1. Risk Assessments
How and what

2. Risk Assessments Could it ??
You have carefully thought out all the angles
You have done it a hundred times
It comes naturally to you
You know what you are doing, it is what you have been trained to do all your life
So nothing could possibly go wrong
Could it ??

3. Think Again!

4. No beavers were actually injured during the creation of this PowerPoint presentation!

5. Risk Assessment
“A systematic evaluation of the work place and/or other activities which identifies the hazards present and gives an estimate of the extent of the risks involved”

6. Risk Assessment – The History
Always been here
Concept introduced with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
Concept expanded upon in the Management of Health and Safety Regulations 1992 (1999)
Integral to all other appropriate legislation i.e. CoSHH, PPE, Noise etc

7. So what is the concept of Risk Assessment?

8. Anything that may cause harm
Hazard
Anything that may cause harm

9. Risk The probability of harm occurring
Chance of exposure to the hazard X
Consequences (severity)

10. Task or Area Based ?

11. Area Based
Normally used for identifying common hazards in the workplace
Will also be used to identify TASKS to be individually risk assessed

12. Area Based Example Slip, trips and falls Electrical Safety
A risk assessment of administrative areas will lead to the identification of the following hazards:
Slip, trips and falls
Electrical Safety
Computer workstation hazards
Manual Handling

13. Area Based Example
The common hazard of slips trips and falls can be dealt with through the School policy.
The electrical safety will also be School policy with regard to inspection and PATesting.
Manual handling and the computer work stations will have to be risk assessed on a task basis.

14. Task Based A specific task or job will be risk assessed
All the hazards associated with the task will be assessed
electrical
biological
chemical
radiation
manual handling
falls from height, etc

15. 5 Steps To Risk Assessment

16. Step One
Identify the hazards

17. Methods Of Identifying Hazards
Health & safety audits
Academic journals
Research papers
Consultation with other co-workers
Accident reports
Trade organisations
HSE statistics

18. Methods Of Identifying Hazards
Similar Institutions
Outside Advice (manufacturers of equipment and materials)
Internal Advice (University Safety & Health Services)

19. Step Two
Identify who might be harmed

20. Who Might Be At Risk Employees Contractors Visitors General public
Children
People who share
the workplace
Must be people specific
Don’t forget vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities, pregnant staff and those with little experience or training.

21. Step Three
Evaluate the risks

22. Risk Analysis
Hazards and hazardous situations are systematically identified.
The level of risk associated with each hazard (situation) is estimated

23. Risk Evaluation
A judgement is made as to whether the level of risk is acceptable or tolerable
Will include a judgement on corrective or preventative measures

24. Completing the Risk assessment
Organising actions and responsibilities to reduce the hazards and risks to acceptable levels:
Elimination of hazard (do I have to do this?)
Substitution (materials, equipment etc)
Physical safeguards (machinery guarding, extraction etc)
Personal Protective Equipment
Safe working procedures
Or any combination of above

25. Completing the Risk assessment
Writing safe working procedures or instructions
General procedures may be in local rules
Specific procedures must be included in the risk assessment

26. Evaluating The Risks -some considerations
Industry standards
Legal requirements
Precautions already taken
Cost (so far as is reasonably practical)
Different working conditions i.e. weather
Numbers of people at risk
Severity of injury
Probability
Length of exposure/frequency

27. Step Four
Record your findings

28. Recording the Risk Assessment
The Elements
A description of the area or task
The hazards that personnel may be exposed to
Details of the personnel who may be exposed to the hazards

29. Recording the Risk Assessment
Details of which hazards are significant and those which are acceptable (and why)
The precautions in place, or to be put in place, to reduce the significant hazards to acceptable levels
How the precautions are to be maintained (management of systems, inspection of physical precautions etc)

30. Recording the Risk Assessment
Details of additional risk assessments i.e. hazardous substances (COSHH)
Emergency Procedures
Details of person completing the risk assessment
Details of person countersigning the risk assessment
Date, school or group, location details etc.

31. Recording the Risk Assessment
Evaluate the risks
Use the risk matrix on the form
Estimate the risk before control measures
Identify control measures to lower the risk
Estimate the risk after control measures (residual risk)
Can you lower the risk further? Ideally all LOW
Not all risks are injury – what about financial loss?

