Is risk assessment rocket science? No of course it isn't.
Recorded,Documented risk assessments for tasks or operations with significant risk are required by law, for any business with five or more employees. So, carry them out, preferably with the people involved and value their input, include,engage,embrace your workforce in the safety culture. The findings need to be cascaded,communicated to all the workforce, there is no point leaving them in a filing cabinet, that will not improve safety standards,culture.
But I dont know how to do a risk assessment!
Of course you do, if you drive a car, you do one at every junction, (I hope) looking both ways before moving out, if it is clear to do so. If you cross a road on foot you do the same thing, look both ways before you step out.
A lot of it is common sense, clean up spillages, cure leaks, dont leave draws open for people to walk into, no trailing cables. There will be occasions when specialist knowledge of machinery, processes or chemicals will be needed, so make sure you have this advice when you need it.
Your workforce is your businesss most valuable asset, so doesnt it make sense to protect them.
Eliminating all risk is impossible and the law would not expect you to be able to do so. You are required to do what is reasonably practicable, that is, what an open minded, reasonable person (Sometimes referred to as The man on the Clapham Omnibus) would expect to be in place. If you wan to know more, you can Google that yourself.
The Definition of Risk Assessment
A thoughtful,thorough examination of hazards in the workplace and the controls in place to protect people who may visit the workplace
Have you sufficient, reasonable precautions in place or do you need to make changes.
Did you know?
o 245 people in the UK are killed at work each year not including road related deaths
o There are 30,000 work related serious injuries every year, 1 every 17 minutes
o 137,000 people in the UK were injured or killed in work related incidents last year
o 2 million people in the UK believe their illness to be caused or made worse by work
o 25,000 leave work every year never to return
o 38.5 million working days are lost in the UK through injury or ill health each year which is a 30 billion annual cost to businesses
Did you know?
o The average fine for successful prosecution by the HSE was 18,765 in 2004 and this is not covered by insurance!
Five Stages of Risk Assessment
Stage 1 Hazard Identification
Pretend you are new and look at everything with a fresh view, is what you record reasonable or should changes be made.
Everyone in the workplace will have an opinion, seek them out and evaluate their comments.
Check manufacturers instructions or data sheets for chemicals and equipment as they can be very helpful in spelling out the hazards and putting them in their true perspective.
The less obvious hazards may also be identified by using records already in your possession, such as accident and ill health records.
Not all hazards are immediately obvious, noise and exposure to dust for instance may not manifest themselves for some years.
Step 2 Who is at risk and how?
Compile a list of all persons,individuals who may be at risk then you will be able to manage it. You may need to consider them as groups rather than as individuals.
Consider how people may be harmed, e.g. what type of injury or ill health might happen. Shelf stackers may suffer back injury from repeated lifting of boxes. Also some workers have particular requirements, e.g. new and young workers, new or expectant mothers and people with disabilities may be at particular risk.
Extra thought will be needed for some hazards cleaners, visitors, contractors, maintenance workers etc, who may not be in the workplace all the time members of the public, if they could be hurt by your activities if you share your workplace, you will need to think about how your work affects others present, as well as how their work affects your staff " talk to them and ask your staff if they can think of anyone you may have missed.
Step 3 Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions
There are Approved Codes of Practice available from the HSE which are taken to be industry best practice. What are you going to do about the hazards, everything reasonably practicable is the answer.
Compare what you have or are doing with the best practice guides. Do you need to improve?
Use the ERICPD acronym to check that you Eliminate, Reduce, Isolate, Control, PPE (personal protective equipment), Discipline of the workforce to work correctly
Step 4 Record your findings and implement them
Write down your findings and keep them simple do not over elaborate e.g. Tripping over rubbish bins provided, staff instructed, weekly housekeeping checks, or Fume from welding: local exhaust ventilation used and regularly checked.
Risk assessments need to, be sufficient and suitable, they are rarely perfect, but need to evaluate the hazard properly.
