How To Carry Out A Risk Assessment

Below is some simple guidance to help those who are required to carry out risk assessments.

Risk assessments may be completed by the General Manager, Office Manager, Owner or Team Leaders.

1. Identify the hazards 

First, identify what the hazards are. 

Look for hazards that you could reasonably expect to result in significant harm. For example: Slipping / tripping hazards, fire, chemicals, moving parts of machinery, vehicles, dust, lifting and carrying, poor lighting, electricity, noise and low temperatures. 

2. Identify who might be harmed and how 

Identify people who might be harmed by the hazard, including employees, other workers in the workplace and members of the public. Do not forget the cleaners, external maintenance contractors, and other visitors. It is also necessary to identify groups of employees who may be particularly at risk, such as young or inexperienced employees, new and expectant mothers, out of hours activities, home workers, those who work alone and disabled staff. 

3. Evaluate the risks from identified hazards 

Risks from identified hazards need to be evaluated. 

If there are no hazards there are no risks. Where risks are already controlled in some way, the effectiveness of those controls needs to be considered when assessing the extent of the risk that remains. It is also necessary to: 

• Observe the actual practice. The employees concerned and their Health and Safety Representative should be consulted; 

• Address what actually happens in the workplace or during the work activity; 

• Take account of existing preventative measures; if existing measures are not adequate, consider what more should be done to reduce the risk sufficiently. 

4. Review & Revision 

Review the Assessment. 

Check that the precautions for each hazard that was identified is still adequately controlled. If it is not adequately controlled, then the action needed to control the risk should be indicated and the outcome noted. 

The Assessment must be reviewed at least annually or whenever the process or procedure is changed.