International

Labour
Office
Geneva

ILO Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
Training Package
on Workplace Risk Assessment
and Management for
Small and
Medium-Sized
Enterprises
Programme on Safety and Health at Work
and the Environment (SafeWork)
International Labour Organization
Route des Morillons 4
CH -1211 Geneva 22
Switzerland

TEL. + 41 22 7996715
FAX + 41 22 7996878

E-mail : safework @ ilo.org

www.ilo.org / safework

ISBN 978-92-2-127063-8

9 789221 270638
Programme on Safety and Health at Work and the Environment
(SafeWork)

Training Package
on Workplace Risk Assessment
and Management for
Small and Medium-Sized
Enterprises

International Labour Office, Geneva

Copyright © International Labour Organization 2013
First published 2013

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Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
First published 2013

ISBN 978-92-2-127064-5 (print)

ISBN 978-92-2-127065-2 (web pdf)

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This training package was produced under the project “Linking safety and health at work to sustainable
economic development: From theory and platitudes to conviction and action” (2009–2012), funded
by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

The project promotes the improvement of occupational safety and health for all workers through
the development of global products addressing the methodological and informational gaps in this
field, and through the mobilization of national stakeholders towards the implementation of practical
measures at national, local and enterprise levels. The outputs of the project include training materials,
practical tools and policy guidance to reinforce national and local capacities in occupational safety
and health, and to help constituents design and implement occupational safety and health policies
and programmes.
Preface

This training package on risk assessment and management at the workplace seeks primarily to
empower owners and managers of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to take action
themselves to improve safety and health conditions in their workplaces.
Work-related injuries and ill health can ruin lives and affect businesses if output is lost, machin-
ery damaged, insurance costs increase, etc. This is something that small businesses, particularly
vulnerable to the impact of occupational accidents and work-related ill health, cannot afford –
morally and economically. It is precisely to avoid this sort of situation that this training package
has been devised.
Risk assessment as a key tool in managing occupational safety and health at an enterprise and
gives employers and businesses a means to be proactive, to identify hazards and take action to
remedy problems before they cause an accident or ill health. As this training package demon-
strates, the solutions are not so difficult to develop as they are based on the owner’s and workers’
intimate knowledge of their own workplace. The aim is to help employers and workers find cost-
effective, practical solutions to control risks in their workplaces.
The training package is designed to help those running and working in SMEs, as well as those
who work with or provide services to SMEs, work step by step through the logistics of a risk
assessment. It is aimed primarily at owners/employers of SMEs, the people who are responsible –
legally in many countries – for ensuring that risk assessment is part and parcel of doing ­business.
It is also of interest to others, the workers and their representatives at the workplace, labour
inspectors, employers’ organizations and trade unions who may use the materials in training for
their members.
The training package consists of three modules. The main module is a self-help tool which cov-
ers the five steps of carrying out a risk assessment. It will instill confidence and empower owners
and workers of SMEs to carry out their own risk assessments. A second module outlines a train-
ers’ toolkit, developed to support risk assessment training courses and to help trainers plan risk
assessment programmes. It includes activity sheets to guide participants through the risk assess-
ment process. Finally, a third module gives examples of risk assessments for selected occupational
sectors where SMEs are prevalent.
I hope that the training package will serve its purpose as a simple, practical tool to help employers
and workers find cost-effective, practical solutions to control the risks in their workplaces to the
benefit of workers and owners alike.

 Seiji Machida, Director,

SafeWork.

Preface v
Acknowledgements

The development of this training package would not have been possible without the financial
contribution from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).
Mr Peter Hurst, consultant in occupational safety and health, drafted the training package and
piloted it in a training course with ILO constituents representing several different occupational
sectors in Malawi. Ms Annie Rice and Mr Andrew Christian from the ILO SafeWork Programme
provided tech­nical contributions for finalizing the contents. Ms Amélie Schmitt, Chief Technical
Adviser of the SIDA funded project, coordinated the development of this product.

Acknowledgement vii

Table of contents

Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
About the training package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

PART I   RISK ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY 7

1.   Basic concepts and terminology on risk assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.   Carrying out the risk assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
STEP 1:  Identify the hazards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
STEP 2:  Identify who might be harmed and how . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
STEP 3:  Evaluate the risk – identify and decide on the safety and health risk 
control measures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
STEP 4:  Record who is responsible for implementing which risk control 
measures, and the timeframe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
STEP 5:  Record your findings, monitor and review your risk assessment, 
and update when necessary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

PART II.   TRAINER’S TOOLKIT 41

1.   Planning, conducting and evaluating training activities: Checklists for trainers . . . . 43
2.   Activities on risk assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Activity 1 – STEP 1:  Identifying hazards in the workplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Activity 2 – STEP 2:  Who is at risk, and how? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Activity 3 – STEP 3 A and B:  Identifying and deciding on risk control measures . . . . 54
Activity 4 – STEP 4:  Evaluating the degree of risk, and prioritizing risks for action . . . 56

PART III:   EXAMPLES OF RISK ASSESSMENTS FOR SELECTED WORKPLACES57

Example 1:  Brick layers (Construction) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Example 2:  Call centre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Example 3:  Hair dressing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Example 4:  Motor vehicle repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Example 5:  Office cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Annex : Further information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Table of contents ix
Introduction

Although small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are very important and represent the vast
bulk of businesses worldwide, many of them fail to grow or even survive. Each year, problems
of low productivity and poor quality products and services, as well as marketing and finance
difficulties lead thousands to bankruptcy. These obstacles often result from the same difficulties
and lack of organization that make work hazardous and unpleasant. Such SMEs have untapped
potential for change that can easily lead to better product quality, improved working conditions
and safety and health, and overall a more competitive enterprise. However, they often lack the
tools and techniques to implement such changes. 1
One of the key tools or techniques for improving safety and health conditions in SMEs is work-
place risk assessment, which is a central element of enterprise risk management. Risk manage-
ment encompasses a whole range of solutions, which can also include company safety and health
policies, workplace safety and health committees, training and information on occupational
safety and health (OSH), setting targets for OSH improvements and risk communication.
Safety and health risk assessment is an increasingly widely used risk management technique in
businesses worldwide. Risk assessment as an aid to risk management can be used by companies
and enterprises of all sizes – small, medium and large – to help make their workplaces safer and
healthier, and to improve their business efficiency and competitiveness.
Risk assessment is a self-help tool. It allows employers and businesses, with the participation of
the workforce, to take action themselves to remedy safety and health problems and come up with
cost-effective solutions. Using risk assessment, employers and businesses identify and evaluate
the risks that arise in their workplaces and, based on their analysis, they can then put sensible
safety and health measures in place, in order to control them. 2 Risk assessment can be used to es-
tablish priorities so that the most dangerous situations are addressed first and those least likely to
occur and least likely to cause major problems can be considered later; this is also cost-effective.
Using risk assessment to tackle their daily OSH problems avoids SMEs having to over-rely on (of-
ten costly) external experts, consultants or officials to advise them what is wrong and how to solve
their problems (although they may, of course, seek advice and help from such people). Whoever
undertakes the risk assessment – even if it is an external service – it is the employer who is ulti-
mately responsible for organizing this assessment and its eventual adoption and implementation.
OSH is often seen as so much paperwork, red tape, expense and boring rules and regulations that
are difficult to understand and tend to make it more difficult for owners and managers to run
their businesses. Even among those who do not think in this way, many believe that because they
have had few or no accidents, all that is needed is basic common sense and that, in any case, most
accidents these days are unavoidable.

1
   Work improvement in small enterprises (WISE). Geneva, ILO Conditions of Work and Employment Programme (TRAVAIL), 2007, accessed on: http://
www.ilo.org/travail/whatwedo/instructionmaterials/lang--en/docName--WCMS_152469/index.htm
2
   Guidelines on occupational safety and health management systems: Geneva ILO Safework, 2001, accessed on: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@
dgreports/@dcomm/@publ/documents/publication/wcms_publ_9221116344_en.pdf

Introduction 1
 Relying on people to use their common sense works fine – until something does go wrong.
When this means that someone is killed or seriously injured, it can suddenly look like a rather
inadequate approach. Too many employers live to regret not having taken OSH more seriously
before an accident, rather than after one of their workers has been badly injured at work. Risk
assessment gives employers and businesses a way to be proactive, to identify potential risks and
to take action to remedy problems before they cause an accident or ill-health. In other words,
they can generally make their businesses safer and healthier, and reap the benefits of improved
productivity and quality.

What is a small and medium-sized enterprise?

The abbreviation SME occurs commonly for small and medium-sized enterprises in the Euro-
pean Union and in international organizations, such as the World Bank, the United Nations and
the World Trade Organization. The term “small and medium businesses” or “SMBs” is predomi-
nantly used in the United States of America (USA).

