The Purpose of a Risk Assessment in the Workplace
26/07/2019
Risk assessments are a way of achieving a safe working environment for all. It is also a way to help businesses to show due diligence in the event an accident does occur.
A workplace risk assessment is a 5-step process that has been designed to identify hazards and risks that may be present, which in turn determines the relevant precautions that can be put in place to either remove or reduce hazards to a safe level.
If there are 5 or more people in the business, the risk assessment must be written down.
Why do I need to have a Risk Assessment?
If you are an owner or manager in any business, it is your legal duty to ensure that everyone involved in the business is safe. That includes:
- yourself
- your staff
- any contractors or temporary staff
- visitors and
- customers who may come onto your premises
If the worst happened and a member of staff was hurt, an HSE inspector would look at your risk assessment and would expect to see:
- a proper check of all the potential hazards, particularly the significant ones
- who might be affected
- the controls and precautions that were put in place were effective in reducing the risks
Legislation
In 1974, the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act (HSWA) became law, which replaced a multitude of legislation and standards that had become complex and confusing.
At the same time, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) was also formed, which today oversees the establishment and implementation of our health and safety laws in the UK, along with local authorities.
The purpose of the HSE and our health and safety laws is to prevent death, injury and ill-health to everyone while they are at work or affected by work activities.
HSE statistics
In 2018, an HSE report stated that there were over 555,000 work-related injuries that year, with these injuries costing companies an estimated £15 billion.
Before 1974, there was an average of 1,000 people killed at work each year. This figure for 2017/2018 was 144 deaths.
If you're looking for guidance to help your business comply the HSE offer a good resource.
Beginning a Workplace Risk Assessment
Risk assessments should be a live document and should change as your workplace changes. For example, this could be if your company:
- takes on new staff
- buys new equipment
- takes on a special project
- changes working hours
All these things will require changes to the original risk assessment as they have the potential to introduce new hazards and risks.
Change and update your assessment when any new factors are introduced, and it is good practice to introduce a regular review date, perhaps every six months or annually.
The 5-Step Risk Assessment
The HSE categorises the activities you must carry out to write your risk assessment into 5 steps. The five steps of a risk assessment are:
- Step 1 - Identify the hazards
- Step 2 - Decide who may be harmed and how
- Step 3 - Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions
- Step 4 - Record your findings and implement them
- Step 5 - Review your assessment and update as necessary
Train4Academy's online Understanding Risk Assessment training course looks at each of these steps in detail, which is designed to give you the right tools and knowledge you will need to carry out a risk assessment.