Health and Safety Risk Assessments
A Risk Assessment is systematic review of the work activities you undertake as part of your business, looking
at what could cause harm, and deciding on suitable control measures to prevent accidents or serious incidents
occurring. The Risk Assessment process should include the controls required to eliminate risk or suitable reduce
the consequences.
So why conduct a risk assessment?
Organisations with 5 or more employees are required by UK law to have documented risk assessments for all
significant hazards posed by the organisations work activities.
Organisations with less than 5 employees still have a duty to undertake risk assessments, however there is no
legal requirement to record the findings, although it is strongly recommended that you do.
Risk Assessment is a fundamental requirement for any business. If you are unaware, or don't appreciate what
risks are posed by your business activities, you are effectively putting yourself, your employees, your
customers, members of the public and your organisation reputation in great danger. Employers and the
self-employed should make suitable arrangements to reduce risk as much as is 'reasonably practicable'.
'Reasonably practicable' is a legal term that means employers must balance the cost of implementing risk control
measures that they could take to reduce a risk against the degree of risk presented. When reckoning costs, the
time, trouble and effort required should be included and not just the financial cost.
What should be covered by the health and safety risk assessment?
What a risk assessment will cover varies depending on what you do as a business, for example a predominantly
office based business will have inherently different risks to that of a manufacturing company. However, the risk
assessments must consider everyone who could be affected by whatever activities you undertake. As well as
employees, this includes contractors, temporary workers, volunteers and members of the public. Some groups are
also considered more vulnerable, such as young workers under the age 18 and new and expectant mothers, in these
cases the legislation specifically asks employers to consider the additional risks posed to these groups and
put in place additional controls where necessary.
The 5 Steps to Risk Assessment
The risk assessment process consists of a simply examination of what, in your work undertaking, could cause harm
to people (includes employees, visitors, the public etc), so that you can weigh up whether or not you have taken
enough precautions or should do more to prevent harm.
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Risk Assessment Step 1 – Identify the hazards
Walk around your workplace and look for what could reasonably be expected to cause harm.
Concentrate only on significant hazards, which could result in serious harm or affect several
people.
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Risk Assessment Step 2 – Decide who might be harmed and how
Consider people who may not be in the workplace all the time. Include members of the public, or
people you share your workplace with, if there is a chance they could be hurt by your activities.
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Risk Assessment Step 3 – Evaluate the risks and decide on practical precautions
If there is a significant hazard that needs to be suitably controlled, decide whether the hazard
can be got rid of altogether. If not, control the risks so that harm is unlikely. If your work
is varied, or if you or your employees move from one site to another, select the reasonably
foreseeable hazards and assess the risks from them.
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Risk Assessment Step 4 – Record and implement your findings
What further action is necessary to control the risk? Write down the more significant hazards,
record your most important conclusions and most importantly inform your employees about your
findings. Give priority to those risks, which affect large numbers of people and/or could
result in serious harm.
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Risk Assessment Step 5 – Review your assessment
Changes to the workplace will lead to new hazards. Any significant changes should be added to
the assessment to take account of the new hazard. Review your assessment regularly, but don't
amend it for every trivial change.
Don't overcomplicate the process. In many organisations, the risks are well known and the necessary control
measures are easy to apply.
At Health and Safety Mentor we have a variety of packages and services to assist your organisations in
compiling suitable and sufficient health and safety risk assessments that are both cost effective and practical for your
particular work environment. If you would like to enquire about our risk assessment services please ring and one
of our health and safety consultants will be pleased to deal with your enquiry on 08444 933 062.