LMRA is the abbreviation for Last Minute Risk Analysis.

is a simple final check on safety aspects that is carried out immediately before the start of the work. This is done at the workplace by the employees who will be carrying out the work.

What is the purpose of the LMRA?

The purpose of the LMRA, which was already distributed in May 2005 by a Deltalinqs campaign among 20,000 employees in the Rotterdam area, is to identify hazards at your own workplace and to eliminate risks and dangerous circumstances that could lead to an incident.

Who is the LMRA intended for?

The LMRA is carried out by an employee himself and the benefits of it are also directly for the employee himself. In addition to all the precautions already taken at a workplace, you as an employee are ultimately best able to monitor your own safety and health and to prevent an accident. Therefore, the work or activity will not start if the hazards are not eliminated and the (residual) risks are not controlled. It is better to think about it beforehand than to regret it afterwards, after you have been confronted with the consequences. An LMRA is therefore a proactive tool to prevent incidents.

Why should the LMRA be used?

In our daily actions, tasks and other activities, we are confronted with quite a few risks that can cause injuries and other types of incidents. The majority of these risks can be eliminated or controlled by performing (task) risk analyses and/or applying work instructions and (safety) procedures. However, situations can occur in which we are still confronted with dangers that, for example, were overlooked during preparation or may be present in the workplace for another reason. The LMRA is available to still recognise these dangers and take appropriate measures - even at the last moment that we are confronted with them. The LMRA is also a good tool to fully concentrate on your task or assignment and to park all other matters in the background for a while. Because if you do multiple things at the same time, the chance of mistakes is much greater and it can end badly.

What is an LMRA?

The LMRA is a short general risk assessment that is carried out by the person who is actually going to perform the task. An LMRA does not have to take longer than a minute and does not require filling out a form. It is a mental process and takes place between the ears. An LMRA consists of three steps.

1. The first step is to identify potential hazards that may still be present in the workplace despite all measures. Ask yourself what the possibility is that you are exposed to these hazards? Do not start work if the risks are unacceptable in your opinion!
2. The second step is to determine measures to eliminate the identified risks or make them acceptable.
3. The third step is to take action for safe execution. You carry out the necessary control measures to eliminate or control the hazards. If necessary, ask for help to ensure safe execution of the task. 

An LMRA requires a continuous awareness of the need to go through these steps before an action or task. This may seem impossible, but it is actually a matter of developing a good habit to keep safety awareness at the right level. The bow cannot always be strung, but it is useful to strung the bow correctly at the right time. To implement and keep the LMRA going, laminated cards can be used that can be distributed to employees as a reminder and for use in the workplace. On such a card, the steps of this thought process are shown again and expressed in the form of a traffic light to put extra emphasis on the different phases. To keep the process alive, it is important to (continue to) communicate with each other about it. A manager asks his employees about it and colleagues share good LMRA experiences with each other to learn from each other.

When should an LMRA be carried out?

The LMRA is a proactive measure, so before starting activities. This does not only mean before starting your work or task, but also when circumstances change and after interruption of work. New risks may be present. An LMRA is also very suitable for increasing safety awareness during routine activities. Even if you have done something often, it can go wrong if you are not and do not stay focused.

This can be provided in WPS in various ways.

For example, before a work permit can be issued, an overview can be displayed in which the person responsible first indicates that the situation is safe. This action, just like all other status changes, is saved as a digital signature. The work permit can then be issued.

Furthermore, after issuing, a "release workplace" step can follow, which can also be repeated daily. This step has the added functionality that the release must also be cancelled when the holder logs out.

WPS and LMRA

In WPS, the LMRA step can be set up in various ways. WPS can be configured to require or not require the holder of the work permit to perform an LMRA. In this step, the holder confirms the work permit with a click (digital signature) and thus gives his approval, or possibly rejection.