There is no standard definition of what constitutes an SME or SMB, although the European
Union has started to standardize the concept. Enterprises qualify as micro, small and medium-
sized enterprises (SMEs) if they fulfil the criteria laid down in Recommendation 2003/361/EC.
These are summarized in the table below. In addition to the staff headcount ceiling, an enterprise
qualifies as an SME if it meets either the turnover ceiling or the balance sheet ceiling, but not
necessarily both.

Company category Employees Turnover or Balance sheet total

Medium-sized < 250 ≤ € 50 m ≤ € 43 m

Small < 50 ≤ € 10 m ≤ € 10 m
Micro < 10 ≤€2m ≤€2m

Source: European Commission Enterprise and Industry. SME Definition, accessed on: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/
facts-figures-analysis/sme-definition/index_en.htm

In the USA, the definition of small business is set by a government department called the Small
Business Administration (SBA) Size Standards Office. The USA, through the SBA, has chosen to
set size standards for each individual North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
coded industry. This variation is intended to better reflect industry differences. The most com-
mon size standards for defining a “small business” are:

➔ 500 employees for most manufacturing and mining industries.

➔ 100 employees for wholesale trade industries.

➔ $7 million of annual receipts for most retail and service industries.

➔ $33.5 million of annual receipts for most general & heavy construction industries.

2 Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management

 ➔ $14 million of receipts for all special trade contractors.
➔ $0.75 million of receipts for most agricultural industries. 3

Why focus on risk assessment for small and medium-sized enterprises?

First of all, SMEs are characterized by higher rates of accidents and ill health – accidents are 20
per cent more frequent in small enterprises than in enterprises of more than 100 workers, and 40
per cent more frequent than in enterprises of more than 1,000 workers.
To understand how to address this problem, we have to establish why small enterprises are more
vulnerable, and also why there is generally poorer safety and health management and a lack of
application of OSH regulations in SMEs. This could be due to:
➔ A lack of in-house safety and health personnel.
➔ A lack of access to external OSH services.
➔ Limited experience of employers and workers in these SMEs, which are often precarious and
tend to have a short life cycle as they start up and go out of business relatively quickly.
➔ Limited access to information and training opportunities.
➔ Limited knowledge of what constitutes “safe” equipment and machinery.
➔ Lower unionisation in SMEs (the presence of trade unions in a workplace has been linked
with better OSH conditions).
➔ Perceived costs of improvements – employers in SMEs often fail to make the link between,
on the one hand, accidents and ill health and their associated costs and, on the other hand,
productivity and profitability.
Hence, there are many factors working to make SMEs more vulnerable – but when it comes to
risk assessment, they also have to dance to the same regulatory tune. Risk assessment as a compo-
nent of risk management has become a legal requirement in many countries. While employers are
responsible for carrying out a risk assessment of their workplaces, larger companies will be able to
call upon their own safety professionals to do this. However, it is likely that SMEs, and particu-
larly small and micro-enterprises, will not have recourse to their own, in-house safety workers. It
may well be that OSH services are available to carry out risk assessments for e­ nterprises on a fee-
for-service basis. However, for small and micro-enterprises, controlling safety and health risks is
not particularly difficult. With information and guidance to help build confidence, as well as the
help of their workers, employers running SME can carry out risk assessments themselves. Armed
with common sense, an in-house knowledge of the prevailing conditions in the enterprise and
these guidelines, an employer can identify potential risks and implement measures to prevent and
reduce accidents and ill-health at work.
This is the aim of this training package: to instil confidence, and empower owners and workers of
SMEs to be able to carry out their own risk assessments for the benefit of workers and owners alike.

3
   US Small Business Administration, USA, accessed on: http://www.sba.gov/content/summary-size-standards-industry

Introduction 3
 About the training package
There are no set ways of carrying out a risk assessment, and there is a wide variety of information
and methodologies on the subject, which can sometimes be confusing. Based on, and respecting,
this variety we have chosen in this training package what we believe to be a simple, straightfor-
ward and easy-to-use approach to safety and health risk assessment.
This training package contains easy-to-use material, with plenty of worked examples of risk as-
sessment and a ready-to-use risk assessment form/template that can be used by SMEs the world
over to improve their safety and health standards and business performance.

Target audiences
Whilst the primary target audiences are SME employers and workers, other types of organization
can benefit from knowledge of, and training in, risk assessment, in order to help them integrate
the topic into their work with SMEs or improve the services they provide to them. These may
include:
➔ Employers’ organizations
➔ Trade unions
➔ Business development services
➔ Labour inspectorates
➔ Regulatory organizations, e.g. safety and health bodies
➔ Cooperative business organizations 4
➔ Women’s organizations
➔ Local government organizations
➔ Vocational training organizations
➔ Productivity institutes
➔ Microfinance institutions
➔ Social economy organizations. 5

Aims of the training package

This training package is designed to help those running and working in SMEs, as well as those
who work with or provide services to SMEs, to improve OSH conditions in the workplace. It
does this by:
➔ Demonstrating how risk assessment can help employers in SMEs, in cooperation with their
workers, make their enterprises safer and healthier places to work, in a cost-effective manner.

4
   The term "cooperative" means an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and
aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise. ILO Recommendation No. 193, Promotion of Cooperatives, 2002.
5
   A significant proportion of economies are organised to make profits not only for investors. The so-called social economy, including cooperatives, mutual
societies, non-profit associations, foundations and social enterprises, provides a wide range of products and services and generates millions of jobs. When
policy-makers work to improve the business environment, they need to ensure that their efforts take account of the specific characteristics of enterprises,
particularly SMEs, in the social economy. Source: European Commission Enterprise and Industry. Small and medium-sized enterprises. Social economy –
reference documents, accessed on: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/promoting-entrepreneurship/social-economy/index_en.htm

4 Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management

 ➔ Demonstrating how risk assessment as part of enterprise risk management can be used to
prevent and reduce injuries and ill health at work.
➔ Providing an overview of how to carry out a risk assessment in the workplace.
➔ Demonstrating how to decide on and implement safety and health improvements using the
hierarchy of risk control measures.
➔ Showing how to find good practice to help decide on and implement the safety and health
risk control measures determined in the risk assessment.

How to use this training package

Underlying assumptions
This training package is based on four main assumptions:
1. If you run a small business or organization and you are confident that you understand what
is involved, you can carry out the risk assessment yourself as part of your overall risk mana-
gement strategy. You do not need to be a safety and health expert, although a degree of com-
petency is required.
2. To do the risk assessment satisfactorily, you and your representative(s) can be trained on the
basic technique.
3. Your workers can also receive basic training on risk assessment to enable them to: (i) input
their experience and suggestions into the risk assessment, which is critical to good risk assess-
ment; and (ii) help you implement and put into practice the risk control measures identified
by your risk assessment, in order to protect workers’ safety and health before they are exposed
to danger.
4. Controlling safety and health risks is not especially difficult and can indeed result in impor-
tant gains. It can be achieved with a little effort. It does not need to cost a lot and doing it
properly can make good business sense. There can also be benefits from reduced claims for
compensation and lower insurance premiums.

Structure and content

The main module in this training package covers:
➔ The five steps of workplace safety and health risk assessment, plus a training exercise for each
of the steps.
➔ The hierarchy of risk control measures and the order in which they are to be decided on and
implemented, in order to improve workplace safety and health conditions; it includes trai-
ning exercises.
The training package also contains:
➔ A standard risk assessment form/template, which can be used by SMEs when carrying out
their risk assessments.
➔ Worked examples for several occupational sectors where SMEs are prevalent.

Introduction 5
PART I
RISK ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY
Basic concepts and terminology
on risk assessment

The concept of a workplace risk assessment is that it is a continual, on-going process – like a
film on a loop.

It is not a snapshot of a workplace – like a photograph, which can be likened to a workplace

inspection.

While it may be beneficial to use information from workplace inspections when undertaking a
risk assessment, we must be clear on the difference between inspections and risk assessments.

Before looking at how to carry out a risk assessment, and taking a detailed look at the five steps
involved, it would be useful to clarify some basic concepts and terminology.

Hazard and risk

Hazard and risk are used interchangeably in everyday speech; consequently, to avoid confusion
when carrying out a risk assessment, both terms need to be clearly defined and differentiated.
A hazard is anything that has the potential to cause harm, whether to the detriment of the health
or safety of a person, or damage to property, equipment or the environment. The potential for
harm is inherent in the substance or machine or poor work practice, etc.
A hazard can, therefore, be anything – work materials, equipment (e.g. machinery, tools, etc.),
dangerous substances (dust, disease-causing micro-organisms, chemicals, pesticides, noise, etc.),
transport, by-products, poor workplace layout, poor work organization, methods or practices,
attitudes – that has the potential to cause harm, injure people and/or damage their health. There
are an unlimited number of hazards that can be found in almost any workplace. (See activity 1
on identifying hazards in the workplace.)
Risk is the chance or probability that a hazard will actually result in injury or illness or damage
to property, equipment or the environment, together with an indication of how serious the harm
could be, including any long-term consequences.

