Health & Safety
Five steps to risk assessment
This information aims to help you assess health and safety
risks
A risk assessment is an important step in protecting your
workers and your business, as well as complying with the law. It
helps you focus on the risks that really matter in your workplace –
the ones with the potential to cause real harm. In many instances,
straightforward measures can readily control risks, for example
ensuring spillages are cleaned up promptly so people do not slip,
or cupboard drawers are kept closed to ensure people do not trip.
For most, that means simple, cheap and effective measures to ensure
your most valuable asset - your workforce - is protected.
The law does not expect you to eliminate all risk, but you are
required to protect people as far as ‘reasonably practicable’. This
guide tells you how to achieve that with a minimum of fuss.
This is not the only way to do a risk assessment, there are
other methods that work well, particularly for more complex risks
and circumstances. However, we believe this method is the most
straightforward for most organisations.
What is risk assessment?
A risk assessment is simply a careful examination of what, in
your work, could cause harm to people, so that you can weigh up
whether you have taken enough precautions or should do more to
prevent harm. Workers and others have a right to be protected from
harm caused by a failure to take reasonable control measures.
Accidents and ill health can ruin lives and affect your business
too if output is lost, machinery is damaged, insurance costs
increase or you have to go to court. You are legally required to
assess the risks in your workplace so that you put in place a plan
to control the risks.
How to assess the risks in your workplace
Follow the five steps, links to the HSEwebsite:
Don’t overcomplicate the process. In many organisations, the
risks are well known and the necessary control measures are easy to
apply. You probably already know whether, for example, you have
employees who move heavy loads and so could harm their backs, or
where people are most likely to slip or trip. If so, check that you
have taken reasonable precautions to avoid injury.
If you run a small organisation and you are confident you
understand what’s involved, you can do the assessment yourself. You
don’t have to be a health and safety expert.
If you work in a larger organisation, you could ask a health and
safety advisor to help you. If you are not confident, get help from
someone who is competent. In all cases, you should make sure that
you involve your staff or their representatives in the process.
They will have useful information about how the work is done that
will make your assessment of the risk more thorough and effective.
But remember, you are responsible for seeing that the assessment is
carried out properly.
When thinking about your risk assessment, remember:
- a hazard is anything that may cause harm, such as chemicals,
electricity, working from ladders, an open drawer etc;
- the risk is the chance, high or low, that somebody could be
harmed by these and other hazards, together with an indication of
how serious the harm could be.
Some frequently asked questions
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 employer’s efforts to improve health and safety (eg they must
wear protective equipment when it is provided), and to look out for
each other.
What if one of my employee’s 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.
Contact Environmental Health
E-mail: envhealth@dover.gov.uk
