Risk assessments help identify all kinds of safety issues found in workplaces. It’s important for employers to create them, share than with staff as well regularly reviewing them.
With the right risk assessment management practices, you can be sure that you are keeping everyone that could be affected by your work activities safe.
However, neglecting risk assessments leads to serious financial and even criminal consequences.
Let’s take a look at what a risk assessment is, when they should be reviewed, and who employers must share the content with.
What is a risk assessment?
A risk assessment is the process of identifying, analysing, and controlling hazards in the workplace.
Having suitable and sufficient risk assessments in place helps employers maintain safe working conditions – protecting their staff, as well as anyone that can be affected by the work (like customers, clients, or even the public).
Risk assessments in practice are generally simple processes. To ensure they are done correctly and take into account all of the potential hazards, it is important to involve people that actually carry out the work as well as getting expert advice from a Health & Safety professional.
When do employers need to review risk assessments?
Most employers think risk assessments only require yearly reviews and nothing more. There are a number of situations that could prompt a risk assessment review. They include:
After any accidents or near misses
This is considered as the most important reason for reviewing risk assessments. It is an integral part of the investigation process for any workplace accident or near miss to review existing risk assessments to determine whether it can be improved upon to prevent further similar events.
Significant changes to work activities, equipment or working environment
Businesses are always looking to develop ways of working more efficiently. This might include updating equipment or introducing new equipment, changing work processes or changing the work environment.
All of these changes should be a prompt for you to review any associated risk assessments.
It is important to consider in any case of change whether the change will not just affect your general risk assessments but also your fire risk assessment.
Personal risk assessments
Some personal risk assessments, like those for pregnant employees. They may need to be reviewed more frequently as the pregnancy develops. As a general rule, pregnancy risk assessments should be reviewed monthly, or the employee can request a review should they feel one is required.
Regular reviews
Habitually reviewing risk assessments on a regular basis is good Health & Safety management.
This could be annually, 6-monthly or more frequently – it all depends on the complexity or risk related to your work practices.
It is always better to detect flaws in your planning proactively before an incident occurs than unknowingly allowing unsafe conditions to prevail that could result in the injury or ill health of an employee.
Get expert advice on risk assessments with Peninsula
No matter what your industry is, all employers have a legal duty to ensure their workplaces are safe to work in. Without the right maintenance, you would end up injuring your staff, customers, or anyone who visits your work premises.
Peninsula offers expert advice on risk assessments. We offer 24-hour H&S advice – ensuring your employees work in the safest and most secure manner.
Want to find out more? Contact us on 0800 028 2420 and book a workplace risk assessment with one of our risk assessment consultants today.