Risk = severity of harm x probability of harm

It is a combination of the probability (likelihood) of an occurrence of a hazardous event and the

severity of injury or damage caused by this event. 6

6
   Guidelines on occupational safety and health management systems: Geneva ILO Safework, 2001, Glossary, pp. 19-20.

PART I.   Risk assessment methodology 9

 While hazards are intrinsic to a given substance or process, risks are not and so will vary
depending on the levels of risk reduction measures applied. For example, pesticides are in-
trinsically toxic – they are hazardous – and spraying them may pose serious health risks to farm-
ers or farmworkers. But where those hazards are properly controlled, the risks can be reduced to
acceptable levels.
Similarly, 220 volt mains electricity is also intrinsically hazardous but using safety devices such
as protective insulation sheathing, circuit breakers, fuses, residual current devices and voltage
transformers can reduce the risks to acceptable levels. 7
When deciding on the acceptability of risk, it is important to take into account the gender, age
and health of the workers for whom the assessment is being conducted and also to bear in mind
their input.

The difference between safety and health

When carrying out a risk assessment, the different nature of safety hazards and risks and health
hazards and risks has to be taken into account. This is especially the case when evaluating the
long-term health consequences of exposure to workplace hazards and in the determination of
appropriate risk controls.
Safety hazards and the resulting risks are generally more evident and, therefore, usually more
straightforward for an employer to deal with. The high level of risk from an unguarded but dan-
gerous machine, a cutting press, for example, is evident. The injury that can result is immediate
and evident to all.
Health hazards and the resulting risks are often less evident and, therefore, less straightforward
for an employer to deal with. Health problems caused by work can develop unnoticed and, in
some cases, may not appear until much later in life. Early diagnosis and treatment may prevent
a person’s condition from worsening and may even save a life. The effects of repeated, often low
dose, exposure to a hazard – over weeks, months and years – also have to be taken into considera-
tion. Examples include:
➔ Exposure to chemical pesticides (insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, etc.). In addition to poi-
soning (an immediate or “acute” health effect) some pesticides can result in cancers, which
can take as many as 20 years or more to show up. Such effects are often associated with
repeated, low-dose exposure.
➔ Exposure to organic crop or animal dust can result in asthma, which again may take years
to develop. This too is often associated with repeated exposure and may result in recurring,
long-term illness/asthma attacks.
➔ Carrying heavy and awkward loads over many years may result in permanent pain and phy-
sical disability or impairment in later life.
➔ Permanent disabilities or illnesses are referred to technically as “chronic” health problems,
meaning that they cannot be fully cured or “reversed”.

7
  Occupational safety and health. ITC-ILO Curriculum on Building modern and effective labour inspection systems, ILO Geneva, 2009, Module 8,
Section 3.1, p. 27.

10 Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management

Stress at work: the effects of stress are another area that may have to be considered in a risk
assessment. Stress is often not easy to define, and again its effects on health may be long-term.
Stress is part of what are often termed “psychosocial hazards.”

The scope of a risk assessment

Depending on the size and complexity of the business or enterprise, and the range of hazards
(dangers) involved, the risk assessment can vary in scope. The risk assessment may be used to
evaluate safety and health at the level of:
➔ The enterprise as a whole, covering all activities or processes and all the workers.
➔ A specific section of the workplace, e.g. a machine repair shop, covering a specific group or
number of workers.
➔ A specific dangerous activity or process, e.g. problems with handling heavy loads, which may
pose a danger to specific group, groups or numbers of workers.

The business in terms of occupational safety and health

Different terms are sometimes used to refer to a business or enterprise and its components. In
safety and health terms, a “workplace” is considered as anything from an agricultural field,
farmyard, construction site, small workshop, to a large machine shop in a factory or storage
area in a warehouse. The term “undertaking” often refers to the larger unit, or to the whole
“­enterprise”. It may be necessary to decide at which level the risk assessment should be carried
out; whether this is at the level of the undertaking, which may be made up of a series of work-
places, a farm with a series of fields or a factory with a series of different sections, for example,
or at an individual workplace. If a business is small, there may only be one workplace and so the
terms “workplace” and “undertaking” would, in this case, be identical.

What if the workplace is shared?

If you share a workplace with another employer, or a self-employed person, you will both need to:
➔ tell each other about the specific risks in your business that may affect the other employer; and
➔ cooperate and coordinate with each other to control the safety and health risks.
Telling the other employers and self-employed people present in any particular workplace about
the risks to which your work could expose them, and what risk control measures you are taking,
is essential. You must also think about the risks to your own workforce from those who share
your workplace.
Where workers from different enterprises work in the same workplace, those assigned to carry
out the risk assessments from each employer will need to share information about the risks and
the measures needed to tackle these risks.

PART I.   Risk assessment methodology 11

Carrying out the risk assessment

What is a risk assessment?

A workplace safety and health risk assessment is essentially a careful examination of what, in your
work or business, could cause injury or ill health to people. It allows you to weigh up whether
you have implemented enough risk control measures or should do more to prevent harm to those
at risk, including workers and members of the public. The aim is to make sure that no one gets
hurt or falls ill.
A risk assessment involves identifying the hazards present in a business (whether arising from
work activities or from other factors, for example the layout of the premises) and then weighing
up the extent of the risks involved, taking into account existing control measures already in place
to reduce the risks and deciding if you have to do more to ensure that no one is harmed.
The results of a risk assessment should help employers choose which good practice measures, in
the form of risk controls, are most appropriate. Workers and others have a right to be protected
from harm caused by an employer’s failure to take reasonable risk control measures. The law does
not expect you to eliminate risk but it does require you to protect people as far as you can. Doing
the assessment and taking action is what matters. 8
A risk assessment involves dealing with the levels of risk in the actual conditions present at the
time the risk assessment is carried out. It is important to identify who may be at risk and the safety
and health consequences for EACH hazard separately as different risk control measures to pre-
vent or reduce the probability (likelihood) and severity of harm will be required for each hazard.
The key to risk assessment is: do not overcomplicate the process. In carrying out a risk as-
sessment it is important to focus, and decide, on the risk control measures that you need to put
in place to make working conditions in your business safer and healthier. Avoid getting bogged
down or lost in lengthy discussions on the degree of risk. Concentrate on deciding on the risk
control measures and how to put them in place and make them operational. The risks in SMEs
are especially familiar and the necessary risk control measures are also well known and easy to ap-
ply – you probably already know whether, for example, you have workers who move heavy loads
and so could harm their backs, or where people are most likely to slip or trip. If so, check that
you have reasonable risk control measures in place to avoid injury. You can try to do it yourself,
while involving managers and workers. Involve as many workers as possible, in order to encour-
age them to share ownership of the finished assessments.

8
   Health and Safety Executive, UK, accessed on: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg163.pdf

PART I.   Risk assessment methodology 13

 Risk assessment – a five-step process
The simplest and most straightforward way to carry out a risk assessment is for the employer – or
designated representative(s) – with the active involvement of the entire workforce, to follow these
five steps using the template provided below:
Step 1: Identify the hazards.
Step 2: Identify who might be harmed and how.
Step 3: Evaluate the risk – identify and decide on the safety and health risk control
measures, involving two sub-steps:
Step 3.A: Identify what you are already doing in terms of existing risk control measures
Step 3.B: Identify what further risk control measures are necessary

For sub-Steps 3.A. and 3.B., the risk control measures should be considered and
decided on, using the “hierarchy of risk control measures” in the following order:
➔ Risk Control Measure 1: Elimination or substitution of hazards
➔ Risk Control Measure 2: Tools, equipment, technology and engineering
➔ Risk Control Measure 3: Safe work methods, practices, organization, information
and training
➔ Risk Control Measure 4: Hygiene and welfare
➔ Risk Control Measure 5: Personal protective equipment
➔ Risk Control Measure 6: Health/medical surveillance

Step 4: Record who is responsible for implementing which control measures and the
timeframe. Implement the safety and health risk control measures (deciding who
is responsible for doing what, and by when).
Step 5: Monitor and review your risk assessment, and update when necessary.

Risk assessment template

A model risk assessment form is provided overleaf for you to copy or adapt and use, and is based
on the above five steps. Examples of risk assessment for various occupational sectors (see Part III)
use this template format. In the following pages we have used a simplified version to guide you
through the steps of the risk assessment.

14 Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management

 Risk Assessment template             Enterprise:                       Section/unit: Date:

STEP 1: STEP 2: STEP 3: STEP 4:

What are the hazards? Who may be harmed and What are you already What further action How will you put
how? doing? is necessary? the assessment into action?

