Risk Assessment

Summary

Risk Assessment - A risk assessment is a document which details the potential hazards in a workplace.

Technical Information

The purpose of a risk assessment is to acknowledge any potential hazards, determine the risk of exposure to these hazards and put in place remedial measures to reduce the risk of exposure for personnel. A thorough risk assessment makes for a safer working environment for everyone.

There are two types of assessment; general and specific.

General assessments cover the health and safety risks which employees are subject to and the “significant findings” must be recorded where five or more people are working.
Specific Assessments are for certain activities which require more detailed risk assessments. E.g. working at height, hazardous substances, manual handling, noise, vibration and lead.

Risks are described as ‘high’, ‘medium’ or ‘low’ and can be reduced by implementing control measures. Work should only begin on site when all risks have been reduced to a safe level.

The risk assessment must be readily available for site inspectors to check at any time.