You need to be able to show
o a proper check was made
o who might be affected
o the significant hazards are controlled
o all people potentially involved
o precautions are reasonable
o staff were involved
o the remaining risk is low
Dont try to do everything at once. Make a plan of action to deal with the most important things first. Health and safety inspectors acknowledge the efforts of businesses that are clearly trying to make improvements.
o Quick fixes
o Medium and long term goals
o Training
Step 5 Review your risk assessment and update if necessary
Review at least annually
Nothing stays the same
o Changes
o Improvements
o Any near misses or accidents
o Ask the workers if everything is OK
o If you know there has been a change review immediately
Some frequently asked questions (Courtesy of HSE Web Site)
What if the work I do tends to vary a lot, or I (or my employees) move from one site to another?
Identify the hazards you can reasonably expect and assess the risks from them. This general assessment should stand you in good stead for the majority of your work. Where you do take on work or a new site that is different, cover any new or different hazards with a specific assessment. You do not have to start from scratch each time.
What if I share a workplace?
Tell the other employers and self-employed people there about any risks your work could cause them, and what precautions you are taking. Also, think about the risks to your own workforce from those who share your workplace.
Do my employees have responsibilities?
Yes. Employees have legal responsibilities to co-operate with their employers efforts to improve health and safety (e.g. they must wear protective equipment when it is provided), and to look out for each other.
What if one of my employees circumstances change?
You'll need to look again at the risk assessment. You are required to carry out a specific risk assessment for new or expectant mothers, as some tasks (heavy lifting or work with chemicals for example) may not be appropriate. If an employee develops a disability then you are required to make reasonable adjustments. People returning to work following major surgery may also have particular requirements. If you put your mind to it, you can almost always find a way forward that works for you and your employees.
What if I have already assessed some of the risks?
If, for example, you use hazardous chemicals and you have already assessed the risks to health and the precautions you need to take under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH), you can consider them checked and move on. - 15246
Recorded,Documented risk assessments for tasks or operations with significant risk are required by law, for any business with five or more employees. So, carry them out, preferably with the people involved and value their input, include,engage,embrace your workforce in the safety culture. The findings need to be cascaded,communicated to all the workforce, there is no point leaving them in a filing cabinet, that will not improve safety standards,culture.
But I dont know how to do a risk assessment!
Of course you do, if you drive a car, you do one at every junction, (I hope) looking both ways before moving out, if it is clear to do so. If you cross a road on foot you do the same thing, look both ways before you step out.
A lot of it is common sense, clean up spillages, cure leaks, dont leave draws open for people to walk into, no trailing cables. There will be occasions when specialist knowledge of machinery, processes or chemicals will be needed, so make sure you have this advice when you need it.
Your workforce is your businesss most valuable asset, so doesnt it make sense to protect them.
Eliminating all risk is impossible and the law would not expect you to be able to do so. You are required to do what is reasonably practicable, that is, what an open minded, reasonable person (Sometimes referred to as The man on the Clapham Omnibus) would expect to be in place. If you wan to know more, you can Google that yourself.
The Definition of Risk Assessment
A thoughtful,thorough examination of hazards in the workplace and the controls in place to protect people who may visit the workplace
Have you sufficient, reasonable precautions in place or do you need to make changes.
Did you know?
o 245 people in the UK are killed at work each year not including road related deaths
o There are 30,000 work related serious injuries every year, 1 every 17 minutes
o 137,000 people in the UK were injured or killed in work related incidents last year
o 2 million people in the UK believe their illness to be caused or made worse by work
o 25,000 leave work every year never to return
o 38.5 million working days are lost in the UK through injury or ill health each year which is a 30 billion annual cost to businesses
Did you know?
o The average fine for successful prosecution by the HSE was 18,765 in 2004 and this is not covered by insurance!
Five Stages of Risk Assessment
Stage 1 Hazard Identification
Pretend you are new and look at everything with a fresh view, is what you record reasonable or should changes be made.
