CARRYING OUT A RISK ASSESSMENT
ALL YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT RISK ASSESSMENT?
1. Q. What is Risk Assessment?
Risk assessment is the core of risk management. It is essentially a process of identifying, measuring and managing significant risks. Judgements are made about the harm that might arise from an activity at work and the chance that the harm will occur.
The main purpose of risk assessment is simply to determine whether planned or existing control measures, such as safe systems of work and physical safeguards are adequate or need to be improved. It also promotes an improved awareness of hazards at work and a better appreciation of the necessity for control measures.
Risk assessment that is suitable and sufficient will reflect what it is reasonably practicable to expect employers to know about the hazards in their workplace. However. it is only the first step in controlling the incidence of workplace injury and disease. It is not an end in itself
Important note: check your existing procedures. You may have already undertaken a risk assessment and incorporated the findings. i.e. policies or procedures.
2. Q. What is Risk Management?
Risk management is broader than risk assessment and may well look at all risks. It also involves more general planning, organisation and control techniques.
3. Q. What are the legal duties?
There are legal duties both under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. which requires every employer to ensure so far as is reasonably practicable the Health. Safety and Welfare of employers and more specifically, under the Management of Health and Safety At Work Regulations 1999 which contain a requirement to assess risks.
The 1999 Regulations apply to all sectors of industry and commerce. They emphasise the need to develop a safety culture where the management of Health and Safety is fully integrated with the rest of the organisation’s functions.
4. Q. What are employers' key duties under the Regulations?
The Regulations require employers to:
Undertake a “systematic” examination of their work activities and record the significant findings.
Assess the risk to Health and Safety of employees and to anyone else who may be affected by the work activity. This is so that necessary preventative steps can be identified. Trivial risks can be ignored as can risks arising from routine activities associated with life in general, unless the work activity compounds those risks.
Concentrate. where the work involves workers moving from site to site, on a broader range of risks.
Formally record, where the company employs more than 5 people, the findings of the risk assessment and bring them to the attention of all concerned.
Make arrangements for putting into practice the preventative and protective measures that follow the risk assessment. These should cover planning, organisation, control, monitoring and review.
Review the assessments on an annual basis, or when they are no longer valid, or if there has been any significant changes in the processes within the working environment. e.g. the purchase of a new machine. Such reviews should form part of management practice.
Tell other people sharing the workplace (other tenants in the same building) about any risks your work activities may cause them and what precautions you are taking. In turn they are also required to tell you about their activities etc.
Appoint competent persons to provide Health and Safety assistance.
5. Q. What do the terms "hazard, risk and harm" mean?
Hazard
A hazard in terms of Health and Safety law is essentially the potential for anything to cause harm to individuals arising from substances, equipment and the workplace.
Risk
A risk is the likelihood of the harm actually occurring and the severity of the harm.
Harm
Harm to people is usually defined as injury, ranging from minor cuts to something requiring hospital treatment. Harm can also be caused to property.
6. Q. What are the levels of risk that I need to consider?
For managers there are 3 levels of risk that need to be considered:
· where the risk is too great or the outcome so serious that it cannot be justified and therefore the working conditions giving rise to that risk are unacceptable.
· where the risk is so small or may be made so small that as long as the situation is maintained no further action is required.
· Where the risk lies between these 2 levels, and controls are required to reduce the risk to as low a level as is deemed reasonably practicable. This is where most attention is focused demanding the intervention of the safety manager, the occupational hygienist, the designer, ergonomist, trainer and more. The work represents a risk to Health or Safety but the risk is neither negligible nor unacceptably high so is accepted within the bounds that it be reduced "so far as is reasonably practicable".
For an employer this redefines risk management in practical everyday terms. There are risks to the Health and Safety of employees which are trivial, minor and for which no further action is required other than to maintain the risks in that low category. On the other hand, there are risks which are so great that substantial alterations to working arrangements are essential.
