabilitation and the incident safety officer are treated as critical tasks (CPSE, 2019, criterion 2C.4)	S2	C3	D	2C.4	1: critical tasks listed without staffing link / 2: linked / 3: linked and effective response force attainment reported as an indicator
3.16	Post-incident reviews feed changes to the operational framework, and at least one change in the last two years is traceable to a review	S2	K2	D	11A.8	1: reviews held, no changes / 2: a change traceable / 3: changes traceable and communicated
3.4 Hierarchy of controls
3.17	For every high-ranked hazard, the assessment records whether elimination or substitution was considered, and the reason where it was not possible (ISO 45001:2018, cl. 8.1.2; CSA Z45001:19)	S1	K2	D	11A.3	1: elimination never recorded / 2: recorded for high-ranked hazards / 3: recorded for all, with reasons
3.18	Controls are recorded in hierarchy order (elimination, substitution, engineering, administrative, PPE), and PPE is not the only control for any high-ranked hazard	S1	C3	D	11A.3	1: PPE alone for several high-ranked hazards / 2: hierarchy recorded / 3: hierarchy recorded and PPE alone for no high-ranked hazard
3.19	Residual risk after controls is scored and accepted by the program manager, with high residual risks escalated to the fire chief	S2	K2	D	11A.3	1: residual risk unscored / 2: scored / 3: scored, accepted and escalated where high
3.20	The capacity that makes the task go right (staffing, time, equipment, rest) is named as a control in its own right and protected in the assessment	S2	S1	D	-	1: not addressed / 2: named / 3: named and measured
3.21	Controls in the assessment match the controls in the safe work procedure and the training for the task	S2	K2	D	-	1: mismatches in several / 2: aligned / 3: aligned and cross-referenced
3.5 Hazard reporting with owner and closure
3.22	A hazard reporting procedure lets any member report a hazard in writing or electronically, with a form or route available at every station and on apparatus (J04 Hazard Assessment and Workplace Inspections; CPSE, 2019, criterion 11A.2)	S1	C3 L	D+O	11A.2	1: route exists at headquarters / 2: at every career station / 3: at every station, and the route works when tried
3.23	Every hazard report has a named owner within one working day and a priority on the one scale, P1 (Imminent) to P4 (Improvement), that sets its interim control and due dates, and reports enter the Corrective Action Register	S1	C3 L	D	11A.2, 11A.3	1: reports kept without owners / 2: owners assigned / 3: owners assigned within one working day and tracked to closure
3.24	The person who reported the hazard is told what was done and when, and the record shows it	S1	C3	D+I	11A.2	1: no feedback / 2: feedback recorded / 3: reporters interviewed confirm they heard back
3.25	Hazard reports are summarized to the committee monthly and to the operations meeting, with the number open, closed and overdue	S1	K2 L	D	11A.2	1: not reported / 2: reported / 3: reported with trend and discussion
3.26	Members at sampled stations say they would report a hazard, know the route, and expect an answer	S1	C3	I	11A.2	1: fewer than half / 2: majority / 3: majority in every group sampled, with an example
3.27	Reporting rate per station and per shift is tracked, and a low rate is treated as a signal to investigate rather than as good news	S2	K2	D	-	1: not tracked / 2: tracked / 3: tracked and low rates followed up
3.28	A hazard report that is not resolved at the supervisor level has a written escalation route to the committee and to a manager with authority to resolve it	S1	K2 L	D	11A.2	1: route unwritten / 2: written / 3: written and used in the last year
3.6 Management of change
3.29	A management-of-change procedure requires a hazard assessment before new apparatus, equipment, PPE, substances, procedures, services, stations or staffing models are introduced (ISO 45001:2018, cl. 8.1.3)	S1	C3	D	2D.3	1: no procedure / 2: procedure / 3: procedure applied to every change sampled
3.30	Changes with safety content pass through the Program Improvement Team, the Equipment Standards team where relevant, and formal committee consultation before adoption (06 Program Improvement Teams)	S2	C3	D	-	1: consultation missed in sampled changes / 2: all sampled changes consulted / 3: all consulted, with the consultation record filed with the change
3.31	Temporary changes (apparatus out of service, station closure, reduced staffing, mutual aid cover) have a short risk assessment and a communication to affected crews	S2	K2	D+I	-	1: no assessment / 2: assessment / 3: assessment and crews interviewed were told
3.32	The hazard profile and the affected assessments are updated after each change, and the update is dated	S2	K2	D	2D.3	1: profile not updated / 2: updated / 3: updated within 90 days of the change
3.7 Pre-incident planning and psychosocial hazards
3.33	Target hazards in the response area have pre-incident plans that record firefighter hazards (construction, collapse, energy systems, hazardous materials, water supply, access), and plans are available to responding crews	S2	K2	D+O	-	1: plans for a few targets / 2: plans for identified targets / 3: plans current and retrievable on apparatus
3.34	Pre-incident plans are reviewed on a schedule and after any incident at the site, and the review is dated	S2	S1	D	-	1: no review / 2: schedule set / 3: schedule met
3.35	Psychosocial hazards (traumatic exposure, workload, fatigue, violence, harassment, organizational justice) are in the hazard profile with assessments and controls, using the CSA Z1003 factors or equivalent (CSA Z1003-13)	S2	K2	D	2B.1	1: absent / 2: present / 3: present, assessed with member participation, and linked to the Psychological Health and Safety program
3.36	Human factors (fatigue, decision-making under stress, communication, normalization of deviance) are addressed in assessments of critical tasks, not only in training	S2	K2	D	-	1: absent / 2: present in critical task assessments / 3: present and controls traceable
3.8 Accountability loop
3.37	The accountability and closed-feedback-loop table for hazard identification is complete: owner (senior officer responsible for H&S for the profile; program managers for their assessments), doer (HSO; program teams), verifier (internal audit; committee), feedback (monthly hazard report; reply to the reporter), closure (Corrective Action Register with escalation on the schedule the item’s priority sets); and the loop test passes in practice	S1	K2	D+I	11A.3	1: table incomplete / 2: complete / 3: complete and a real example from the year shows the loop closing on the stated path

Loop test. A firefighter reports on Monday that a new aerial’s outrigger pads sit on a slope at a recurring target address. By Tuesday it is in the register as a P2 (Serious) with an owner and an interim control (a caution on the address in dispatch), by Friday the firefighter has heard back, within the month the pre-incident plan and the aerial procedure carry the control, and the register shows closure with the crew’s confirmation.

