LMRA before the intervention: what it is, what goes in it and how your technicians do it

What is an LMRA?

An LMRA (last-minute risk analysis) is a short risk analysis that the technician carries out themselves at the place of work, just before they start. They check whether the situation is as expected, which hazards there are and which measures are needed. If it is not safe, the work does not start until the hazard has been removed.

The difference from the risk analysis at the office is the timing. At the office, nobody knows that access is blocked today, that someone from another company is working in the same place or that the floor is wet. The technician does see it, provided they stop for a moment before starting.

What goes in an LMRA checklist?

An LMRA stays short: a few questions the technician can answer on site. Most checklists cover the same subjects:

• The workplace: is it accessible, lit, tidy, dry?
• Electricity: can the installation be isolated, are there damaged cables or an open panel?
• Working at height: ladder or scaffolding, stable and in good order?
• Hazardous substances: chemicals, gas, vapours, an unknown product?
• Others nearby: residents, the customer’s staff, other contractors?
• Protective equipment: does the technician have what they need for this job, and is it in good condition?
• Arrangements with the customer: does the customer know work is being done, may the installation be shut down?

Depending on the type of work, questions are added or dropped. An LMRA for maintenance on a water treatment installation in a basement looks different from an LMRA for work on a roof.

What does the technician do on finding a hazard?

They do not start. They describe what they see, which measure has been taken or is needed, and inform whoever is responsible. Only when the hazard has been removed and a new check says it is safe does the work begin.

An example: the technician finds water on the floor next to the electrical panel in the plant room. They answer “no” to the question of whether the workplace is safe, record the hazard and take a photo. The work cannot start. The customer has the leak repaired and the room dried; the technician reports that the hazard has been corrected, does a new LMRA, and that one says it is safe to start.

Paper card or digital LMRA?

An LMRA on a card or a form has one weak point: nothing stops the technician from filling in the card afterwards, or not at all. A digital LMRA in the technician’s app can: as long as the analysis has not been confirmed, or as long as a hazard is still open, the work does not start. What is more, the office sees what was found, and the hazard stays visible at the site for the next intervention.

How it works in Digitalnatie Service Suite

In Service Suite, the office sets up safety: the LMRA questions per category, the PPE (personal protective equipment), the risks, the checklists and the documents that must be read. For each intervention, the office decides whether an LMRA is required, not required, or decided on site.

In the technician’s app, a safety tab brings together three cards: the LMRA, the PPE and the documents. A card only turns green once the check has been done and passed.

• The LMRA: the technician chooses the categories (the mandatory ones are ticked in advance by the office) and answers each question with yes, no or, where allowed, not applicable. Nothing is filled in in advance.
• A hazard: a “no” creates a hazard, with the severity the office set for that question. The technician describes the hazard and the measure, and can add a photo. An LMRA confirmed with a hazard requires a recheck: the work cannot start until a new LMRA says it is safe.
• The PPE: the technician checks their protective equipment. A critical item of protective equipment that is missing or damaged blocks the start.
• Documents: a document that must be read blocks the start until the technician has read it.

As long as a blocking condition has not been met, Service Suite refuses the start of work, even without a connection. At the office, you see the status of the LMRA, the PPE and the documents, the reason for a block and the hazards that are still open. Anyone who creates a new intervention at a site with an open hazard that stops the work is warned about it.

Frequently asked questions

What does LMRA mean?

LMRA stands for Last Minute Risk Analysis: a final risk analysis that the technician carries out on site, just before starting work.

Who does the LMRA?

The technician who carries out the work, at the place of work. In Service Suite, that is the technician the intervention is assigned to; the office cannot do the check in their place.

What if the LMRA finds a hazard?

Then the work does not start. The technician describes the hazard and the measure. Once the hazard has been removed, they report it and do a new LMRA; only if that one is safe can the work begin.

Can an LMRA be done without a connection?

The answers are saved on the device and sent later, but starting an LMRA needs a connection, because the questions come from the server. Without a confirmed LMRA, the work cannot start, offline included.

Can the office decide the LMRA questions?

Yes. The office sets the questions per category; a category that always applies is in every LMRA, and the technician chooses the others on site. The office proposes the severity a “no” gets, question by question; the technician can adjust it when describing the hazard.