The challenge to all managers/assessors is to be able to identify the reasonably foreseeable or accidents waiting to happen and then to do what is reasonably practicable to prevent them.
7. Q. Do the Regulations require precise calculations of risk levels?
Generally, the answer is no. Complex methods of quantified risk assessment have been developed, but these techniques are normally only necessary where consequences of failure are potentially catastrophic. In most organisations hazards are few and simple and checking them is common sense.
A word of warning however: just because an office is considered a low risk environment, do not get complacent.
8. Q. What preventative and protective measures need to be considered?
In deciding upon the preventative and protective measures to be taken employers should consider applying one or more of the following:
Avoiding the risk. i.e. eliminating it completely:
Combating the risk at source i.e. treat the risk rather than displaying a safety sign:
Substituting a substance or process for something less hazardous:
Enclosing the risk so that access is denied:
Giving priority to those measures that protect the whole workforce:
Implementing a safe system of work:
Ensuring adequate supervision:
Training staff:
Providing appropriate information:
Providing personal protective equipment/clothing.
OFFICE AREAS HAZARDS
Reception
* Slip. trips and falls
* Verbal abuse
* Physical violence
* Manual handling
* Electric shock
* Display Screen Equipment
Cleaners store
* Slips, trips and falls
* Contact with hazardous substances
* Falls from a height
* Falling objects
* Fire
Office areas
* Slips, trips and falls
* Manual handling
* Display Screen Equipment
* Falls from a height
* Objects falling on persons
* Fire
* Contact with machinery. e.g. photocopier, paper shredder etc.
* Electric shock
Car parking areas
* Slips. trips and falls
* Violence
* Verbal abuse
* Contact With moving Vehicles
9. Q. Can you identify control measures that I will need to consider when undertaking the risk assessment?
HAZARDS CONTROL MEASURES TO BE CONSIDERED
Slips. trips and falls
* Ensure a good standard of housekeeping is maintained
* Ensure all trailing cables are encased in rubber sleeves
* Ensure that all walkways/corridors remain free of obstructions at all times
* Ensure that adequate lighting is available at all times
Falls from a height
* Ensure that suitable ladders or kick stools are available in all storage areas, or where access is required
* Ensure a good standard of stacking is maintained
* Do not store items on the top of cupboards
Display screen equipment
* All user workstations to be subject to assessment
* Records to be maintained
Verbal abuse / Violence
* Ensure that reception areas have a panic alarm installed
* Ensure that local management arrangements are in Security place to respond to any call
* Ensure that adequate lighting is available
10. Q. What is meant by “competent” persons?
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require every employer to appoint one or more competent persons to assist in the measures needed to comply with Health and Safety law, including undertaking risk assessments. The competent person is therefore someone with a general knowledge and understanding both of the employers undertaking and of the type of business and associated risks.
It is important that you first consider appointing people within the organisation to this role: for example the premises manager. These people will have a working knowledge of their particular work activity and associated hazards and risks.
11. Q. Who can undertake the risk assessment?
A person should be identified at each site to act as the co-ordinator with specialist inputs from all areas of the organisation. The expertise need not rest in one person, several people may advise on different areas of the business involved in the risk assessment. Don't forget to involve Safety Representatives.
12. Q. Is there a standard form that we can use to record the risk assessment?
There are various pro-formas available in the market place.
13. Q. Do we need to include employees who work at home in the risk assessment?
Yes. Under the HSWA 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 employers have a duty to protect the Health, Safety and Welfare of employees. including homeworkers. Completing the risk assessment will involve identifying hazards relating to the homeworkers activities and then deciding whether enough steps have been taken to prevent harm to them or anyone else who may be affected by their work. The homeworker can be trained or provided with information to undertake the risk assessment.
14. Q. What are the common hazards associated with homeworkers?
Depending on the type of work activity being undertaken at home and whether or not you have provided equipment: e.g. VDU, desk lamp, telephone, etc. The list of hazards could cover handling and lifting, using work equipment, electrical equipment or hazardous substances and working with VDUs.
