Health and Safety Risk Assessment

A Risk Assessment plays a crucial part in any organisation, therefor everyone plays an important part and has their subsequent duties towards their own Health and Safety, that of those around them, and the Health and Safety of the organisation overall. In the following sections, the duties of an organisation will be explored in-depth. To learn more on the changes brought on by the OHS Amendment Bill 2020, download your FREE eBook here.

There have been numerous case studies that have been done on health and safety, and one of the many studies include a health and safety risk assessment case study on slips, trips, and falls.

What is Hazard Identification in HSE Overview What is Hazard Identification in HSE? Loosely translates to Risk Assessment in Health and Safety. Risk assessments in health and safety form part of the risk management process which are included in the overall Health and Safety Management Plan and Programme of organisations, in addition to forming part of the Occupational Health and Safety Act’s requirements, to which employers must be compliant. A risk assessment involves the process of identifying the current and existing hazards that may appear in the workplace and it defines those that are likely cause harm to employees, contractors, visitors, and any other person that may be affected by the activities of the organisation. What does hazard identification entail?

How often should a Health and Safety Risk Assessment be reviewed? Overview Business owners, employers, managers, or supervisors must know the importance associated with keeping things up to date so that they run smoothly, and health and safety is not an exception to this. To make sure that employees stay safe, and that the employer remains compliant, risk assessments must be carried out and reviewed as part of regular work practice.

What is a Risk Assessment in Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) in the Workplace. The core principles associated with a risk assessment process in addition with the legal requirements of why organisations go through this important task, is common territory to seasoned health and safety professionals and larger organisations. However, there are numerous smaller organisations that may not fully grans that they have a responsibility to ensure the health and safety of all employees and visitors, and that they must drive compliance relating to health and safety within the operations of the organisation. The Occupational Health and Safety Act, 85 of 1993 requires that each employer provide a workplace which is safe and without risk to the health of employees, with further guidance offered on how employers can achieve this. Risk assessment in Occupational Health and Safety involves the fundamentals which are ingrained in the Act to assist employers in achieving their duties towards the health and safety of employees, and any other persons who may be affected by the organisation’s activities.

As per the Amended Occupational Health and Safety Act, Section 29, an inspector may, without any prior notice, enter any premises occupied and used by an employer to perform work. In addition, the inspector may also request documentation relating to the health and the safety of an organisation, including the OHS Risk Assessment plan.

Health and Safety Risk Assessment Steps Overview Employers have an obligation to ensure and maintain a healthy and safe work environment for employees and visitors to the premises. This is to ensure that employees are safeguarded and to ensure that employers are compliant with the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 85 of 1993. There may be a misconception that health and safety risk assessments are complex, time-consuming, or tedious, however, there are five simple health and safety risk assessment steps that can be followed to ensure that an effective risk assessment is done.

SafetyWallet explains how employers can carry out a Health and Safety Risk Assessment in the workplace.

It is the employer’s legal obligation to ensure that employees are protected from occupational risks to which they could be exposed. This can be done by implementing and following a risk management process, which involves: Risk analysis Risk assessment and risk control practices.