A Risk Assessment is a systematic method of looking at work activities, considering what could go wrong, and deciding on suitable control measures to prevent loss, damage or injury in the workplace. The Assessment should include the controls required to eliminate, reduce or minimise the risks. Risk Assessments are a fundamental requirement for businesses. If you don’t know, or appreciate where the risks are, you are putting yourself, your employees, your customers and your organisation in danger. Employers must look at all work activities that could cause harm in order to decide whether they are doing enough to meet their legal obligations. This is a minimum requirement. If it is reasonably practicable to do so, employers should consider doing more than the legal minimum. The aim should always be to reduce the risks as much as is ‘reasonably practicable’.
‘Reasonably practicable’ is a legal term that means employers must balance the cost of steps that they could take to reduce a risk against the degree of risk presented. When reckoning costs, the time, trouble and effort required should be included and not just the financial cost. A Risk Assessment should cover on the organisation and may vary depending on the nature of the work. However, Assessments must consider everyone who could be affected by that activity. As well as employees, others who could be affected must also be considered. This includes contractors, temporary workers, volunteers and the general public. Some groups are considered more vulnerable, such as young persons under 18 and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.
The legislation specifically asks employers to consider the risks posed to these groups and put in place additional controls if they are required. The Management of Health and Safety at Work (MHSW) Regulations 1999 require all employers and the self-employed to assess the risks from their work on anyone who may be affected.
