Risk Assessment
A legal requirement of all new health & safety legislation, the use of Risk Assessment is fundamental to the successful management of health and safety. This process involves the identification of potential hazards associated with a process, activity or area, identifying the people who are likely to be exposed to these hazards, evaluating the associated risks and then introducing appropriate workplace precautions to control the identified risks.
It is a way to ensure you are being proactive with your health and safety management and compliance rather than addressing problems after they have caused harm. It requires you to look ahead at what could go wrong, before it actually has and then to decide if the measures you are already taking are adequate or if there is more that you could reasonably do to make the task, process or area safer.
If completed correctly, the hazard identification will help the assessor to identify significant risks which require formal assessment. A paper cut would not normally warrant an assessment unless it was happening very frequently, or the environment in which it occurs causes a bigger risk i.e. a cut in a laboratory could allow bacteria or chemicals to enter the body.
- Surely risk assessment is just common sense?
- My staff are trained in their jobs, isn’t that enough?
- Will I need to assess the risk of paper cuts?
Risk Assessment Services in the UK
- Identify all tasks, processes and activities which require a risk assessment.
- Identify any associated hazards, evaluating the risks to the people exposed.
- Evaluating existing control measures
- Produce an Action Plan for the implementation of missing or inadequate control measures
- Support periodic or extraordinary reviews.
- Identify the hazards present in the workplace.
- Identify those at risk from the hazards, including employees, contractors and visitors.
- Evaluate the risk, taking into account existing controls that are in place to reduce risks.
- Record findings on a suitable form.
- Present / discuss any significant findings which require urgent action.
- Ultra Services Group can offer three options as part of this service.
- We can carry out your risk assessments on your behalf.
- We can provide your staff with training and the appropriate documentation.
- Or a combination of the above, which can help to kickstart the process until your trained staff feel confident in completing the assessments.
- In addition, we can also offer a Review package as part of your ongoing management arrangements, or in following a significant accident, a major process change, or upon the introduction of new equipment or premises.
