In this guide, we'll discuss why risk assessments are important, how to carry one out, and how Peninsula can help you. Contact us today for more information on our full risk assessment service.
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How to Conduct a Dental Surgery Risk Assessment
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A risk assessment is an examination of anything in your work that can cause harm to people.
Risk assessments are important because of the following:
- Legal compliance: Employers must carry out a risk assessment to identify potential hazards and take steps to reduce harm as a legal requirement.
- Employee protection: Risk assessments help to protect your employees and the general public by ensuring sufficient control measures are in place.
- Reinforcing safety policies: Risk assessments help to reinforce a thorough Health & Safety policy, showing you have the correct control measures.
- Cost-effective: Risk assessments help to focus the employer on the risks that matter the most. Leading to simple and effective control measures to protect the workforce.
There are five stages to carrying out a risk assessment. Every Health & Safety assessment will include: identifying potential hazards, assessing who may be harmed, evaluating the risks, recording significant findings, and reviewing your risk assessment.
Peninsula is an industry-leading risk assessment company - helping you carry out your assessments every step of the way. With our expertise, we can help keep your employees, customers, and business safe from harm.
Yes if you fail to carry out a risk assessment and an employee is injured, you can be taken to a tribunal. If found guilty, you can be hit with both financial and reputational damages.
A Health & Safety risk assessment can cost anything from £200 to £1,300. It really depends on what your business entails, what kind of risks are found, and what methods are needed to manage them. Speak to one of our Health & Safety consultants today for more advice.
Research by charity Working Families found that 75% of mothers were employed in the UK last year. Statistics like this may have influenced the government to pass the New and Expectant Mothers Risk Assessment (NEMA).
No matter what business industry you’re in, you’ll most likely own equipment that emits carbon monoxide (CO). Employers have a legal duty of care to manage the serious risks related to carbon monoxide emissions found in your workplace. Let’s take a look at how to conduct a carbon monoxide risk assessment for your workplace.
In this guide, we’ll look at what RAMS stands for, what the benefits are, and how to create these safety document to help manage health and safety in your workplace.
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When running a dental surgery, there are many Health & Safety hazards you need to be aware of. You must control these correctly, to keep both your employees and patients safe.
Carrying out a risk assessment is the best way to do this, but it’s also one of your legal duties when it comes to Health & Safety. Failure to perform one could put both your employees and patients at risk of harm.
In this guide, we'll discuss why risk assessments are important, how to carry one out, and how Peninsula can help you. We provide expert dentistry Health & Support for your dental practice, contact us today to find out more.
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Risk assessments are an evaluation of work activities; they consider what could potentially cause harm to people, and whether adequate safety controls are in place.
A risk assessment is a vital tool to help manage Health & Safety in your dental surgery. You can download our free risk assessment template here.
Are risk assessments in dental surgeries a legal requirement?
Yes, under Health & Safety law, risk assessments are a legal requirement in dental surgeries. The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 states that employers must control risks that employees are exposed to and others who may be affected.
Specifically, under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, employers are required to assess the risks in the workplace.
Other legislations that are related to the management of Health & Safety in dentistry are:
Why is a risk assessment important in a dental practice?
Risk assessments are vitally important in a dental practice. As a business owner, you are responsible for keeping your employees and patients safe whilst on site.
Carrying out a risk assessment is the best way to spot and control hazards that may occur within a dental surgery setting.
Hazards in a dental practice
There are many potential hazards in a dental practice, such as needles and other dental equipment. But there are others you need to be aware of, all of which can be avoided with a proper risk assessment.
This includes:
Exposure to hazardous substances, such as cleaning agents.
Burns or skin damage from using a hazardous chemical, such as mercury.
Incorrect storage of hazardous substances.
Incorrect biological waste disposal.
Incorrect infection control - which could lead to viral infections.
Poor medicine storage.
Radiation exposure.
How to carry out risk assessments
A risk assessment should be carried out if you're introducing a new process, changing a process, or using new equipment or materials that can present risk. They should be carried out by a competent person - such as the employer, a trained employee, or a Health & Safety professional.
Below are the steps to follow when conducting Health & Safety risk assessments:
Step 1: Identify hazards
The first step of the process is to correctly identify potential hazards found in the workplace. You must think about risks linked to materials, equipment, and current work practices. This should be done via a site walkaround.
You should be able to identify hazards and risks as separate entities. Hazards have the potential to cause harm, whilst risks can cause harm or damage to other parties.
Step 2: Decide who may be harmed
The second step of a risk assessment is to evaluate which people can be harmed by hazards and how.
Remember to consider the potential harm to any non-workers you have in your surgery, for example, patients. Under your legal duty of care, you must assess the risks to them. You'll be held responsible if they are harmed whilst visiting your surgery.
Step 3: Evaluate the extent of the risk and implement control measures
The third step of the risk assessment process is to evaluate the risks found, in terms of low, medium, and high. You should evaluate the extent of the risk by determining several factors, such as:
What the risk is.
The likelihood of harm being caused by the risk.
The number of people affected.
The possible consequences.
Following this, you should implement control measures that best protect your employees and patients from harm.
For example, the requirement for the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) like eye protection when carrying out certain tasks. Or providing employees with sharps awareness training to reduce the risk of needle stick injuries.
Step 4: Record your findings
The next step of the process is to record the findings of the risk assessment. This record should include identification of hazards and any measurement you implement.
If you have five or more workers, you have a legal requirement to have risk assessments written down within a Health & Safety policy.
However, it is best practice to document risk assessments, regardless of business size.
Step 5: Review your risk assessment and update as needed
The last step of the process is to determine when to review your risk assessment. This should be done as a minimum annually. However a review could be prompted by changes to a work process, or any changes to the materials or equipment used within your dental surgery.
How Peninsula can help with Health & Safety risk assessments
There are thousands of dental surgeries within the UK, with millions of people visiting the dentist each year. This is why you need to be aware of the relevant Health & Safety rules and regulations.
But, when running a dental practice, this can take up valuable time - and every minute counts. That's why Peninsula is here to help. We can help with every aspect of your Health & Safety management. Including:
Our teams offer expert advice on dentist Health & Safety and risk assessments. We provide 24/7 Health & Safety advice which is available 365 days a year. We take care of everything when you work with our Health & Safety experts.
Download our today, which is ready to use when required.
Want to find out more? Contact us on 0800 028 2420 and book a free consultation with a Health & Safety consultant today.
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