Risk Assessment

A risk assessment is a careful examination of the workplace and workers tasks to highlight any hazards which may cause harm or illness. The assessment will decide on the significance of the hazards discovered and the adequacy of existing precautions. Risk assessments are a legal requirement.

Risk Assessment Form

HSE Risk Assessment Index

Guidelines on Risk Assessment

Introduction

The requirement to undertake risk assessment has existed implicitly for centuries as part of the common law general duty of care - a duty to take reasonable care not to injure others.

The Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 requires us to do what is 'reasonably practicable' to ensure our health and safety at work, and the health and safety of colleagues and others, for example students, who may be affected by our work activities. Case law has shown that in order to do what is 'reasonably practicable', an assessment of risk must be undertaken and measures to reduce risks to an acceptable level implemented. In addition, Regulation 3 of The Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999 explicitly requires risk assessment to be undertaken.

All staff have responsibilities under the above legislation, and everyone (staff, students and visitors etc.) are bound by the common law general duty of care. Therefore the requirement to undertake risk assessment - and for staff to be involved in this process - is nothing new.

If staff are not involved in risk assessment the outcome will be ineffective and fail to comply with legal requirements. Staff are not expected to be hazard spotting / risk assessment experts, but are required to notify their line managers of any health and safety shortcomings in accordance with any training, information, instruction or experiences they have had. The Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999 specifically prohibit an Employer from defending against criminal proceedings by blaming a member of staff, although the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) can prosecute any individual within a Company. The HSE will always target 'the real wrongdoer.'

The purpose of the risk assessment process is to systematically identify significant risks, prioritise action to minimise this risk and thereby protect people and property from harm.

Risk assessment is a legal requirement - the Health & Safety Executive can prosecute, fine or imprison individuals for non compliance with this risk assessment requirement. Insurers will require evidence of risk assessments in order to defend any claim. If we cannot produce such evidence, the chances of successfully defending claims are minimal.

Arrangements

Heads of Faculty / Service are responsible for ensuring that risk assessments are undertaken, significant findings documented and any necessary measures to minimise risk are completed.

Heads of Department and equivalent within Services, must ensure that risk assessment is completed within their Department and must nominate sufficient staff to help them undertake this. They must ensure that these staff are trained and are afforded sufficient time to undertake the risk assessment process. The Safety, Health & Environment Section can provide training.

Definitions
Hazard means anything that can cause harm, e.g. chemicals, electricity, working from ladders, etc.

Risk is the chance, high, low or somewhere in between, that harm will occur and includes consideration of the extent or consequence of the harm.

A risk assessment is nothing more than a careful examination of what, in your work, could cause harm to people, so that you can determine whether you have taken enough precautions, or should do more to prevent harm. The aim is to ensure that no one gets hurt or becomes ill.

It is important to decide whether a hazard is significant. For instance, electricity can kill, but the likelihood of it doing so in an office environment is remote, provided that ‘live’ components are insulated and there are no damage or defects present.

Assessing the Risks - 5 essential steps

• Identify the significant hazards

• Decide who might be harmed and how

• Evaluate the risks and decide whether the existing precautions are adequate, or whether more should be done

• Record your findings

• Review your assessment and revisit if necessary.

1. Identifying the Significant Hazards

Ask staff what their 'top ten' areas of concern are - some may not be obvious to you, but are to others. Ignore the trivial and concentrate on significant hazards which could result in serious harm. Staff are not expected to be hazard spotting experts, but are expected to identify the obvious hazards associated with their work activities or surroundings. If they are an 'expert' in a particular field of work, e.g. toxicologist, chemist, electrician, mechanical engineer, architect or designer…. they are expected to be more aware of the health and safety issues associated with that profession.

2. Determine Who Will Be Affected And How

You must identify who could be affected by the risk giving particular consideration to any groups of people that may be more at risk. You do not need to name individuals.

• young workers, trainees, new and expectant mothers, etc.
• cleaners, visitors - including children, contractors, maintenance workers, etc.
• students

3. Evaluate the Risks - Are Existing Precautions Adequate

Consider how likely it is that the hazard could cause harm and think about the severity and consequence of the harm. Now you must make a judgement as to whether or not the risk is significant and more should be done to reduce it. Even after all precautions have been taken, some risk is likely to remain. Therefore, for each significant risk a decision needs to be made on whether the risk is high, medium or low.

NB. The aim is to reduce the risk. If in order to do this action needs to be taken - an ‘action list’ must be drawn up which gives priority to any risks which are high.

4. Record the Significant Findings

Any significant hazards and any conclusions drawn must be recorded. These findings must be shared with staff and others who may be affected.

There is no legally required format that you must use to record significant risk assessment findings. There is no 'right or wrong form' and best use should be made of the flexibility allowed to tailor record keeping to suit your Departments needs, to minimise effort and maximise results. Provided that the 5 essential elements of the risk assessment process are completed and you can demonstrate the following, a format to best suit your type of work should be used :

• a systematic check for hazards was made
• you identified those who might be affected
• you have evaluated the risks and minimised any unacceptably high risks by adopting reasonable precautions

Within the University there are many different forms in use, relating to the activities / situations being risk assessed. For example, forms for assessing the risks associated with the use of chemicals, biological agents, radiation etc..

The form appended to this document is based on the Health & Safety Executives suggested approach to record keeping and will enable you to demonstrate that you have complied with the legal requirement.

If you wish to devise your own form, please consult the Safety, Health and Environment Section staff.

Records must be kept to :

• refer to and use
• serve to demonstrate compliance with statute law and assist in defending any civil claim for compensation
• assist in monitoring particular hazards and precautions.

Other documents listing hazards and precautions can be referred to, such as manuals, safety codes, training records, manufacturer’s instructions, etc.., and the details contained therein do not need to be repeated provided they are readily available.
5. Review the Assessment and Revise if necessary

The assessment will have to be reviewed as new machinery, substances, procedures or personnel are introduced as these could lead to new hazards.

Make note of the date you reviewed the assessment, but only alter the record if there is a significant change in risk or precautions. It is good practice to review the assessment process at regular intervals to ensure that precautions are still working effectively.

References :

5 Steps to Risk Assessment ING163 (rev1) 5/99
http://www.open.gov.uk/HSE/HSEhome.htm

The Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999
Statutory Instrument no.3242