Risk Assessments
Undertaking and recording risk assessments is an absolute duty under health and safety legislation, the “Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations”
Undertaking and recording risk assessments is an absolute duty under health and safety legislation, the “Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations”
Whilst undertaking risk assessments can occasionally be perceived as a bit of a burden, doing so is integral to keeping your workplace safe.
In 2023 there were 21 reported fines of over £1m, this is a significant increase from the year before. Of these ten were issued due to inadequate risk assessments. This clearly indicates that the HSE is cracking down in this area of health and safety management.
Under health and safety law the accused is guilty until proven innocent. If you are faced with a prosecution or personal injury claim, one of your best forms of defence and mitigation is producing a “suitable and sufficient” risk assessment.
The most common factors in the failure of risk assessments to keep workers and your business free from harm include:
Undertaking and recording risk assessments is an absolute duty under health and safety legislation, the “Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations”. This absolute duty means that using excuses to explain why you have inadequate risk assessments will not provide any defence, so it’s in your best interests to take the time to produce good quality assessments. If these are in place and adhered to you will be proactively managing risk and less likely to have an accident or potential visit from an enforcement agency.
To avoid exposure to potential litigation, the implementation of a programme for risk assessments as a key part of your health and safety management system should be paramount. Close consideration should be given to putting a policy in place to demonstrate your intent on how you’re going to manage the system, including identifying risks and the types of assessment being undertaken, e.g. COSHH, ergonomic, fire, DSE etc.
The process is not a one-off event, It’s something that must be monitored and managed continually. Even a small change can dramatically alter the context of the written document, so be sure to review your assessments whenever there has been a change to people, machinery, the environment, process, etc. If you have an incident it highlights that the hazard has not been adequately controlled and there is room for improvement.
Along with any changes in the workplace that has been previously mentioned, you should regularly review your assessments. If you have a low-risk environment, such as an office, it would acceptable to review every two to three years. If, however, you undertake high-risk activities and tasks you should increase the frequency to six-monthly or annually, to ensure the risk assessments remain relevant.
Failure to adequately manage your risk assessments can significantly expose your business. It’s morally unacceptable to put your staff at risk, and of course a breach of legislation. If an accident does happen it can incur financial loss including expensive fines, loss of production and damaged reputation. It is vital to continually audit your system to keep it relevant and adequate.
If you require any help or advice, please contact Spectra where one of our experienced Consultants can help.