Risk Assessments are a crucial part of an effective health and safety management system and there are numerous health and safety regulations that have explicit requirements for risk assessment.
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Health and Safety Risk Assessment in South Africa
Employers in South Africa are bound by the Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993 (OHSA) and other relevant regulations to ensure that they provide a safe and healthy work environment which is free of hazards.
Health and Safety Risk Management
Health and Safety Risk Management
What is a risk assessment?
When correctly used, a risk assessment forms part of effective health and safety risk management to ensure the health and safety of workers as well as others. A risk assessment, when simply defined, is a systematic process that involves the identification of hazards, evaluating associated risks within the workplace, and implementing reasonable control measures to remove or reduce them.
Health and Safety Risk
Health and Safety Risk
Hazards and Risks
What is a hazard?
Hazards which are related to Occupational Health and Safety, can simply defined as a potential source of harm or an adverse health effect on one or more person.
The term hazard and risk are typically used interchangeably, however, this simple definition clearly shows the distinct difference between the two terms, as they are often confused with one another.
What is a health and safety risk?
A health and safety risk which relates to Occupational Health and Safety
How do you use a Health and Safety Risk Assessment
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
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.
Who can carry out a Health and Safety Risk Assessment
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.
Health and Safety Risk Assessment Requirements
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
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?