Spot hazards by: Identify groups of people. List what is already in You need to make sure Remember to prioritize.
■ Walking around the Remember: place to reduce the likeli- that you have reduced risks Deal with those hazards
workplace; ■ Some workers have par- hood of harm or make any “so far as is reasonably that are high-risk and have
ticular needs; harm less serious practicable”. An easy way serious consequences first.
■ Asking employees what
of doing this is to compare
they think; ■ People who may not be
what you are already
■ Checking manufacturer’s in the workplace all the
doing with best practice.
instructions; time;
If there is a difference,
■ Contacting your trade ■ If you share your work- list what needs to be done.
association. place think about how
your work affects others;
■ Members of the public

Don’t forget long-term Say how the hazard could Action Action Done
hazards. cause harm. by by
whom when
             

             

             

             

Step 5: Review date:

Review your assessment to make you are still improving, or at least not sliding back

PART I.   Risk assessment methodology

If there is a significant change in your workplace, remember to check your risk assessment and where necessary, amend it.

Assessment completed by: (signature)

15
 Who carries out the risk assessment?
In many countries, the risk assessment is essentially the responsibility of the employer.
The employer has a duty to:
➔ Ensure the safety and health of workers in every aspect related to work.
➔ Organise the risk assessment; select the person(s) to carry out the assessment and ensure that
they are competent.
➔ Assess the risks and implement protective measures.
➔ Consult the workers or their representatives about the organization of the risk assessment, as
well as the persons carrying out the assessment and implementing the preventive measures.
➔ Be in possession of an assessment of the risks.
➔ Draw up assessment records, having first consulted the workers and/or their representatives,
or even having involved them in the work and making the records available to them.
➔ Ensure that everyone affected is informed about any hazard, any harm to which they may be
at risk and all the protective measures taken to prevent such harm.
If you, as an employer, do not feel particularly confident in your ability to undertake a risk assess-
ment, you can designate competent workers to carry out activities designed to prevent injuries
and ill-health at work, or provide protection from risks of any type.
If you do designate a representative to carry out the risk assessment, the person or persons should
be “competent” for the task – competent in the sense that they have a good knowledge of the
workplace and work processes, know where to find and how to make use of good practice and
have your authority behind them. A competent person is someone who has a thorough knowl-
edge of the tasks involved and of the working environment, the ability to identify hazards and
types and levels of risk, and an understanding of the necessary risk controls and how to put them
into practice, as well as the authority to do so.
Where such in-house expertise is not available, you can employ the services of a competent ex-
ternal person to help. In such a case, you would need to check that they are familiar with specific
work activities and have the ability to assess them.
For the purposes of SMEs, in most circumstances the persons carrying out the risk assessments
do not need to be safety and health experts, but they can demonstrate their competence by show-
ing they have:
1. An understanding of the general approach to risk assessment.
2. The capacity to apply this to the workplace and the task at hand. This may require:
a. identifying safety and health problems;
b. assessing and prioritizing the need for action;
c. suggesting options available to eliminate or reduce risks and their relative merit;
d. evaluating their effectiveness;
e. promoting and communicating safety and health improvements and good practices.
3. The ability to identify situations in which they would be unable to adequately assess the risk
without help and the ability to advise on the need for further assistance.

16 Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management

 The employer makes the final decision on who carries out the risk assessment. This can be:

■ the employer;

■ workers designated by the employer; or

■ external assessors and services, if there is a lack of competent personnel in the workplace.

Whoever undertakes the risk assessment – even if it is an external service – it is the employer who
is ultimately responsible for this assessment.

Active participation of the workforce

Remember that your risk assessment should always be carried out with the active involvement of
the workers. The workers are often well aware of the hazards they face and tend to have ideas and
suggestions on how best to control the risks arising from these hazards. They can help to come
up with practical and cost-effective solutions to implement.
It is not the responsibility of the workers to carry out a risk assessment – this is the responsibility
of the employer – but their active involvement will make for a better risk assessment and more
accurate and cost-effective risk controls.
Risk assessments should not be carried out by the employer or the employer’s representative
working in isolation. They should involve workers and/or the worker representatives. Workers
should be consulted as part of the assessment process itself and given information on any conclu-
sions reached, as well as on the risk control measures to be taken.

PART I.   Risk assessment methodology 17

 STEP 1: IDENTIFY THE HAZARDS
Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4

What are Who might be What are you What further action Action Action Done
the hazards? harmed and how? already doing? is necessary? by whom by when

Step 5:  Record your findings, monitor and review, update as necessary

The first step of a risk assessment is to survey all the areas of the workplace and identify any
hazards – that is, those things that have the potential to cause harm. This is one of the most im-
portant steps in the risk assessment process. A hazard that is not identified cannot be managed.
Consequently, it is crucial that this step is as comprehensive as possible.
When you work in a place every day, it is easy to overlook some hazards, so here are some tips to
help you identify the ones that matter:
As an employer, or a designated worker or external service, you should:
➔ Walk around your workplace and look at what could reasonably be expected to cause harm.
➔ Identify which work activities and processes are the most dangerous/hazardous, and in which
parts of the workplace (you may find it useful to use a checklist; in any case, it is important
to take notes to enable an eventual written risk assessment to be drawn up).
➔ Ask your workers, or their representatives, what they think about the dangers of the jobs
they carry out, and how workplace accidents and ill health can be prevented. They may have
noticed things that are not immediately obvious to you or to an external service.
➔ Learn from experience of previous accidents and work-related ill health. These often help to
identify the less obvious hazards.
➔ Remember to think about long-term hazards to health (e.g. high levels of noise or exposure
to harmful substances), as well as safety hazards.
➔ If you are a member of a trade association, contact it. Many provide very helpful guidance.
➔ Check manufacturers’ instructions or data sheets for chemicals and equipment as they can be
very helpful in signalling the hazards and putting them in their true perspective.
➔ Ask your workers if they can think of any hazard you have not identified or any worker at
potential risk that you may have missed.

18 Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management

 Tools for helping you to identify hazards:

■ Previous workplace inspections or surveys

■ Written or verbal hazard/accident reports
■ Personal observations
■ The safety and health committee, if one exists
■ Warning labels or signs
■ Manufacturers’ safety data sheets
■ Manufacturers’ manuals or instructions
■ Consultants’ reports

In the table below, the first column has been filled in with three examples of hazards commonly
found in woodworking enterprises. These are examples; there are likely to be many more in your
workplace and you should list them all.

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4

What are Who might be What are you What further action Action Action Done
the hazards? harmed and how? already doing? is necessary? by whom by when
Exposure
to wood dust

Machinery

Manual handling

Step 5:  Record your findings, monitor and review, update as necessary

PART I.   Risk assessment methodology 19

 STEP 2: IDENTIFY WHO MIGHT BE HARMED AND HOW
Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4

What are Who might be What are you What further action Action Action Done
the hazards? harmed and how? already doing? is necessary? by whom by when

Step 5:  Record your findings, monitor and review, update as necessary

For EACH hazard that you have identified – and there might be many – you need to be clear
about who might be harmed and how. This means identifying groups of your workers, and
others such as the public, who are at risk of exposure to the hazards, how they are at risk, and the
potentially negative consequences for their safety and health.
Risk assessment does not mean listing everyone by name but rather identifying groups of people
who are at risk of harm from a given hazard. For example, it is sufficient to say “staff working in
the woodworking section” or “staff in the repair workshop” or “staff in the storeroom” or ”staff
working in the agricultural field gang” or “young workers”. If known, it would also be useful to
mention the numbers in each group.
You may also need to identify “others” who may be at risk of harm from the hazard you have
identified. For example, people delivering supplies to your workplace or collecting finished prod-
ucts; cleaners or those carrying out maintenance or repair work in your enterprise; clients; and
members of the public at risk from your work activities (e.g. passers-by on streets where buildings
are being constructed or renovated). These should be considered as persons at risk, but attention
should also be paid as to whether their presence may introduce new risks into the workplace.
You also need to be clear about how people might be harmed. What type of injury or ill health
problems might result among the group of workers and/or others from the hazard you have iden-
tified. You need to assess their immediate safety and the possible consequences on their health,
as well as longer-term consequences, namely health problems that may only appear or become
damaging later in life (see Part I page 9 on “Basic concepts and terminology on risk assessment”).
It is also important that you think about groups of workers who may have particular safety and
health vulnerabilities. New or young workers, new or expectant mothers, and people with dis-
abilities may be at particular risk, for example.
As already mentioned, it is important to identify the safety and health consequences for EACH
hazard and anyone who may be at risk and how – separately – as different risk control measures
aimed at reducing the probability and severity of harm will be required for each hazard.
In the table below, we continue filling in the example of the woodworking workplace with the
second step of the risk assessment. For each hazard identified, the corresponding group(s) of
workers who may be exposed to the hazard need to be identified and recorded. Remember that
this is a hypothetical situation, offered for example only.