15. Q. Is risk assessment an unreasonable burden on the organisation?
No, risk assessment is the essential foundation for appropriate Health and Safety management action. A risk assessment. if well planned, should involve everyone and if carried out with enthusiasm and common sense offers many benefits including the introduction of more cost -effective preventive measures as well as a reduction in accidents and ill health.
16. Q. If we have already undertaken Control Of Substances Hazardous to Health assessments do we need to undertake them again under the Management Regulations?
If you have already undertaken assessments under other sets of Regulations. e.g. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health, then these will meet the needs of the requirements under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
17. Q. What other areas of the business need risk assessment undertaking?
Depending on the type of business the following areas all require formal risk assessment to be undertaken:
Provision of work equipment: all work equipment must have had significant hazards identified and corrected,
Manual handling: if staff undertake lifting activities etc, then assessment may be required,
Display Screen Equipment: there is a duty on the employer to carve out a suitable and sufficient assessment,
Personal protective equipment: if you provide PPE then a suitable assessment will be required.
RISK ASSESSMENT IN PRACTICE
There are 5 steps associated with making a suitable and sufficient risk assessment:
STEP NO 1 ACTION TO BE TAKEN
Hazard identification
* Walk around the workplace and look at what could reasonably be expected to cause harm,
* List the main areas of the working environment, both internal and external,
* Draw up a list of the hazards,
* Ignore any trivial risks,
* Concentrate on significant risks. Ask the question; what if?
* Ask staff/representatives about the hazards.
STEP NO 2 ACTION TO BE TAKEN
Who might be
* Consider all activities and processes undertaken by staff, harmed both routine and non-routine,
* Consider staff/contractors who conduct activities out of working hours, such as cleaners and maintenance etc,
* Think about people who may not be in the workplace all the time but could be harmed by your activities. i.e. other tenants, members of public etc.
STEP NO 3 ACTION TO BE TAKEN
Evaluating the risk Decide whether existing precautions are adequate or if more should be done,
If you identify a risk ask yourself the following questions:
* Can I remove the risk completely?
* Can I try a less risky option?
* Can I prevent access to the hazard - locking doors etc.?
* Can I organise the work to reduce exposure to the hazard?
* Have you done everything that is reasonably practicable to keep your workplace safe?
* Aim to reduce all risks to a minimum by adding to your existing procedures or control measures?
Hazard control Hazard control measures should take into account the need measures to:
* Eliminate the risk.
* Substitute with something less hazardous
* Implement a safe system of work. e.g. written procedures for risk areas, i.e. reception/security
* Ensure adequate supervision
* Identify training needs
* Inform staff by issuing written guidance
STEP NO 4 ACTION TO BE TAKEN
Recording your
* Write down the significant hazards and the measures to be findings taken to control these risks
* Ensure that a proper check was made of the work area / activities and that you involved all persons who might be affected
* Ensure you have dealt with all the significant hazards, taking into account the number of people who could be involved
* Ensure that the precautions are reasonable and that the remaining risks are low
* Keep the written assessment form for future reference
* Ensure that the findings of the assessment are brought to the attention of all concerned
* Review present instructions/procedures, as they may already list hazards and control measures
* For areas of work where similar or identical work activities are carried out, generic assessments may be more appropriate
STEP NO 5 ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN
Monitoring and Managers will be required to review and revise as necessary reviewing the any risk assessment if:
assessment
* There is reason to suspect the assessment if no longer valid. This may be apparent through accidents, complaints or ill health
* There has been a significant change to matters to which the assessment relates. This could be due to the introduction of a new or revised process or new equipment
In addition. employers should:
* Review the assessments from time to time. This could be done on an annual basis
* Ensure any changes or amendments made to assessments are brought to the attention of all concerned
* Use action sheets to record and monitor -outstanding actions that require attention.
For further advice on Risk Assessments or Health and Safety, Contact Office Wise.
