BLOG
12 common risk assessment mistakes | Top tips for getting it right
Risk assessment – a systematic approach to identifying hazards and evaluating any associated risks within a workplace – is the foundation of an effective safety management system.
As well as being a legal requirement under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, conducting “suitable and sufficient” risk assessments will help you to recognise and control hazards, raise awareness and reduce incidents, thereby protecting your employees and your organisation.
Related Content
Free Download: 12-Point Risk Assessment Checklist
Are your risks assessment effective? Use this simple checklist to review your risk assessments and make sure they are compiled correctly, cover all bases and have practical value in reducing workplace risks.
However, things can be missed, which leaves the door open to accidents and ill health. Indeed, the vast majority of serious safety incidents could have been avoided had risks had been properly assessed and managed.
All too often, our Health & Safety specialists find that risk assessments are not in place or, if they are, they are not regularly reviewed, lack specific information and/or aren’t conducted by a person who actually does the job. In many cases, staff simply aren’t aware of their existence.
With this in mind, here are our 12 top tips based on the common mistakes we see employers make when compiling risk assessments.
Ensure that at least two, preferably three, people are in involved in the creation and reviewing of risk assessments.
Involve those who carry out the task / use the equipment in the writing and review of risk assessments.
While the HSE say there is no requirement for those completing a risk assessment to have had training, you should make sure that they are competent. This can be defined as those with the necessary Knowledge, Ability, Training and Experience (KATE) to identify hazards and implement sensible, proportionate solutions.
Within the assessment, ensure that you consider how a person can be injured (i.e. head injury, etc.)
Reference applicable guidance, both from the HSE and trade associations.
Cross reference to other assessments that are in place to prevent duplication.
Avoid generic, ambiguous terms such as ‘heavy’ and ‘PPE’. Instead, use more precise weight measurements, for example ‘<25kg’, and be explicit with the PPE to be worn and the Standard of the PPE item (which is usually found within the item itself or in the manufacturer’s instructions). Similarly, be specific with your statements, for example ‘a person will/must/shall use hearing protection’, etc.
Any risk assessment is likely to require consideration of:
- Access/egress
- Health monitoring/surveillance
- Maintenance and inspections
- Pre-use checks
- Previous accidents / near misses
- Safe systems of work for higher-risk activities/tasks/equipment
- Start-up/stop under normal conditions and isolation for maintenance
- Training
If using a scoring system, ensure that a defined matrix with definitions is provided.
Communicate the findings of risk assessments to staff and obtain documented evidence that this has been seen.
Ensure that risk assessments are reviewed often and at least annually.
Have an index in place which lists all assessments and the dates reviews are required, to provide a quick reference guide.
If you’re looking to upskill staff, our interactive e-Learning course covers the five key steps to risk assessment and is ideal for anyone who needs to conduct them in their workplace. For larger organisations, we can also put together a risk assessors training package to support internal competence.
Relieve the stress of risk assessment
From an General Risk Assessment of your environment to help formulating specific assessments through expert guidance and templates, our fixed-fee Health & Safety support gives you all the advice and tools you need to simplify risk assessment and stay compliant. It even includes access to our award-winning software, MyH&S, which allows you to monitor actions, build your own assessments, and view your risk status in real time.
To discuss your risk assessment needs and find out more about how we can assist your organisation, call 0345 226 8393 or request your free consultation using the button below.
Sign up for the latest news & insights
Resources
Latest News & Insights
Making vaccination mandatory | Breaking down the legal position
BLOG Written by James Tamm on 20 October 2021 As employers roll out their back-to-work plans, the issue of whether to make vaccination a compulsory
The dangers of facial recognition | Uber workers bring race discrimination claim
BLOG Written by Kirstie Beattie on 20 October 2021 Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities have evolved dramatically in recent decades, reaching levels unimaginable only a generation
Post-furlough redundancies | What are the alternatives?
BLOG On 1 October, the UK’s COVID-19 furlough scheme was officially withdrawn after nearly two years of operation. While the connotations of this are largely
No jab, no sick pay? Morrison’s cuts the amount paid to unvaccinated staff
BLOG Written by Kirstie Beattie on 1 October 2021 Morrison’s supermarket has announced that it will no longer pay company sick pay for employees who
Estate agent wins sex discrimination claim against employer who refused her flexible working request
BLOG Written by Kirstie Beattie on 1 October 2021 A mother who made a flexible working request to allow her to leave work at 5pm
Self-isolation rules and vaccination status | How things have changed
BLOG Written by Charles Spencer on 1 October 2021 Self-isolation is said to be essential to reducing the spread of COVID-19, since it breaks the
Why the proposed changes to flexible working won’t make much practical difference
BLOG Written by James Tamm on 24 September 2021 As businesses finalise their return to work plans, the government is preparing to consult on the
Gen Z | Keeping up with the demands of the next generation of workers
BLOG Thanks to increasing life expectancy and decreasing mortality, there is now a greater age range in the workplace than ever before. But whilst employers
Do vaccinated employees need to take a PCR test following close contact with a positive COVID-19 case?
Blog While the legal requirement for fully-vaccinated people to self-isolate was revoked in an attempt to put an end to the so-called “pingdemic”, people are
