Risk assessment forms the basis of good health and safety management in the workplace. Make sure you take the time to ensure that your assessments are effective and that the necessary measures are taken to protect your employees and any others on the premises.
Tips to Consider When Undertaking Risk Assessments:
- When starting to do a risk assessment, first identify the hazards involved in the work. Walk around and look at how anyone could be injured or harmed by machinery, vehicles, the local environmental factors or hazardous substances, for example. Record your findings (unless you have fewer than five employees).
- Identify who and what could be harmed, in terms of employees, contractors, members of the public and visitors. Consider those with special requirements such as young workers and new and expectant mothers.
- Work out the risk in terms of how likely it is that the identified harm will occur. This will help to prioritise the actions needed to be taken to prevent an accident or ill health occurring.
- Determine the actions you need to take to remove or at least reduce the hazards identified. This might include providing safety equipment, installing barriers or changing the system of work, for example.
- Monitor your controls to ensure they are suitable and sufficient, and that they do the job they are intended to do – for example, check that guarding is working properly. Check that all identified actions have been taken, and ensure that the timeline for implementation is adhered to. Review your assessments regularly, and update them as necessary if things should change.
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