20 Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4

What are Who might be What are you What further action Action Action Done
the hazards? harmed and how? already doing? is necessary? by whom by when
Exposure All workers (35) risk lung
to wood dust diseases, such as asthma,
from inhaling wood dust.
Machine operators (15)
at higher risk of exposure.

Hardwood dust can cause

cancer, particularly of the
nose.
Machinery, Machine operators (15)
including circular and other workers, at risk
saws, vertical of serious and possibly
spindle cutters fatal injuries if in contact
and planers with moving parts of
machinery, particularly
saw blades.
Manual handling Workers may suffer
musculoskeletal disorders,
such as back pain, from
handling heavy or bulky
objects, e.g. timber boards
and machinery parts.
They also risk cuts when
handling tooling, or
splinters when handling
pallets.

Step 5:  Record your findings, monitor and review, update as necessary

PART I.   Risk assessment methodology 21

 STEP 3: EVALUATE THE RISK – IDENTIFY AND DECIDE 
ON THE SAFETY AND HEALTH RISK CONTROL MEASURES

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4

What are Who might be What are you What further action Action Action Done
the hazards? harmed and how? already doing? is necessary? by whom by when

Step 5:  Record your findings, monitor and review, update as necessary

In Step 1, you identified the hazards and in Step 2 the different groups who might be harmed,
as well as the numbers involved in each group, paying special attention to groups such as young
workers, new or expectant mothers, and workers with disabilities.
For each hazard identified, the core activity in risk assessment is to identify, decide on, and imple-
ment the safety and health risk controls following the order in which they are listed in what is
termed the “hierarchy of risk control measures”.
The hierarchy of risk control measures used in this training package has six levels: 9
➔ Risk Control Measure 1:  Elimination or substitution of hazards
➔ Risk Control Measure 2:  Tools, equipment, technology and engineering
➔ Risk Control Measure 3:  Safe work methods, practices, organization, information and training
➔ Risk Control Measure 4:  Hygiene and welfare
➔ Risk Control Measure 5:  Personal protective equipment
➔ Risk Control Measure 6:  Health/medical surveillance
The hierarchy of risk control measures has been developed by employers, workers, labour in-
spectors, safety and health practitioners, and others based on sound experience over many years.
A worked example on pesticide spraying in a coffee plantation (see page 31) makes use of this
hierarchy of risk control measures and is included to help make the process clearer.
The reason for deciding on and implementing the risk control measures in the order in which
they are listed in the hierarchy is first to identify and decide on collective risk controls as they
protect the work area and the people working in it – before moving on to consider individual
risk controls, which simply protect an individual. For example, workers’ health will be better

9
   Other risk control hierarchies may have different headings but the essential point about any hierarchy is to identify, decide on and put in place collective
risk-control measures first of all. In other words, whatever the hierarchy you do not start with personal protective equipment, which, at best, only helps protect
the individual. Starting with elimination, tools and equipment, technology and engineering measures will improve safety and health conditions for all staff in a
particular workplace/work area.

22 Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management

 protected against exposure to harmful dust if your risk assessment first identifies dust extraction
machinery as the main risk control. This gives collective protection to the work area and all per-
sons in it rather than relying solely on dust masks for individual workers, which will generally not
give anywhere near the same degree of lung protection, and, in addition, offers a limited degree
of protection to the worker wearing it. Similarly, soundproofing a noisy machine controls noise
more effectively than individual ear protection and avoids workers having to wear such protec-
tion for their whole work shift.
It must be pointed out that Risk Control Measure 6 on health/medical surveillance is not strictly
a means of protection against exposure to hazards, but is more a monitoring tool to ensure the
measures of protection are functioning adequately to prevent work-related illnesses. It can reduce
the effects of risks if illnesses are diagnosed and action taken to reduce exposure before the illness
develops further to a chronic or more serious level.
At this stage in the risk assessment, Step 3 consists of two parts, both of which use the hierarchy
of risk control measures:

Step 3.A: What are you already doing in terms of existing risk control measures?
It is very likely that for some of the hazards identified you will already have certain safety and
health risk control measures in place. In this case, for each hazard your risk assessment should
identify and evaluate how effective these existing measures are in reducing safety and health risks
to workers and other people. This means that you should evaluate and give your informed opin-
ion (based, inter alia, on looking at good practice) on how effective you believe these existing risk
control measures to be.
Identifying and evaluating the effectiveness of existing risk control measures will also help you
determine, in a more efficient and cost-effective manner, which further risk control measures – if
any – may be needed for a given hazard.
If you conclude in Step 3.A that your existing risk control measures for a given hazard provide
adequate protection for workers, then no extra controls or expenditure are needed for this par-
ticular hazard. So for this hazard (and only for this hazard), you can mark “No further action at
this stage” in Column 3.B.
If you decide that your existing risk control measures for a particular hazard are either absent or
do not sufficiently reduce the risk of harm, you then proceed to Step 3.B and identify and decide
“What further risk controls are needed?” and then implement them.

PART I.   Risk assessment methodology 23

 Step 3.B: What further risk control measures are needed?

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4

What are Who might be What are you What further action Action Action Done
the hazards? harmed and how? already doing? is necessary? by whom by when

Risk Control Measure 1:

Elimination or substitution
of hazards.

Risk Control Measure 2:

Tools, equipment, technology
and engineering.

Risk Control Measure 3:

Safe work methods, practices,
organization, information and
training.

Risk Control Measure 4:

Hygiene and welfare.

Risk Control Measure 5:

Personal protective equipment.

Risk Control Measure 6:

Health/medical surveillance.
As above.

As above.

Step 5:  Record your findings, monitor and review, update as necessary

How to use the hierarchy of risk control measures

For each hazard identified, you should start Step 3 of the assessment with Risk Control ­Measure 1
and work your way through to Risk Control Measure 6.

Risk Control Measure 1:

Elimination or substitution of hazards
Start by considering Risk Control Measure 1, which is the best means of protection because
eliminating or substituting the hazard means you have effectively reduced the risk of exposure of
anyone to the hazard, and thus of being seriously harmed, to zero or as near to zero as possible.
Examples of Risk Control Measure 1 include:
➔ Farming organically, in order to avoiding using a toxic pesticide.
➔ Switching to a less toxic pesticide, or substituting a liquid pesticide which is sprayed to one
in granular form.

24 Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management

➔ Trying a less risky option using different substances or work processes. The process might
be changed from one that uses a hazardous substance to one that does not, such as using a
water-based paint instead of a solvent based paint.
➔ Some machine tools can be replaced with tools that are intrinsically safer, for example using
a pneumatic tool instead of an electrical one.
➔ Asbestos can be effectively substituted by safer alternatives, of which there are many on the
market.
➔ Replacing a noisy machine with a quieter one.
➔ On tall buildings, redesigning windows so that they can be cleaned from the inside rather
than relying on potentially hazardous external access.
If you can successfully implement the measures identified in your Risk Control Measure 1, then
your risk assessment for the particular hazard STOPS HERE as you have reduced the risk to zero,
or as near as possible. Consequently, for this hazard only, you do not need to carry on identifying,
deciding on and putting into place Risk Control Measures 2 to 6.
If, however, in your risk assessment you decide that elimination or substitution is not possible,
you must then move on to considering the other risk control measures that you need to identify,
decide upon and put in place, starting with Risk Control Measure 2 and working through to
Risk Control Measure 6.

Risk Control Measure 2:

Tools, equipment, technology and engineering
Where elimination or substitution is not possible, the next best solution is to consider which
tools, equipment, technology and engineering measures can help reduce the risk from the hazard
identified. Risk Control 2 measures are good because they provide collective protection of the
work area rather than just protection for the individual.
Looking at good practice and seeking good advice can be very important in respect of Risk
Control Measure 2. Examples of such initiatives, including some very simple and inexpensive
measures, include:
➔ Guarding of machinery – if adequate protection is not provided by the manufacturer or if the
machine is built to an old standard, improved guarding will be needed.
➔ Fitting noisy machines with a soundproofed enclosure, in order to reduce noise levels, even
if some risks do remain.
➔ Completely isolating and/or enclosing some hazardous processes, for example X-ray equip-
ment or the solvent gluing section in a workshop.
➔ Putting a handrail around a high work platform.
➔ Using something as simple as a wheelbarrow or hand cart to carry heavy loads.
➔ Having work surfaces or work benches at correct heights for the people working there, and
providing suitable seating.
➔ Using tools that are the correct height for the person, e.g. spade, shovels, brushes, so that
people do not have to bend unnecessarily.

PART I.   Risk assessment methodology 25

 ➔ Using sealed mixing and filling systems for chemicals and pesticides.
➔ Using simple dust extracting equipment – local exhaust ventilation.
➔ Providing good lighting.

