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Before exploring how a health and safety risk assessment is used, it is imperative to understand what a risk assessment is. Simply defined, a risk assessment is a careful examination of what could potentially cause harm to employees so that an employer can weigh up whether they have effective precautions in place to prevent harm.

How to do a Health and Safety Risk Assessment Overview Risk assessments are the considered the cornerstone of any adequate health and safety management programme or system. All employers, regardless of the organisation’s size, industry, or nature of business, are required to carry out a risk assessment in the workplace and to keep a written record of that risk assessment. Employers may often be put off by the idea of a risk assessment as they think that it is a process that is overly complicated, difficult, or unnecessary. However, this need not be the case if it is done correctly. Risk assessments simply involve a close observation of the workplace or activities to identify what can cause harm to employees and visitors to the workplace and determining the control measures that can be implemented to minimise the risk of a harmful event. This begs the question regarding how a health and safety risk assessment is done. It can be done in three simple and basic steps, which are outlined and discussed in the sections below.

Employers may not be aware how much risk their employees are exposed to when they perform tasks, and this is one of many reasons why risk assessments are crucial. They can identify potential issues which may affect employees before an incident, or an accident occurs.

Employers have a legal obligation to ensure that the workplace used by their employees, customers, and visitors, is safe and free from any hazards or risks that could negatively impact their health, safety, and/or wellbeing. Risk assessments serve a crucial role in ensuring that the workplace is healthy and safe through a process of checks. A risk assessment highlights all hazards and protects employees from such hazards through the implementation of control measures.

5 Steps of Risk Assessment Health and Safety Overview Employers who are doing a risk assessment for the first time, or even those who wish to brush up on the steps which are involved, can use the 5 steps of risk assessment in health and safety indicated below to conduct an effective, detailed risk assessment to ensure that there is compliance in the workplace in addition to ensuring that the workplace is safe. What is a Risk Assessment?

Health and Safety Risk Assessment Hazards Health and safety risk assessments involve a systematic method of evaluating work activities, identifying hazards, considering what may go wrong, and deciding on appropriate control measures. These measures are designed to eliminate, reduce, or minimise the risk of losses, damages, and/or injuries in the workplace.

Health and Safety Risk Assessment Definition What is a Risk Assessment? The simplest definition of a health and safety risk assessment[i] is that it is a process, the start of a health and safety management approach that allows the employer and organisations put a proactive policy in place to manage workplace risks.

Why is a Health and Safety Risk Assessment Important? Overview The purpose of a risk assessment is that it serves as management tool which helps employers ensure that they provide a healthy and safe environment in which employees work, which is a legal obligation that employers have as according to the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 85 of 1993. Hazards and Risks There is a distinct difference between a hazard and a risk, and it is imperative that the two are not confused. A hazard can be described as something which has the potential to cause harm to the health, safety, or wellbeing of an employee, visitor to the site, or anyone else who may be affected by operations. A risk is the likelihood that an incident, injury, or an accident will occur as result of exposure to a hazard, or a combination of hazards.  Risks are categorised according to the potential harm or the adverse health effect that a hazard may have along with the number of times that employees may be exposed and the number of employees who are exposed.

A health and safety risk assessment can simply be defined as a process which involves the identification of hazards and risks, the analysing and evaluation thereof, and determining the best way to control or eliminate the risk. A health and safety risk assessment is a crucial part of any effective occupational health and safety management plan. When an effective health and safety risk assessment is conducted, hazards and risks can be uncovered and the people who are most likely to be at risk can be identified and safeguarded.