How do I know which sources of risk to prioritise?

Short answer

You prioritise by selecting the sources of risk that pose the greatest risk to people, the environment, or the organisation — and that you can realistically manage within a reasonable timeframe.
The goal is to focus first on what provides the greatest safety and impact.

Why is prioritisation necessary?

Many organisations have a large number of sources of risk. If you try to manage everything at the same time, the result is often that:

nothing gets completed
risks are handled in the wrong order
the work feels overwhelming
you get stuck in documentation instead of improvement

Structured chemical management is based on doing the right things in the right order.

What should you prioritise first?

Start with sources of risk that meet one or more of the following:

1. Used frequently

The more often a source of risk is used, the higher the likelihood of exposure or incidents.

2. Used in larger quantities

Quantity affects the consequences in the event of spills, leaks, or incorrect handling.

3. High risk during handling

Examples include sources of risk that are:

corrosive
toxic
flammable
sensitising
harmful if inhaled

4. Handled by many people

The more people handle a source of risk, the more important clear routines and accessible information become.

5. Used in work tasks with high exposure

For example during:

spraying
heating
grinding (dust)
work in confined spaces
open containers or manual handling

6. Linked to known issues

If you have had incidents, near misses, or complaints linked to a source of risk, that is a clear signal that it should be prioritised.

What should you avoid?

One of the most common mistakes is to:

classify all sources of risk as “high risk”.

In practice, this means you have not prioritised at all, and the work becomes difficult to carry out.

A good rule of thumb

Prioritisation should be:

clear (it should be easy to understand why certain sources of risk were selected)
realistic (you should be able to manage them)
repeatable (you can apply the same prioritisation next year)

Recommended approach

A simple way to succeed is to:

list all sources of risk
select a manageable number (e.g. the 10–20 most important)
carry out risk assessments and manage these first
expand the selection step by step
repeat the process at least once per year

This creates quick results without the work becoming too extensive.

Next step

Would you like to read more?

What is a risk assessment?
What is a Protective sheet?
How often should we update our chemical management process?