32. Recording the Risk Assessment
Consequence
Minor injury or no apparent injury
Injury requiring first aid
Injury requiring medical treatment, or with possible long term negative health effects L i k e l h o d
Will probably not occur in most circumstances
Low
Medium
May occur in some circumstances
High
Likely to occur in most circumstances

33. Recording the Risk Assessment
Signatures
all Low Risk - Principal Investigator (YOU). If not competent to do so, then also a Competent Person
any Medium Risk - Principal Investigator and Competent Person (not the same)
any High Risk – PI and CP, then referred to Head of School and Safety Manager for formal authorisation

34. School of Physics Policy
Use standard School risk assessment form or Specific RA form for hazards like lasers
Must be readily available in the laboratory on paper
Must be appropriately signed
Review at least annually or on changes
Copy provided to Head of Group and School Safety Manager
Work not covered by a suitable and sufficient risk assessment can be stopped by SSA, HoS, SSM, University Safety & Health Services or HSE.

37. Step Five
Review the assessment

38. Legal Summary Risk assessment
The Management of Health and Safety at Work
Regulations 1999 (amended 2006)
Risk assessment
3.—(1) Every employer shall make a suitable and sufficient assessment of—
(a) the risks to the health and safety of his employees to which they are exposed whilst
they are at work; and
(b) the risks to the health and safety of persons not in his employment arising out of or
in connection with the conduct by him of his undertaking,
for the purpose of identifying the measures he needs to take to comply with the requirements
and prohibitions imposed upon him by or under the relevant statutory provisions and by Part
II of the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997.

39. Risk Assessment Strategy
1. Identify the hazards
2. Evaluate the risks
3. Detail the control measures required to eliminate or reduce to risks to acceptable levels

40. Summary Recording the significant findings of the risk assessment.
What the task is
Who is responsible/supervisor
Where the risk assessment applies, who is affected
List of hazards
List of precautions
Details of safe working procedures
Emergency procedures
Reference to other associated risk assessments i.e. COSHH, manual handling, PPE etc.

41. Summary
Organising actions and responsibilities to reduce the hazards and risks to acceptable levels:
Elimination of hazard
Reduce by substitution (materials, equipment etc)
Physical safeguards (machinery guarding, extraction etc)
Personal Protective Equipment
Safe working procedures
Combination of above

42. How it can go wrong – a Case Study
The Health and Safety Executive have inspected part of the University following a case of occupational asthma and issued the University with an “Improvement Notice” to improve RISK ASSESSMENTS!!!

43. Circumstances of the Improvement Notice
Project studying poultry in various locations (approx 12 years)
Member of staff involved in project never used respiratory protection or considered exposure to animal allergens
Member of staff developed asthma which was later diagnosed as “occupational asthma” i.e. directly connected to the work environment

44. Circumstances of the Improvement Notice
Details reported to the HSE (legal requirement)
HSE investigated and concluded that the risk assessment for the work undertaken was not “suitable and sufficient” (Reg 3 of The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999) and served improvement notices under the HASAW 1974 and COSHH Regs 1999

45. Circumstances of the Improvement Notice
The risk assessment for the activity did not consider the possibility of occupational asthma due to exposure to animal allergens, a condition that was foreseeable
No respiratory protection was considered or provided and no lung function tests were ever carried out (although available)

46. Circumstances of the Improvement Notice
The HSE concluded that although the person involved was working on an individual project, the management of the University should have ensured that appropriate precautions were taken. They also concluded that there was no effective risk management system and that similar hazards may not have been addressed.

48. Other Possible Outcomes
The HSE considered a prosecution, which would have probably been successful. In the circumstances they felt that the willingness of the University to improve its systems meant that an “Improvement Notice” would serve the interest of health and safety better.

49. Examples Insured losses Compensation claims (UV burns £116k)
(Back Injury £33k)
Loss of business etc??
Uninsured losses
Fines of up to £20k, but last time……….
Fines (£3k)
Costs (£7k prosecution, £10k defence)
(£20k) from School resources !

50. The “cost” of Discharging the Notice
The following is a breakdown of the hours spent discharging the Notice:
School Safety Advisor – Hours
Divisional / Area Safety Advisors (6) – Hours
School Staff Hours
Total: 4960 Hours or 124 working weeks

51. Case Study
Ordered Conc. Sulphuric acid from a dubious but cheap supplier
Arrives on a wooden & damaged pallet, glass winchesters loosely secured by shrink film.
Left on loading bay and needs moving to the stores for safety.
Pallet appears to be damp in places.