Often, simple, cost-effective equipment, tools, technology, or engineering will drastically reduce the
risk of harm from a hazard for the group or groups of persons at risk, not simply for the individual.

Risk Control Measure 3:

Safe work methods, practices, organization, information and training
Your risk assessment will also need to examine and consider safe work methods and practices, how
the work can be organized, as well as training and information requirements. Once again, you need
to identify what you are already doing and what extra control measures may need to be taken.
One of the simplest and most cost-effective ways of controlling risks at work is for businesses to
develop and implement safe methods and practices of work, linked to information and training,
sometimes referred to collectively as “safe systems of work”. Many work accidents, and much
ill health, occur simply because the employer has not thought through and implemented safe
work methods, practices and organization, and managers, supervisors and workers are not well
informed about, or properly trained to implement, correct safety and health procedures.
Organizing the job safely is well within the competence of employers, their managers and super-
visors, working together with the workforce. Risk control measures are often simple and easy to
put into operation; moreover, improving safety and health and its organization is not costly and
also promotes business efficiency.
Examples of measures that can be taken under Risk Control Measure 3 include:
➔ Ensuring clear procedures and instructions, written if necessary, on how to operate machi-
nery or carry out other tasks safely – for your workers, supervisors and managers.
➔ Providing appropriate safety and health information – instruction manuals, clear labels on
containers, warning signs, safety data sheets for chemicals, etc. (think about providing infor-
mation in the appropriate local language).
➔ Planning or redesigning the layout of your workplace/enterprise – to avoid, for example,
workers having to cross in front of forklift trucks or other moving vehicles, which will lessen
the risk of being run into or run over.
➔ Better housekeeping – keeping your workplaces tidy, and passages clear of objects and clut-
ter; wetting dust before sweeping it up.
➔ Ensuring that your supervisors or managers are adequately instructed and trained for the
work they have to manage on your behalf, including training on, and input into, workplace
risk assessments.
➔ Clear procedures and instructions for your supervisors and managers to follow.
➔ Ensuring your supervisors and managers have sufficient authority to keep safety and health
standards up to scratch.
➔ Ensuring there are procedures in place, for example if you, the boss, are away from the work-
place and the guard on a dangerous machine breaks.

26 Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management

➔ Ensuring your supervisors or managers have been instructed, and have the authority, to stop
the work on that machine until the guard has been repaired or replaced.
➔ Ensuring that your supervisors and managers have the authority and means to order a new
guard in your absence.
➔ Providing regular safety and health training for your workers, including training on risk
assessment.
➔ Improving participation of and input from your workers in workplace risk assessments, in-
cluding implementation of risk control measures identified in the risk assessment(s).
➔ Providing specialised training for high risk work activities.

Risk Control Measure 4:

Hygiene and welfare
In your risk assessment you next have to evaluate and decide if your existing hygiene and welfare
facilities are adequate to cope with the risks from the hazards you have identified or if you need
to do more. Most of these measures are not strictly a means of protection against exposure to
hazards, but they can reduce the effects of hazards and they can make work more pleasant. Im-
proving hygiene and welfare can, for example, be done by:
➔ Providing basic washing and sanitary facilities at the workplace.
➔ Storing contaminated work clothing in a locker at work and not allowing workers to take
such clothing to their homes.
➔ Providing simple first aid equipment and training certain workers to use it.
➔ Providing clean water and simple first aid for those of your workers working in an agricultu-
ral crop field or on a construction site.

Risk Control Measure 5:

Personal protective equipment
You then move on to consider Risk Control Measure 5. Apart from standard items like boots
and overalls, personal protective equipment (PPE) is one of the last safety and health risk control
measure for you to consider and exists only to augment the other risk controls measures you have
already put in place.
The idea is to keep the use of PPE to a minimum and not to use it as the main method of pro-
tecting safety and health or require workers to wear/use it for long periods. Your risk assessment
should already have identified the combination of risk control measures 2 to 4, which should
provide adequate protection for the groups of people who could be harmed. For example, if you
have adequately controlled the noisy machinery to safe levels there is no need for you to provide
ear plugs for your workers or for them to have to use them. Equally, if your dust extraction equip-
ment (local exhaust ventilation) is effective, there is no need for workers to wear dust masks.
Unfortunately, PPE is often the first and only risk control measure considered and provided.
Much of it does not provide adequate safety and health protection. It is uncomfortable to wear

PART I.   Risk assessment methodology 27

 or use for long periods and often does not fit the user well. People are of different shapes, sizes
and genders – one size does not fit all.
Personal protective equipment includes:
➔ Coveralls;
➔ Eye protection;
➔ Footwear;
➔ Gloves;
➔ Hearing protection;
➔ Dust or chemical respirators;
➔ Disposable dust masks;
➔ Safety helmets;
➔ Wet/cold-weather clothing.

If, in your risk assessment, you judge that PPE is needed, the assessment should include details of
the types of PPE to be provided and the protection factor for each item provided, whether these
are gloves, dust masks, chemical respirators or other equipment. You should also indicate in the
assessment how the PPE will be cleaned and maintained, and how often it should be replaced.
Remember that any PPE required should be provided at no cost to the worker.
Look at good practice and, if necessary, seek advice when selecting PPE.
When considering PPE, remember:
➔ You need to consider and introduce other means of risk control first. Provide PPE only as
a last resort after putting into place the other risk control measures identified in your risk
assessment. PPE should never be the first, or only, line of worker protection.
➔ Technical and engineering controls (Risk Control Measure 2) provide long-term collective
solutions and are often cheaper than providing, replacing, maintaining and storing PPE for
many individual workers.
➔ Collective protection measures protect all workers in the area, while PPE only protects the
individual wearer.
➔ It is essential to involve your workers in the selection process as they often have detailed
knowledge of the way things work, where things may be malfunctioning or the way tasks are
carried out, all of which can help you.

Risk Control Measure 6:

Health/medical surveillance
In your risk assessment, you may also need to consider if any health or medical surveillance meas-
ures provided by qualified medical personnel are needed for workers at high risk.
As already mentioned, health and medical surveillance is not strictly a means of protection
against exposure to hazards, but is more a monitoring tool to ensure the measures of protection
are functioning adequately to prevent work-related illnesses. However, it can help in mitigating
the risk. Despite all your efforts to control exposure to hazardous substances (e.g. chemicals,

28 Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management

dust, micro-organisms and noise), some workers may still experience symptoms of ill health,
often later in life. You may need health/medical surveillance to monitor and detect early signs of
ill health, especially if workers are exposed to (for example):
➔ Dusts that may cause asthma or other long-term lung disease.
➔ Substances such as solvents that may cause dermatitis.
➔ Pesticides that contain organophosphorus (OP) compounds, such as insecticides, sheep/ani-
mal dips, which can cause nerve poisoning.
➔ Machinery operating constantly at sound levels of 85 to 90 decibels (A weighted).
Health/medical surveillance might include:
➔ Biological or biological effect monitoring, e.g. blood tests to detect certain hazardous chemicals.
➔ Regular checks by a responsible person, e.g. a trained supervisor could look at workers’ hands
for signs of dermatitis.
➔ Auditory/hearing tests.
➔ Lung function tests if workers are exposed to high levels of hazardous dust.
➔ Monitoring the causes of sickness absence, for example if workers are absent from work due
to illness, asking whether they or their doctor associate the illness with their work.
Identifying a specific medical/health surveillance measure for a particular hazard is not the same as
having a general medical check-up. There is often confusion on this point. The health/medical sur-
veillance risk control measure you use has to be specific to the hazard/problem you have identified.
In conclusion, where elimination or substitution is not possible the hierarchy of risk control
measures gives priority to technical, equipment and engineering controls combined with safe
work methods, practices, organization, information and training. The aim is to provide collec-
tive protection for workers, using PPE only to boost the other risk controls and avoid workers
having to wear PPE for long periods (except for standard work items such as overalls and boots).
It is also necessary to identify which hygiene and welfare measures are needed and, where ap-
propriate, which health/medical surveillance measures would reduce the likelihood of especially
long-term harm.

In the table below, we continue filling in the example of the woodworking workplace with the
next steps (Steps 3.A and 3.B) in the risk assessment. For each hazard identified we give some
examples of measures that may be used to reduce the risk, either indicating some measures that
may already be used (Step 3.A) in our fictitious workplace or can be considered as a result of the
risk assessment (Step 3.B). Remember that this is a hypothetical situation and cannot be taken as
representative of the situation in any particular workplace.

