Workplace environments present all kinds of hazards with the potential to cause injuries to staff, customers, and even the public. That’s why employers have a legal duty to encourage safe working practices though risk assessments.
There are all kinds of risk assessments to choose from, each tailored to specific work customs and industries. Neglecting them could lead to serious consequences; like facing compensation claims, business closure, and even imprisonment.
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Health & Safety experience, supporting businesses across several sectors. For a better understanding of what your business needs,
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Let’s take a look at what a risk assessment is, who carries them out, and why it’s important not to neglect these mandatory safety documents.
What is a risk assessment?
A
risk assessment is the process of identifying, analysing, and controlling hazards in the workplace.
They are a tool employers must use to maintain safe working conditions – protecting their staff, as well as anyone that could be affected by the work (like customers, clients, or even the public).
Some businesses only require basic risk assessments, like a low-risk office environment. Whilst others - like construction sites, could require more complex risk assessments, that may also need accompanying safe operating procedures or method statements.
Should you require support specific to the construction industry; then download our
free construction risk assessment template.
Ultimately, it all depends on what hazards your work presents and what’s needed to minimise them.
Who can carry out a risk assessment?
A risk assessment must be suitable and sufficient for the circumstances which it assesses. This can only be achieved when it is carried out by a ‘competent person’. This can be an employer, a trained employee, or a professional health & safety advisor.
Competent people will assess how likely a hazard is to harm somebody, what the potential consequences are, and determine what control measures are needed to reduce the risk. They’ll be able to outline safe working practices for all employees and visitors to follow.
Why are risk assessments important?
Risk assessments are essential. The process ensures that employers can single out hazards in the workplace, then document the controls that are required to mitigate the risk. It’s a legal obligation that falls on all employers across an array of industries.
Businesses who hire five or more employees must have written risk assessments in place. Meaning that technically – having less than 5 employees means that risk assessments do not need to be written down.
However, businesses with less than five employers must still demonstrate how they control risk – with a written risk assessment being the most effective way to do this and ensure compliance.
With proper risk management, you’ll be able to protect yourself, as well as anyone that could be harmed by your work.
Let’s look at why it’s important for employers to have risk assessments in place:
Protect people from potential harm
As mentioned, the main aim behind a risk assessment is
Health & Safety. Whatever customs and procedures you have, it’s important to protect your staff from any potential harm connected to their job.
Risk assessments cover five key steps:
- Identify your workplace hazards.
- Decide who might be harmed and how.
- Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions.
- Record the findings and implement them.
- Review your risk assessment and update if needed.
From slips in bathrooms to contact with moving
machinery, people are exposed to all kinds of safety issues at work. Risk assessments help to protect them from potential immediate harm to their physical safety, as well as their long-term health.
Saving lives
It’s not just minor injuries that could take place at work. Some people may suffer from long-term injuries, permanent health problems, and even fatalities.
For example, exposure to
asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) can lead to long-term respiratory illnesses. Asbestos exposure is directly linked to fatal diseases that drastically reduce life expectancy, including mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer.
Health hazards tend to be hidden - the damage is not immediately apparent. Symptoms often do not appear until 10 to 40+ years after initial exposure.
Without the right awareness or control, staff (and those in the immediate area) can be exposed. Once somebody has been exposed, even just once for a short period, there is no remedial action that can be taken.
Being aware of health-related risks could end up saving lives. That’s why it’s important for employers to appropriately manage risk in all relevant areas of their business. In the end, you’ll be able to protect people from irreversible harm and ill-health.
Lower hefty costs of poor management
Poor risk management can lead to hefty costs which can be hard for businesses to recover from. With the right assessments in place, employers can protect themselves from financial costs linked to injury claims and negligence cases.
For example, if an employee is injured at work, they may take time off to recover. Employers must then pay
statutory sick pay (SSP), as well as manage a loss in productivity.
In cases where the employer is found to be negligent, they will be forced to pay compensation fines to injured parties.
This can have a knock-on effect on the running costs of your business. Including increases in insurance premiums, loss of productivity, legal costs, and costs of hiring and training temporary or replacement staff to keep things running.
Failure to ensure risk assessments are completed could also mean that employers could be faced with enforcement action from the HSE, which can involve costly fees for intervention (FFI). It is important to remember that an accident does not actually have to happen to prompt HSE enforcement.
All these consequences can be avoided through proper risk assessments.
Get expert advice on risk assessments with Peninsula
No matter what your industry you work in, all employers have a legal duty to ensure their workplaces are safe. Without the right risk management, you would end up injuring your staff, customers, or anyone who visits your 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.
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