Ensuring workplace safety is a critically important parameter every organization- small, medium and enterprise, has to meet. Simply put, it is not merely a choice, but a necessity.
By creating a safe and hazard-free work environment, a company can showcase that it cares for its employees, thereby building trust and positive sentiment, while simultaneously improving employee productivity.
On the other hand, building a safe workplace for employees also means meeting established industry standards or setting new ones, which, in turn, helps build credibility for the business concerned.
This is precisely where risk assessment comes into play. After all, it is the first and most critical step for minimizing risk and ensuring a safe environment for all.
What is Risk Assessment?
Risk assessment is a critical process that involves analyzing and identifying potential risks and hazards in a specific workplace.
A risk assessment is usually conducted by a specialist who comes up with measures to be implemented to control and eliminate risks in a selected environment. However, the power to execute these measures ultimately lies in the hands of the client organization.
Risk assessment is one component of a more vast process termed risk analysis. Apart from risk assessment, risk analysis also includes two other components such as risk communication and risk management. While risk communication denotes the exchange of information regarding the risks involved, risk management involves mitigating potential risks to avoid accidents and other uncertainties across the board.
Why is Risk Assessment So Important?
Risk assessment is, of course, a legal requirement. In the United States, OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) requires businesses of all sizes to conduct a risk assessment to ensure maximum safety for employees and customers. Similarly, the United Kingdom has made risk assessment a critical part of legal compliance requirements as per the Health and Safety at Work Act.
So, is risk assessment required for all industries? Yes and no.
Confusing? No worries. Let’s break it down a bit further.
Yes, conducting risk assessments is mandatory for all businesses, regardless of their core working mechanism.
No, there are different guidelines available for various industries as the types of potential risks vary greatly from one business space to another. For instance, the possible risks in the agriculture sector include fertilizer storage, animal behavior and handling, tractor repair and more. On the other hand, a business dealing with manufacturing machinery may face issues such as equipment malfunction and injuries from friction, cutting, crushing, etc.
What are the Types of Risk Assessment?
As mentioned, risk assessment differs greatly from one industry to the next. It is broadly classified into three different types. These types include large-scale assessment, required specific assessment and general assessment.
Large-Scale Risk Assessment
This type of risk assessment is usually conducted in workplaces that involve very significant risks, such as nuclear and oil industries. The assessment requires the use of advanced risk assessment techniques such Quantitative Risk Assessment, also known as QRA.
Required Specific Assessment
This type of assessment includes practices that are mandatory under specific legislation or regulations, including the handling of hazardous substances (according to COSHH regulations, 1998) and manual handling (according to Manual Handling Operations Regulations, 1992).
General Assessment
This category of risk assessment includes analyzing all general workplace risks as per the requirements of the legal health and safety administration bodies such as OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and HSE (Health, Safety & Environment).
When To Perform a Risk Assessment?
Now that we’ve discussed the different types of risk assessment, let’s explore when exactly a risk assessment should be performed.
Risk assessment is an inevitable part of a business’ legal compliance strategy. Beyond that, risk assessment is critical for avoiding fatal accidents, and other accidents that impact the operational efficiency and profitability of the business concerned.
Let’s say a company ignores risk assessment or opts for inefficient methods to conduct it. As a result, it will face increased overhead costs as employees might not turn up to work due to a work-related injury or ill health. Additionally, the company has to provide them with a sick-pay. In serious cases, the employees can also claim compensation on legal terms. That’s certainly a financial setback for the organization.
Given the scenario, it is the prime duty of the employer to initiate a risk assessment in the following instances.
- When new business processes are included in the workflow of the company
- When changes or alternatives are incorporated into existing business processes
- When a problem is detected in the use of related tools and equipment
What are the Steps of Risk Assessment?
Risk assessment is typically a 5-step process.
- Identify Potential Risks
Hazard identification is the first critical for effective risk assessment. Inspect the workplace location and look for common workplace hazards. Consider all types of risks, including physical, chemical and biological threats to employees and customers alike.
Look back at any previous accidents at the specific workplace, including near-miss cases. This should be of great help to identify risks efficiently. Using pre-defined checklists is also a good way to identify various workplace risks. Checklists can help ensure nothing critical is overlooked.
- Evaluate These Risks
Once all possible risks at the specified workplace are identified, they need to be carefully evaluated. Here is how it works.
Consider the risks that have been identified. Now, try to figure out how, where, why, how long and how many people are exposed to these risks. Use a risk matrix to rate the risks accordingly.
These steps help uncover who might be harmed by all possible risks and the details of how. After all, unmitigated risks can affect anyone, including employees at the site, visitors to the business and even passers-by based on the type and intensity of the risk. Risk evaluation comes in handy to keep all these individuals safe.
- Decide on Preventive Measures
Once you evaluate the intensity of all risks with the risk matrix, it’s time to come up with preventive measures to mitigate them in order to safeguard employees, civilians and the environment altogether.
Prioritize the implementation of measures and execute them one by one in a streamlined manner, in order to avoid chaos and get everything done in a timely fashion.
- Record Your Findings
Documenting the findings of a risk assessment allows you to maintain a formal record for future use. The document helps companies meticulously keep track of all potential risks and existing preventive measures in place.
The document shall contain a detailed explanation of the risk identification process, how the hazards were evaluated and how the preventive measures are finalized. It is also helpful to include risk assessment templates that can simplify the documentation process for future revisions.
- Review the Risk Assessment
Work environments are not constant, rather they are continuously changing with the arrival of new employees, products, materials, tools, equipment and more. With each and every change made to a work environment, the business’ risk assessment record becomes less authentic.
That said, it is critical to review the existing risk assessment document and processes from time to time and make updates when necessary. Updating your risk assessment record also helps with maintaining the workflow of the business intact while boosting operational efficiency.
Examples of Risk Assessment
Here are a few real-life risk assessment examples.
Health and Safety Risk Assessment
Safety inspectors and managers leverage risk assessment to identify the health and safety risks related to a job, work environment and the existing workflow. These risks can be differentiated into physical, chemical, biological, energy-based and environmental.
Workplace Risk Assessment
These risk assessments are performed by office managers and administrators to make sure that the specified workplace is free from health hazards and other concerns that pose a serious threat to employee safety. These assessments often have a positive impact on employee productivity.
Fall Risk Assessment
The nursing staff at aged care centers employ fall risk assessments to analyze the probability of patients falling. These assessments help ensure that all equipment and facilities are safe for use by senior citizens.
Construction Risk Assessment
Safety managers at construction sites use risk assessments to comply with safety regulations and implement the necessary preventive measures, to avoid the possibility of employees getting injured while on the job.
Conclusion
The risk assessment process includes analyzing and identifying all possible risks and hazards at a workplace location. Besides being an integral part of legal compliance, it is also an undeniable organizational responsibility.
Channelized risk assessment helps in establishing a robust safety culture in order to save individuals and company assets from physical, chemical and environmental hazards alike. Further, formal documentation of the risk assessment findings makes way for organizations to monitor possible risks and manage existing corrective measures that have been taken. It is recommended that risk assessment measures are frequently reviewed and updated to ensure maximum protection for all concerned.
