Sneak Peak - Health & Safety

Carrying out Risk Assessments

Risk assessments should be carried out by or with the cooperation of the people who know the task best.  The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in their publication ‘five steps to risk assessment'(INDG 163) set out five simple steps to risks assessment.

Step 1. Look for hazards

Hazards - anything that can cause harm (e.g. chemicals, electricity, working at heights etc.).  This entails looking at the task and workplace and identifying significant hazards which could cause serious harm.  Look also at accident records to identify any hazards that have arisen in the past.

Step 2. Decide who might be harmed and how

This means looking at all the people who might be affected not just those present.  Think of young workers, trainers, cleaners, visitors, maintenance staff, contractors who may not be present at the time but may be present at some time.

Step 3  Evaluate the risks and decide whether existing precautions are adequate.

You will need to consider each hazard in turn and decide how likely it is to occur and cause harm.  Rate them high, medium, low.

Risk - is the chance high or low that someone will be harmed by the hazard.

By scoring the risk the priorities can be highlighted.  If the hazard is unlikely to cause much harm and has a low risk of occurring then it can be given a relatively low priority but if the reverse is the case it should be looked at urgently.

Are the existing precautions adequate?  Is there anything else that can be done to eliminate or control the hazard?

Step 4  Record your findings

It is sensible that your findings are recorded.  It is a requirement if the organisation has more than four employees.

Step 5. Review your assessment

Circumstances change and you are required to review the requirement for the risk assessment regularly.

H = High    M = Medium    L = Low

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