Everyone in the workplace will have an opinion, seek them out and evaluate their comments.
Check manufacturers instructions or data sheets for chemicals and equipment as they can be very helpful in spelling out the hazards and putting them in their true perspective.
The less obvious hazards may also be identified by using records already in your possession, such as accident and ill health records.
Not all hazards are immediately obvious, noise and exposure to dust for instance may not manifest themselves for some years.
Step 2 Who is at risk and how?
Compile a list of all persons,individuals who may be at risk then you will be able to manage it. You may need to consider them as groups rather than as individuals.
Consider how people may be harmed, e.g. what type of injury or ill health might happen. Shelf stackers may suffer back injury from repeated lifting of boxes. Also some workers have particular requirements, e.g. new and young workers, new or expectant mothers and people with disabilities may be at particular risk.
Extra thought will be needed for some hazards cleaners, visitors, contractors, maintenance workers etc, who may not be in the workplace all the time members of the public, if they could be hurt by your activities if you share your workplace, you will need to think about how your work affects others present, as well as how their work affects your staff " talk to them and ask your staff if they can think of anyone you may have missed.
Step 3 Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions
There are Approved Codes of Practice available from the HSE which are taken to be industry best practice. What are you going to do about the hazards, everything reasonably practicable is the answer.
Compare what you have or are doing with the best practice guides. Do you need to improve?
Use the ERICPD acronym to check that you Eliminate, Reduce, Isolate, Control, PPE (personal protective equipment), Discipline of the workforce to work correctly
Step 4 Record your findings and implement them
Write down your findings and keep them simple do not over elaborate e.g. Tripping over rubbish bins provided, staff instructed, weekly housekeeping checks, or Fume from welding: local exhaust ventilation used and regularly checked.
Risk assessments need to, be sufficient and suitable, they are rarely perfect, but need to evaluate the hazard properly.
You need to be able to show
o a proper check was made
o who might be affected
o the significant hazards are controlled
o all people potentially involved
o precautions are reasonable
o staff were involved
o the remaining risk is low
Dont try to do everything at once. Make a plan of action to deal with the most important things first. Health and safety inspectors acknowledge the efforts of businesses that are clearly trying to make improvements.
o Quick fixes
o Medium and long term goals
o Training
Step 5 Review your risk assessment and update if necessary
Review at least annually
Nothing stays the same
o Changes
o Improvements
o Any near misses or accidents
o Ask the workers if everything is OK
o If you know there has been a change review immediately
Some frequently asked questions (Courtesy of HSE Web Site)
What if the work I do tends to vary a lot, or I (or my employees) move from one site to another?
Identify the hazards you can reasonably expect and assess the risks from them. This general assessment should stand you in good stead for the majority of your work. Where you do take on work or a new site that is different, cover any new or different hazards with a specific assessment. You do not have to start from scratch each time.
What if I share a workplace?
Tell the other employers and self-employed people there about any risks your work could cause them, and what precautions you are taking. Also, think about the risks to your own workforce from those who share your workplace.
Do my employees have responsibilities?
Yes. Employees have legal responsibilities to co-operate with their employers efforts to improve health and safety (e.g. they must wear protective equipment when it is provided), and to look out for each other.
What if one of my employees circumstances change?
You'll need to look again at the risk assessment. You are required to carry out a specific risk assessment for new or expectant mothers, as some tasks (heavy lifting or work with chemicals for example) may not be appropriate. If an employee develops a disability then you are required to make reasonable adjustments. People returning to work following major surgery may also have particular requirements. If you put your mind to it, you can almost always find a way forward that works for you and your employees.
What if I have already assessed some of the risks?
If, for example, you use hazardous chemicals and you have already assessed the risks to health and the precautions you need to take under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH), you can consider them checked and move on. - 15246
About the Author:
Sean Fowden the author of this article is a health and safety consultant with experience ranging from Chemical industries through to rock concerts. His company rass ltd offers consultancy and training in health and safety and their web site has lots of info on free downloads