5. Effectiveness questions

Answer each from observation or interview only, and record the evidence.

Choose a task from the profile and watch it done or drilled. Does the hazard assessment describe what you saw, including the adaptations the crew made, or does it describe a different task?
Trace three reported hazards from the report to closure. How long did each take to get an owner, how long to close, and did the reporter hear back?
Ask members, career and volunteer, whether they would report a hazard, how, and what they expect to happen. Ask whether they have done so and got an answer. What proportion say yes with an example?

6. Interview and observation prompts

(HSO) Show me the hazard profile and the date it was last reviewed. What changed at the last review?
(Program manager) Which of your hazards is ranked highest, and what is the control above PPE?
(Program team lead) Who was in the room when this task’s hazard assessment was written?
(Incident commander) Tell me about a recent decision where you weighed risk against benefit. What framework did you use?
(Company officer) A crew member reports a hazard at the station. What do you do in the first hour, and the first week?
(Member) When did you last report a hazard, and what came back?
(Member, volunteer) Where is the hazard report form at your station?
(Equipment Standards team) Show me the hazard assessment done before the last new piece of equipment went on an apparatus.
(Observation) At a station: is a hazard report route visible and usable?
(Observation) On apparatus: can the crew retrieve a pre-incident plan for a target hazard?
(Observation) In a drill: do the conditions on the day match the assessment’s conditions, and does the crew adapt as the assessment expects?

Jurisdiction requirements

This chapter relies on the following legal requirements, which differ by province and territory. Check your jurisdiction’s section on each topic page before adopting it.

Topic	What to check in your jurisdiction	Page
Hazard Assessment and Workplace Inspections	Whether the statute requires a hazard identification system in the written program (workplace evaluation, inspection procedures, hazard reporting and control, monitoring and follow-up) and whether hazard assessments must be written or repeated at set intervals (items 3.1, 3.2, 3.22 to 3.28)	J04 Hazard Assessment and Workplace Inspections
Written Procedures and Committee Consultation	Whether the committee or representative must be consulted when the hazard assessment method, the risk management plan and other written procedures are established or reviewed (items 3.6, 3.30)	J06 Written Procedures and Committee Consultation
Fall Protection and Rope Access	The height or condition at which fall protection is required, which task assessments must use as their threshold (items 3.7, 3.8)	J16 Fall Protection and Rope Access
Confined Space	How the confined space rules define a confined space and what they require before entry, which station and task assessments must reflect (items 3.2, 3.8)	J17 Confined Space
WHMIS, Hazardous Materials and Asbestos	The WHMIS regulation and worker education rules that govern the hazardous products named in station and task assessments (items 3.2, 3.8)	J21 WHMIS, Hazardous Materials and Asbestos
First Aid	The first aid requirements (attendant numbers and certification, kits, vehicle kits) that station and incident assessments must account for (items 3.2, 3.8)	J24 First Aid

References

Canadian Federation of Construction Safety Associations [CFCSA]. (2021). National COR accreditation standard (final draft, 2021-06-11). https://cfcsa.ca/pdfs/CFCSA%20National%20COR%20Accreditation%20Standard%20-%20FINAL%20DRAFT,%202021.06.11.pdf

Center for Public Safety Excellence [CPSE]. (2019). Fire and emergency service self-assessment manual (10th ed.). Commission on Fire Accreditation International. https://cpse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/10th-Edition-FESSAM-Strikethrough-Underline-v.4.pdf

Center for Public Safety Excellence [CPSE]. (2024). Fire and emergency service self-assessment manual (11th ed.). Commission on Fire Accreditation International. https://www.cpse.org/accreditation/cfai10/

Conklin, T. (2012). Pre-accident investigations: An introduction to organizational safety. Ashgate.

CSA Group. (2012). CSA Z1002:12 (R2022), Occupational health and safety: Hazard identification and elimination and risk assessment and control. https://www.csagroup.org/store/product/CAN-CSA-Z1002-12/

CSA Group. (2013). CAN/CSA-Z1003-13/BNQ 9700-803/2013 (R2022), Psychological health and safety in the workplace: Prevention, promotion, and guidance to staged implementation (free to read from CSA Group and the Mental Health Commission of Canada). https://www.csagroup.org/store/product/CAN-CSA-Z1003-13-BNQ%209700-803-2013/

CSA Group. (2019). CSA Z45001:19 (R2023), Occupational health and safety management systems: Requirements with guidance for use (adopts ISO 45001:2018 with Canadian deviations). https://www.csagroup.org/store/product/CSA%20Z45001:19/

Hollnagel, E. (2014). Safety-I and Safety-II: The past and future of safety management. Ashgate.

International Organization for Standardization. (2018). ISO 45001:2018, Occupational health and safety management systems: Requirements with guidance for use. https://www.iso.org/standard/63787.html

National Fire Protection Association. (2024). NFPA 1550, Standard for emergency responder health and safety (consolidates NFPA 1500, 1521 and 1561). https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/nfpa-1550-standard-development/1550