Risk Assessment Super Speedy Summary Bradford Area Occupational Health and Safety Forum

Occupational Safety Adviser Adam Varley

Risk Assessment Examples Contractors Cleaning Maintenance Building Catering Vehicle Movement Lone Working Violence at Work Slips and Trips Stress Working at Heights Machinery Use Hazardous Substances Manual Handling Display Screen Equipment First Aid Fire Sector Specific Technical

The Legal Requirement Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

Health and Safety Enforcement Fines now unlimited + up to 2yrs in Jail ‘Fines for health and safety offences’ ‘have increased at a significant rate in recent years.’ Corporate Manslaughter Manslaughter by Gross Negligence

Why Should I Bother? Boost morale – take care of staff Reduce costs: less accidents = less staff absence Increased efficiency – safer ways of working Risk Assessments are a key part of good management

Who is Responsible? Managers are responsible for making sure risk assessments are completed All staff are responsible for participating in the process, and reporting hazards

Hazards and Risks Hazard – anything that may cause harm Risk – the chance, high or low (likelihood), that somebody could be harmed by a hazard together with an indication of how serious (severity) the harm could be. Control Measure - What you do to reduce the level of risk.

Assessing Significant Risks Concentrate on assessing and controlling significant risks. Don’t include insignificant/trivial risks. To RA or not to RA, that is the question! Identify which are significant risks requiring assessment and which are trivial/insignificant and do not require assessing.

Reasonably Practicable - spend £1m to prevent 5 staff potentially suffering from bruised knees? - spend £1m to prevent a potential major explosion that could kill 150 people? Cost Risk

Five Steps to Assessing Risk Step 1 Identify the hazards Step 2 Decide who might be harmed and how Step 3 Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions Step 4 Record your findings and act on them Step 5 Review annually or sooner

Step 1 - How to Identify the Hazards Walk around your workplace Ask your employees/colleagues Check manufacturers instructions Look at accidents and ill health records Consider long-term health hazards

Step 2 - Decide who might be harmed and how Employees but some will have particular requirements e.g. young people, expectant mothers, people with disabilities. Members of the public if your work affects them. Visitors, cleaners, contractors who may not be familiar with or in the workplace at all times. Identify how they might be harmed and what type of injury or ill health might occur.

Step 3 - Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions/control Look at what you’re already doing Think about the controls you have in place and how the work is organised Discuss with others involved Compare this with good practice See if there’s more you should be doing to bring yourself up to standard

Hierarchy of Control Measures Most effective Least effective

Step 4 - Record your findings and implement them Write down the results of your risk assessments and share them with relevant staff and others (e.g. volunteers, contractors) Keep it simple You need to be able to show that: A proper check was made You considered who and how many might be affected The precautions are reasonable and the remaining risk low You involved your staff or their representatives in the process

Step 5 - Review and update your risk assessment Review what you are doing on an ongoing basis and update accordingly Review formally on an annual basis or when you bring in new equipment, substances and procedures that could lead to new or increased hazards Tell your staff of any changes

Tips for Risk Assessment Only include precautions and controls measure can actually (or intend to) undertake. You may be judged on what you have said you will do Make your risk assessments and safe working procedures site specific. Generic RAs are a starting not end point

Likelyhood Of Occurrence Severity of Outcome 1 Negligible 2 Slight 3 Moderate 4 Severe 5 V. Severe 1 Very UnlikelyLow (1) Low (2) Low (3) Low (4) Low (5) 2 UnlikelyLow (2) Low (4) Low (6) Medium (8) Medium (10) 3 PossibleLow (3) Low (6) Medium (9) High (12) High (15) 4 ProbableLow (4) Medium (8) High (12) High (16) High (20) 5 Very Likely Low (5) Medium (10) High (15) High (20) High (25) Likelihood of Occurrence x Severity of Outcome = Risk Rating