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Known Hazards Uncontrolled

Most organizations do not struggle to identify hazards. They struggle to control them consistently.

This report, exposes one of the most overlooked sources of risk in workplace safety: the gap between hazard identification and real-world control. While hazards are often well documented, discussed, and assigned controls on paper, those controls frequently degrade, are inconsistently applied, or are not actively verified in the field.

This is where exposure begins.

Drawing on how regulators actually conduct inspections, the report reframes compliance around execution—not documentation. Inspectors do not evaluate intent or policies first. They observe work, test worker understanding, and verify whether controls are present, effective, and consistently applied. When gaps exist between what is written and what is happening, those gaps become the basis for enforcement.

The report introduces the concept of Known Hazard Drift—the gradual breakdown of controls over time due to shortcuts, assumptions, and lack of verification. It outlines the most common ways control systems fail, including unclear ownership, lack of active supervision, inconsistent verification, and normalization of deviation.

To address this, the report provides a practical, repeatable system for closing the gap between identification and control. At the center of this system is a Hazard Control Audit Tool, designed to help organizations evaluate whether known hazards are actually being controlled right now. The tool focuses on control effectiveness, evidence, ownership, and verification, giving safety leaders a clear, field-based view of their true risk exposure.

It also reinforces the critical role of supervisors as the front line of control enforcement, and provides a structured approach to verification that moves organizations from assumption to evidence.

Ultimately, the report shifts the focus of safety management from identifying risks to proving control. It equips OHS leaders with the tools, frameworks, and mindset required to strengthen defensibility, reduce exposure, and ensure that what is documented aligns with what is actually happening in the field.

Because compliance is not defined by what is written.

It is defined by what can be demonstrated.