Glossary · Risk assessment and risk reduction
Administrative control
In occupational and machine safety, an administrative control is a policy, procedure, schedule, supervision practice or training measure used to reduce exposure to a hazard. It relies on people following it, so it ranks below elimination, substitution and engineering controls in the hierarchy of controls.
- Machine safety
- Human factors
In one sentence
Administrative controls such as procedures, permits, training and job rotation reduce exposure but depend on people following them every time.
Example
A plant limits access to a press area to trained setters, uses a permit to work for die changes and rotates operators to reduce time spent at a noisy station.
How it applies
- Human factors: Administrative controls are vulnerable to human error, time pressure and habit. Use them to supplement engineered protection, not to replace it where design or guarding is reasonably practicable.
- Technical documentation: Many administrative controls are documents: safe operating procedures, permits to work, training records and inspection schedules. They need document control so that only the current version is used.
- Machine safety: Manufacturers often specify administrative measures for users in the information for use, for example required qualification or inspection intervals. State them as clear requirements, not as vague advice.
- Evidence: Show that the control is actually applied: training records, signed permits, audit results.
Administrative control vs. engineering control
An engineering control acts physically or technically regardless of behavior. An administrative control only works when people comply with it.