PART I.   Risk assessment methodology 29

 Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4

What are Who might be What are you What further action Action Action Done
the hazards? harmed and how? already doing? is necessary? by whom by when
Exposure All workers ■ Dust is swept up regularly. ■ Fit each dust-causing
to wood dust (35) risk lung ■ Good washing facilities machine with dust
diseases, such and shower already extraction equipment
as asthma, from available. (local exhaust ventilation)
inhaling wood ■ Remind staff never to
■ Disposable dust masks
dust. Machine sweep dry wood dust, to
are provided and regu-
operators (15) use vacuum cleaner or,
larly replaced.
at higher risk of if necessary, to wet dust
exposure. before sweeping.
Hardwood ■ Machine operators to be
dust can trained by a competent
cause cancer, person in the use and
particularly of basic maintenance of dust
the nose. extraction equipment
Machinery, Machine ■ All machines guarded ■ Fit braking devices to
including operators (15) according to manufac- reduce the rundown time
circular saws, and other turers’ instructions. for cutting tools.
vertical spindle workers, at risk ■ Machine guards ■ Only machines fitted
cutters and of serious and inspected regularly, with brake controls will
planers possibly fatal maintained to ensure be purchased in future.
injuries if in good condition. ■ Explore the possibilities
contact with
■ Workers have sufficient for introducing chip-
moving parts
space at machines limited tooling.
of machinery,
to work safely. ■ Re-check with the
particularly saw
blades. ■ All workers trained in workforce that machine
safe use of machines guards are inspected
by competent person. regularly and that
defects are being
promptly reported.
■ Download information
sheets on the safe use
of machines used in
the workshop. Pin them
up in the workshop
and rest-room.
Manual Workers ■ Workers trained in ■ Where possible, store
handling may suffer correct manual handling tooling next to the
musculoskeletal techniques. machine to reduce carry-
disorders, such ■ Workbenches and ing distance.
as back pain, machine tables set at a ■ Remind workers to ask
from handling comfortable height. for a new set of gloves
heavy or bulky when old ones show
■ Strong, thick gloves
objects, e.g. wear and tear, and not
provided for handling
timber boards to lift objects that are
tooling and pallets.
and machinery too heavy.
parts.
■ Introduce lifting and
They also risk handling aids, such
cuts when as panel handlers, to
handling tool- significantly reduce the
ing, or splinters risk of injury.
when handling
pallets.

Step 5:  Record your findings, monitor and review, update as necessary

30 Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management

 Thinking through risk control measures –
An example of pesticide spraying on a coffee plantation

The manager is carrying out a risk assessment to help find solutions to pesticide poisoning prob-
lems on the coffee plantation. Workers are exposed to pesticides from spray drift and failure to
respect pesticide re-entry time intervals for sprayed areas.
There have been several recent incidents of relatively mild poisoning symptoms of field workers.
These incidents have been reported to the government authorities, and the plantation manager
and owner realise that safety and health practices need to be improved in this regard.

Step 1:  Identifying the hazard

The hazard is identified as the spraying of toxic insecticides using motorised air blower equip-
ment, which is currently resulting in spray drift.
A second hazard is non-respect of re-entry intervals (the time that must elapse before workers
can re-enter a treated area).

Step 2:  Who is at risk and how?

Twenty-eight field workers are at risk of exposure to the toxic insecticide during spraying (risk of
breathing in the contaminated air) and when they re-enter the sprayed fields (risk of absorbing the
pesticide through the skin). Ten of the field workers are adult women, eight are adult men, six are
young female workers (under 18 years old), and four are young male workers (under 18 years old).

Step 3:  Evaluating the risk – what action is necessary to reduce the risk
3.A:  What is being done now?

The manager acknowledges that the spray team is applying the pesticide too close to where the
field workers are working. This is due to poor work organisation and procedures on the plantation,
including the lack of any form of warning before spraying activities.

He also acknowledges that re-entry intervals are not respected – he wrongly allows workers back
into treated areas before it is safe to do so according to the instructions on the pesticide label.

3.B:  What further action is necessary – Risk reduction measures

The manager now works systematically through the possible risk control measures. Where a
particular risk control measure is not chosen or is not considered applicable for the particular
problem, a short explanation is offered.

Risk Control Measure 1: Eliminating the hazard. This is always the best solution, but in this par-
ticular case the plantation owner does not use organic farming methods. The risk assessment con-
cludes that total elimination of the insecticide is not an option, and other measures must be used.

Substitution is also not applicable in this case as the plantation owner decides that chemical
insecticides must continue to be used for pest problems.

Risk Control Measure 2: Tools, equipment, technology and engineering. The motorised air blower
pesticide sprayers are in good condition and are not the cause of the spray drift problem. Spray
drift is a problem in windy conditions and spraying should take place as far as possible when
there is no, or little, wind.

PART I.   Risk assessment methodology 31

 Risk Control Measure 3: Safe work methods, practices, organization, information and training.
The manager, in consultation with the spray workers and field workers, determines that the key
elements in preventing exposure to contamination from spray drift are work organization to ensure
safer work practices, coupled with appropriate information and training. The following measures
are identified for implementation:
■ There will be no spraying in windy conditions (decision to be taken by the spray team
supervisor).
■ The spray team supervisor will regularly inform the field gang supervisor when and where
spraying is due to take place. He will also submit written copies for the plantation owner and
the manager. This will allow the field gang supervisor to ensure that her workers are well out
of range of any danger of pesticide spray drift contamination.
■ The spray team supervisor will inform his spray team members that if they see field workers
nearby during spraying operations they are to stop spraying immediately and inform him of
the situation. He will ensure that the field workers are removed to a safe distance. This safety
element will be incorporated into the training programme of the spray team.
■ The field workers will be informed that if they see the spray team working close by they are to
immediately inform their own supervisor. They will then be removed to a safe distance from
the spraying operations.
■ Both the spray team and the field workers and their supervisors will receive extra training on
the importance of respecting pesticide re-entry intervals based on information from pesticide
manufacturers and suppliers. A written copy of the safe re-entry times for treated areas will
be submitted to the plantation manager’s office. Simple warning signs, such as skull and
crossbones, will be placed at appropriate distances around the treated area.
■ Any possible work-related ill health will be noted in the plantation’s accident and disease
recording book.

Risk Control Measure 4: Hygiene and welfare. Wash rooms and lockers to store workers’ personal
belongings and food are provided near the main office, well away from the spraying areas. No
further action is necessary in this respect.

Risk Control Measure 5: Personal protective equipment. The new working procedures should
ensure that workers are not exposed to pesticide spray drift, and that they do not re-enter treated
areas before it is authorised to do so as per manufacturers’ safety advice. Personal protective equip-
ment and clothing should therefore not be necessary – at least against pesticide contamination.

Risk Control Measure 6: Health/medical surveillance. This is not strictly a risk control measure,
but as pesticides are, by definition, toxic substances and there is always a residual risk of exposure,
the younger workers (those presently under 18 years old) will be enrolled for blood testing under
an international project recently established in the capital to monitor occupational exposures.

Conclusion

These simple improvements in procedure, communications, information and training mean that
the plantation owner and her manager will now give clear instructions to supervisors and workers
on how pesticide spraying will be carried out in a safer manner. This means that they will ensure
the plantation will be well organised and run, and that supervisors and staff will be properly
trained in safe work procedures. It also means that they will monitor the situation to ensure that
the measures are maintained and adequate to prevent further injuries to health.

32 Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management

STEP 4: RECORD WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR IMPLEMENTING 
WHICH RISK CONTROL MEASURES, AND THE TIMEFRAME

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4

What are Who might be What are you What further action Action Action Done
the hazards? harmed and how? already doing? is necessary? by whom by when

Step 5:  Record your findings, monitor and review, update as necessary

When risk control measures are decided on, as per Step 3.B, you need to take action to imple-
ment the measures. You also have to assign responsibility within the enterprise for their imple-
mentation within a reasonable timeframe and record the date they were acted upon and installed.
The risk assessment has three distinct responsibilities within Step 4:
➔ Action by whom in the enterprise?
➔ Action by when?
➔ On what date was the risk control measure installed or activated?

This means that for each control measure indicated in your risk assessment, you should specify
the person(s) responsible for implementing the measure, along with a date for its completion.
The risk assessment should also be marked up when the control measure has been successfully
installed or activated.
When you evaluate risks it is common to find more problems than you can fix at once. This is
why it is important to prioritize, and tackle the most serious risks first. This helps protect your
workers, and makes for efficiency and cost effectiveness in your risk control measures.
In any risk assessment, the degree of risk and thus prioritization for action is, to a certain extent,
based on personal judgement and opinion. However, you should show that you have based your
priorities for action on sound reasons. At first, this may seem like a daunting task but remember
the maxim, “keep it simple”, and seek advice and good practice as appropriate.
As mentioned earlier, risk is a function of the possible severity of injury or illness multiplied by
the likelihood (or probability) of such harm occurring to workers. In this case, when you are
evaluating the level of a risk you should pay attention to a number of things. For example:
➔ How likely is a situation that may cause an accident to occur? Remember that this is the
situation at the time of the risk assessment, with the present methods of work and the present
precautions already in place – or not, as the case may be. Is an event unlikely to occur, or
even very likely to occur; is there something that could reasonably be expected to occur, or is

PART I.   Risk assessment methodology 33

 even certain or imminent? What contributory factors could be involved – rushing a job, for
example, or poor working conditions, or machinery that is difficult to use?
➔ What are the consequences of the accident likely to be? What could happen in the worst case
scenario? If a worker slips or falls near a woodworking machine, for example, there could be
several possible outcomes, ranging from negligible (no treatment needed) or minor injury
(first aid treatment for a cut or bruise), right through to serious injury or death if the worker
gets a limb caught up in the machine.
➔ What is the scale or degree of the risk? In other words, how far would the consequences of
the accident reach – how many people, tasks, machines, customers or product batches would
be affected?
The table below can give you some guidance on how to evaluate risk. You can also try using Ac-
tivity 4 (page 56) to help focus your reasoning for evaluating the degree of risk and prioritizing
action to tackle the identified risks.

