Hazards
A hazard is defined as something with the potential to cause
harm. Risk is the likelihood that the harm from a particular hazard
is realised. There are five basic steps to risk
assessment:
- Find the hazards
- Record your findings (this is mandatory if 5 or more
employees)
- Decide who might be harmed
- Review your assessment and revise it if necessary
- Evaluate the risks and decide if exiting precautions are
adequate or if more should be done
Risk assessment in practice
There are no fixed rules about how a risk assessment should be
carried out. It will depend on the nature of the undertaking,
the type and extent of the hazard and risks. For small undertakings
with few or simple hazards a suitable and sufficient risk
assessment can be a straightforward process based on personal
judgement, experience and knowledge. In larger or more
complex cases, specialist knowledge may be required.
Other regulations requiring risk assessment
- Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
- Fire precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1992
- Control of substances hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations
2002
- Noise at Work Regulations 1989
Example risk assessments
Example risk
assessments show how other small and medium-sized
businesses have approached risk assessment. If you can't find an
example for your industry, pick the one closest to it and adapt it
for your own workplace.