A Risk Assessment is a structured process to help you identify and manage health and safety risks in your workplace. This enables you to look at the hazards in your workplace that could lead to injury or ill health through normal and foreseeable work practices. This could be to employees or non-employees, both at their workplace or when they are out and about.
How is a Risk Assessment Carried Out?
Identify hazards – look for anything that could cause harm, such as equipment, substances, or work activities.
Decide who might be harmed and how – consider employees, contractors, visitors, and anyone else affected
Evaluate existing controls – check what measures are already in place to reduce risk
Focus on significant risks – prioritise the hazards most likely to cause serious harm
Decide on further action – determine what additional steps are needed to make the workplace safer
Record and review – risk assessment is a legal requirement; if you employ more than 5 people, risk assessments should be documented. Make sure you update it regularly, especially if work processes change
A good risk assessment doesn’t have to be complicated – it’s about being thorough and practical, By focusing on the most significant risks and ensuring controls are effective, you can meet your legal duties and protect your people.
President of IOSH 2008, Institute of Occupational Safety and Health
I am pleased that you are helping dispel some of the dafter myths that surround OH&S (a passion you and I clearly have in common) and the item clearly indicates that as with so many of our professional colleagues you are not about stopping fun on the pretext of H&S. It is only with the help of people such as yourself that we will eventually get the message across that OH&S is about bringing (as you so aptly put it) purpose and value to peoples lives
