HEALTH AND SAFETY AND RISK ASSESSMENT
As an employer you have a legal duty to provide a safe workplace for your employees so that you do not put their health at risk. This will involve ensuring that plant and machinery are safe and that your employees know how to operate them safely. Raw materials and equipment need to be moved and stored safely. You must provide appropriate information, instruction, training and supervision must be provided to ensure safe working, e.g. training in relation to working safely and manual handling.
There is a huge amount of health and safety information on the HSE’s main site – http://www.hse.gov.uk/ – which is very useful and includes up-to-date information on compliance with relevant regulations, e.g. the Control of Substances Hazard to Health (COSHH) regulations and the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences (RIDDOR see link) regulations, both of which will apply to you and link with the development of your health and safety policy.
Any business with more than five employees must have a written health and safety policy, but as with other aspects of policy, it’s well worth having in place even if you have less than five staff. Your health and safety policy does need not be overly complicated. It needs to show that you have undertaken a risk assessment for your business to identify the hazards that your employees may come into contact with – usually equipment or chemicals – and to estimate how significant those hazards are. If the hazard is significant, you need to ask yourself what precautions you have in place to minimise that risk.
Your health and safety policy document should also indicate information such as who is responsible for safety, maintenance of equipment, first aid, etc. Again there is very useful and practical information in the HSE’s free publication “Starting Your Business – Guidance on preparing a Health and Safety Policy Document for Small Firms” (INDG 324) at www.hse.gov.uk/smallbusinesses/gettingstarted.htm
where you will find more information and free downloads.
FIVE STEPS TO RISK ASSESSMENT
The five steps for undertaking a risk assessment as issued by the Health and Safety Executive are:
- Look for the hazards – walk around your business, and ask employees too.
- Decide who might be harmed and how – bear in mind that some groups of employees may be more at risk e.g. young people and pregnant women
- Evaluate the risks and decide whether the existing precautions are adequate or whether more should be done. To control risks ask yourself:
Could you use a less risky option, e.g. a different cleaning chemical or safer piece of equipment?
Can you prevent access to the hazard, e.g. by guarding a machine?
Can you organise the work to reduce exposure to the hazard?
Can you issue personal protective equipment, e.g. goggles and gloves?
- Record your findings – this is your risk assessment statement
- Review your risk assessment statement and revise it as and when necessary, e.g. if there is new equipment or changes to the business and, anyway, on an annual basis
The introductory leaflet “Five Steps to Risk Assessment” (INDG163) is available free from the HSE, at http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg163.pdf or by ‘phoning their help line on 08701 545500. Further information on risk assessment is available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/
If you would like to download this document please click on one of the links below:
H& S & Risk Assessment (Word Document 120Kb)
H& S & Risk Assessment (PDF Document 129Kb)
