4.1 ERICPD Hierarchy of Control

4.1 ERICPD Hierarchy of Control

Quick Answer: ERICPD ranks controls from most to least effective: Eliminate, Reduce (including substitution), Isolate, Control (engineering and administrative measures such as SSoW, training, and time limits), PPE, then Discipline. Use the highest level that is reasonably practicable first. PPE protects only the individual; higher controls protect everyone.

Controlling Risks sits next to risk assessment in Managing Safely. Once you know the hazards and the size of the risk, you must decide what to do about it. ERICPD is the course's standard hierarchy for choosing and justifying controls. Assessment questions often ask you to order the steps or place an example (guards, gloves, job rotation, substitution) under the correct letter.

Why a hierarchy exists

Not all controls are equal. Removing a toxic solvent from the process is more reliable than telling people to wear gloves carefully. A fixed machine guard that cannot be easily defeated is more reliable than a temporary barrier or a warning sign alone. The hierarchy forces managers to think upstream — change the hazard or the way the work is done — before relying on personal behaviour and personal equipment.

Using ERICPD well helps you:

• Prefer controls that protect all workers, visitors, and contractors in the area
• Avoid the default habit of “issue PPE and hope”
• Explain to senior managers why a cheaper rule or glove is not enough for a serious risk
• Document a defensible residual-risk position after controls are applied
• Link assessment findings to practical action on the project form

UK law expects risks to be reduced so far as is reasonably practicable. ERICPD is not itself a statute, but it is a practical way to show you considered stronger options before weaker ones.

The ERICPD order (memorise this)

Reduce includes substitution

A common exam trap is treating substitution as its own letter. In ERICPD as taught here, substitution is a form of Reduce. You reduce the hazard by swapping a more dangerous substance, process, or energy level for a less dangerous one. If the question lists “substitute a water-based cleaner for a solvent,” the answer is Reduce, not Eliminate (unless the hazard is removed entirely with nothing hazardous left).

Control covers engineering and administrative

Control is broad on purpose. It includes:

• Engineering controls that still leave the hazard present but manage exposure or energy (guards, LEV, interlocks, pressure relief, light curtains)
• Administrative controls that organise people and time (SSoW, method statements, training, competence checks, scheduled maintenance, job rotation, restricted access procedures, signage as part of a managed system)

Do not invent a separate letter for “admin controls” — under ERICPD they sit under C.

Why the order matters

Higher controls protect everyone. If you eliminate a substance, nobody on site is exposed. If you isolate noise inside an enclosure, everyone outside benefits without having to remember to wear ear muffs. If you only issue hearing protection, the person who forgets, refuses, or fits it badly remains exposed — and visitors may never be issued PPE at all.

PPE is a last resort for residual risk, not a first choice. PPE fails when it is:

• Not selected for the right hazard
• Ill-fitting or uncomfortable so people remove it
• Not maintained, cleaned, or replaced
• Used without training
• Relied on while a cheaper engineering fix was reasonably practicable

Discipline sits at the bottom because rules and punishment do not remove energy or toxicity. Supervision and enforcement matter — they keep the higher controls working — but they are supporting measures. A manager who only writes “staff must take care” has not controlled the risk.

Exam staple — order first, then classify

You will almost always need one of two skills:

1. Recite or recognise the sequence Eliminate → Reduce → Isolate → Control → PPE → Discipline
2. Classify an example into the correct level

Use this mini classification table until the pattern is automatic:

Worked reasoning — noisy workshop

Scenario: a fixed compressor produces high noise in a production area.

• Eliminate? Can the process run without compressed air? Sometimes redesign removes the need; if not, elimination fails the practicality test.
• Reduce? Quieter compressor model, anti-vibration mounts, maintenance to reduce rattle — reduces the hazard intensity.
• Isolate? Full acoustic enclosure or relocating the compressor to a plant room — separates people from the source.
• Control? Restricted access during peak use, shorter shifts near the plant, planned maintenance SSoW, signage as part of a managed zone.
• PPE? Hearing protection for residual exposure when people must enter the area.
• Discipline? Checks that muffs are worn and that doors on the enclosure stay shut.

A manager who only buys ear plugs has jumped to P and will struggle to justify that choice if stronger options were reasonably practicable.

Combining levels (usual practice)

Real workplaces stack controls. Elimination is ideal but not always possible. Typical stacks look like:

1. Reduce the substance hazard by substitution and
2. Isolate with closed transfer and
3. Control with LEV and SSoW and
4. PPE for residual splash risk and
5. Discipline via supervision and audits

The hierarchy is not “pick only one letter.” It is “work from the top; use lower levels for what remains.”

Manager checklist — ERICPD decisions

When you choose controls after a risk assessment, ask:

1. Can we eliminate this hazard completely without creating a worse one?
2. If not, can we reduce it (including substitute something safer)?
3. Can we isolate people from what remains with physical barriers or enclosures?
4. What control measures (engineering + SSoW, training, time limits) manage residual risk?
5. What PPE is needed only for what still cannot be controlled higher up?
6. How will discipline — supervision and rules — keep the system working day to day?
7. Have I recorded why I rejected higher options (cost, technical feasibility, new risks)?

Link this to the next sections: reasonably practicable explains how far you must climb the hierarchy; SSoW and permits to work are key Control (and sometimes Discipline) tools for complex residual risks.

Linking ERICPD to the rest of Managing Safely

• Assessing risks: scores tell you which risks need stronger ERICPD action first.
• Reasonably practicable: cost, time, and trouble of higher controls are weighed against risk reduction — but significant risks still demand serious action.
• SSoW and PTW: formal work methods and authorisations sit mainly under Control, with enforcement under Discipline.
• Hazards modules: for noise, vibration, chemicals, work at height, and electricity, always try higher ERICPD levels before PPE.
• Incident investigation: many incidents show over-reliance on PPE or rules while elimination or guarding was available.

Master the order and the classification table and you will secure easy marks — and write better project controls.