Is risk assessment rocket science? No of course it isn't.

Health and safety law requires that you carry out recorded,documented risk assessments for work,jobs,tasks or operations with significant risk, if you have more than five employees. The people involved should be included and their input valued, include,engage,embrace your workforce in the safety culture. The results and any changes required should be cascaded,communicated to everyone in the workforce, do not leave information in a file to rot.

Recorded,Documented risk assessments for tasks or operations with significant risk are required by law, for any business with five or more employees. So, carry them out, preferably with the people involved and value their input, include,engage,embrace your workforce in the safety culture. The findings need to be cascaded,communicated to all the workforce, there is no point leaving them in a filing cabinet, that will not improve safety standards,culture.

But I dont know how to do a risk assessment! Of course you do, if you drive a vehicle,car,bike, you do one at every junction, (I hope) looking both,each ways before moving out, if it is clear to do so. Even looking in your rear view mirror is a form of risk assessment before a manouvre. Crossing a street,road,highway on foot you do the same thing, looking each,both ways before you walk,step out.

But I dont know how to do a risk assessment! Of course you do, if you drive a vehicle,car,bike you do one at every junction, (I hope) looking both ways before moving out, if it is clear to do so. If you cross a street,road,highway on foot you do the same thing, look each,both ways before you walk,step out.

Risk assessment is mainly common sense, could you affect anyone nearby, clean up mess,spillages, cure leaks, dont leave draws open for people to walk into. No trailing cables. Sometimes you will need specialist information,knowledge of machinery, production,processes or chemicals,products will,may will be needed, it is important to have this advice to hand when you need it.

Your business's most valuable asset are employees,staff,workforce, so it makes business sense as well as legal, moral sense to protect them.

It is impossible to eliminate all risk and the law would not expect you to, you are required to do what is reasonably practicable. The definition of this is, what an open minded, reasonable person would expect to be in place. Sometimes referred to in legalise The man on the Clapham Omnibus, but you can Google that yourself.

The Definition of Risk Assessment

It is simply a methodical investigation of what in your workplace could cause harm to people and what precautions are in place to protect all persons who may visit your workplace.

Have you sufficient, reasonable precautions in place or do you need to make changes?

Did you know?

o 245 people in the UK are killed at work each year not including road related deaths

o There are 30,000 work related serious injuries every year, 1 every 17 minutes o 137,000 people in the UK were injured or killed in work related incidents last year

o 2 million people in the UK believe their illness to be caused or made worse by work

o 25,000 leave work every year never to return o 38.5 million working days are lost in the UK through injury or ill health each year which is a 30 billion annual cost to businesses

Did you know?

o The average fine for successful prosecution by the HSE was 18,765 in 2004 and this is not covered by insurance!

Five Stages of Risk Assessment

Stage 1 Hazard Identification

Walk around as though you were a new starter, open your eyes to what is reasonable and what you may see everyday and not notice.

Ask your staff,employees,workforce, they will have seen,noticed things that are not immediately obvious to you.

Manufacturer data sheets are an excellent resource for hazard information on machinery and chemicals. Use them as a reference for your risk assessments.

The less obvious hazards may also be identified by using records already in your possession, such as accident and ill health records.

Remember to think about long-term hazards to health (e.g. high levels of noise or exposure to harmful substances) as well as safety hazards.

Step 2 Who is at risk and how?

You need to know who may be harmed, so a comprehensive list should be compiled, This will give you the basis for providing the necessary protective measures.

Consider how people may be harmed, e.g. what type of injury or ill health might happen. Shelf stackers may suffer back injury from repeated lifting of boxes. Also some workers have particular requirements, e.g. new and young workers, new or expectant mothers and people with disabilities may be at particular risk.

Members of the public should also be considered, if they could be hurt by your activities. If you share your workplace, you will need to think about how your work affects others present, as well as how their work affects your staff " talk to them and ask your staff if they can think of anyone you may have missed. Extra thought will be needed for some specific hazards, cleaners, visitors, contractors, maintenance workers etc, who may not be in the workplace all the time.

Step 3 Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions

There are Approved Codes of Practice available from the HSE which are taken to be industry best practice. In the case of a claim, your provisions will be measured against the ACOP. What are you going to do about the hazards, everything reasonably practicable is the answer.

Measure your performance against the approved codes of practice, and make improvements as necessary

Use ERICPD to check, Eliminate, Reduce, Isolate, Control, PPE (personal protective equipment), Discipline of the workforce to work correctly

Step 4 Record your findings and implement them

All findings should be written down, kept simple and not too elaborate. For example 'Tripping over rubbish bins provided', Staff instructed, Housekeeping checks now in place weekly. Welding fume, local exhaust ventilation used and inspected regularly

Make sure your risk assessment is sufficient and suitable to evaluate the hazard properly, they are rarely perfect.

You need to be able to show

o a proper check was made

o who might be affected

o the significant hazards are controlled

o all people potentially involved

o precautions are reasonable

o staff were involved

o the remaining risk is low

Dont try to do everything at once. Make a plan of action to deal with the most important things first. Health and safety inspectors acknowledge the efforts of businesses that are clearly trying to make improvements.

o Quick fixes

o Medium and long term goals

o Training

Step 5 Review your risk assessment and update if necessary

Review at least annually

Nothing stays the same

o Changes

o Improvements

o Any near misses or accidents

o Ask the workers if everything is OK

o If you know there has been a change review immediately

Some frequently asked questions (Courtesy of HSE Web Site)

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 employers efforts to improve health and safety (e.g. they must wear protective equipment when it is provided), and to look out for each other.

What if one of my employees circumstances change?

Youll 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.