Using a risk matrix

Most small businesses will not need to use a risk matrix. However, such a tool can be used to
help you work out the level of risk associated with a particular issue. A risk matrix does this by
categorising the likelihood of harm and the potential severity of that harm. This is then plotted
in a matrix (plural, matrices) as illustrated below. The risk level determines which risks should be
tackled first, starting obviously with the highest risks.
Using a matrix can be helpful for prioritizing your actions to control a risk. It is suitable for many
assessments and, in particular, for more complex situations. However, it does require expertise
and experience to judge the likelihood of harm accurately. Getting this wrong could result in fail-
ing to take important risk reduction measures or applying unnecessary measures.
Just as there are no set methods of doing risk assessment, so you will find a wide variety of risk
matrices, many of which are designed for use in larger enterprises. Therefore, given that this
module is designed for SMEs, we have chosen, by way of example, a 3 by 3 risk matrix as we
believe it is straightforward and easy to use to set priorities for action. It can also help to avoid
getting bogged down or lost in lengthy discussions on the degree of risk, or prioritization.

Example of a risk matrix

Potential severity or consequences of an event

Slightly harmful Moderately harmful Very harmful

Probability (likelihood)

Low probability Low risk Low risk Medium risk

of event happening

Probable Low risk Medium risk High risk

Highly probable Medium risk High risk High risk

34 Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management

This 3 by 3 risk matrix gives an indication, albeit subjective, of the different levels of risk as a
basis for prioritizing which risk(s) to tackle first.
a) Concerning the potential severity or consequences of an event, we have proposed three levels
of harm:
– Slightly harmful: this may refer to injury or illness, which may need only minor first aid
treatment, or there could be some short process interruption. It does not keep anyone off
work for more than a couple of days, if at all.
– Moderately harmful: in this scenario there is the potential for more serious injuries or ill
health that may cause temporary incapacity from which the person can recover – a bro-
ken arm or minor fracture, for example. The injury or illness keeps the victim off work
and poorly for a substantial period of time. The employer can make a claim for lost time
injury or illness, or process interruption may be for a couple of days.
– Very harmful: potentially serious injury or illness or death and possible long-term or
permanent injury or illness, including death, amputations, and noise-induced hearing
loss. “Life-changing injuries” is a common term in this context.
b) Concerning the probability or likelihood of an event happening, we have proposed three
levels:
– Low probability: where the risk of someone being harmed would be unlikely or in-
frequent; harm is not likely to occur in the present circumstances.
– Probable: where there is a strong possibility or likelihood of someone being injured or
made ill when working in the present circumstances.
– Highly probable: work situations in which it is almost certain that someone will suffer
either injury or illness in the present circumstances.
c) Concerning the risk scale, we have proposed three levels of risk, which are arrived at by a
combination of the level of harm and probability of the harm occurring:
– Low risk: there may be a slight risk of minor injury or ill health occurring. The pro-
bability of anything happening that may cause harm is low and the consequences of it
happening could vary from slight to moderate.
– Medium risk: this can be assumed when the consequences or the severity of injury or ill
health are serious, even if the likelihood of a causal event is low. It can also be assumed
when the probability is raised, even when less serious harm can be expected to result, or
where more people are likely to be harmed. In other words, the consequences could be
slight, moderate or very harmful.
– High risk: this scenario is valid when it is probable or highly probable that there would
be moderate or serious injury or illness or death.
Agreeing on the risk level of a situation in this way helps you define which risks to tackle first,
starting, of course, with the high – unacceptable – risks that you have identified. Medium risks
could also be considered unacceptable, especially when there is the potential, for example, of bro-
ken limbs from an accident or lost-time from damage to health. Measures to remedy the situation
should be taken as soon as possible, with low cost measures, such as information and training,
started immediately. Low risks may not be a priority but if there are measures that can be taken
easily or at low cost, then they could also be considered for implementation as soon as possible,
even at the same time as measures are being installed against other, higher-risk situations.

PART I.   Risk assessment methodology 35

 Some risk control measures may be easy to put in place. For example, changing working pro-
cedures, the way a job is done or improving housekeeping routines. Others may require a little
more time and effort. Examples of this would be enclosing a noisy machine in a sound-proof box
or installing local exhaust ventilation on machines to extract dust and fumes. The time frame
should thus take account of how long it can reasonably be expected to take to complete a specific
measure for improvement.
The workers should be informed of the changes to be undertaken and should also be involved in
their design and implementation as appropriate. Additional training may be needed, especially if
the risk control(s) involve changing working methods and practices.
In the table below, we continue filling in the example of the woodworking workplace with the
fourth step in the risk assessment. In this example, we have merely proposed that the person re-
sponsible is “the manager” or “the supervisor”. In a real-life situation we would recommend that
the person responsible is actually named in order to put a face with the tasks and responsibilities.

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4

What are Who might be What are you What further action Action Action Done
the hazards? harmed and how? already doing? is necessary? by whom by when
Exposure All workers (35) ■ Dust is swept up ■ Fit each dust- Manager 31/10/13 4/10/13
to wood dust risk lung diseases, regularly. causing machine
such as asthma, ■ Good washing with dust extrac-
from inhaling wood facilities and tion equipment
dust. Machine shower already (local exhaust
operators (15) available. ventilation)
at higher risk of ■ Remind staff Supervisor 15/05/13 15/05/13
■ Disposable
exposure. never to sweep (immedi-
dust masks are
Hardwood dust provided dry wood dust, ately)
can cause cancer, and regularly to use vacuum
particularly of the replaced. cleaner or, if
nose. necessary, to
wet dust before
sweeping.
■ Machine opera- Manager 05/11/13 15/10/13
tors to be trained
by a competent
person in the
use and basic
maintenance of
dust extraction
equipment
Machinery, Machine ■ All machines ■ Fit braking Manager 01/07/13 30/06/13
including circular operators (15) guarded devices to
saws, vertical and other workers, according to reduce the
spindle cutters at risk of serious manufacturers’ rundown time
and planers and possibly instructions. for cutting
fatal injuries if tools.
in contact with
moving parts
of machinery,
particularly saw
blades.

36 Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4

What are Who might be What are you What further action Action Action Done
the hazards? harmed and how? already doing? is necessary? by whom by when
■ Machine guards ■ Only machines Manager As needed –
inspected regu- fitted with brake
larly, maintained controls will be
to ensure good purchased in
condition. future.
■ Workers have ■ Explore the Manager 20/05/13 24/05/13
sufficient space possibilities for
at machines introducing chip-
to work safely. limited tooling.
■ All workers ■ Re-check with Supervisor 15/05/13 15/05/13
trained in safe the workforce (immedi-
use of machines that machine ately)
by competent guards are
person. inspected
regularly and
that defects are
being promptly
reported.
■ Download Manager 15/05/13 15/05/13
information (immedi-
sheets on the ately)
safe use of
machines used
in the workshop.
Pin them up in
the workshop
and rest-room.
Manual handling Workers may suffer ■ Workers trained ■ Where possible, Manager 15/06/13 14/06/13
musculoskeletal in correct store tooling next
disorders, such as manual handling to the machine
back pain, from techniques. to reduce carry-
handling heavy or ■ Workbenches ing distance.
bulky objects, e.g. and machine ■ Remind workers Supervisor 15/05/13 15/05/13
timber boards and tables set at to ask for a new (immedi-
machinery parts. a comfortable set of gloves ately)
They also risk cuts height. when old ones
when handling show wear and
■ Strong, thick
tooling, or splinters tear, and not to
gloves provided
when handling lift objects that
for handling tool-
pallets. are too heavy.
ing and pallets.
■ Introduce lifting Manager 01/06/13 25/05/13
and handling
aids, such as
panel handlers,
to significantly
reduce the risk
of injury.

Step 5:  Record your findings, monitor and review, update as necessary

PART I.   Risk assessment methodology 37

 STEP 5: RECORD YOUR FINDINGS, MONITOR AND REVIEW
YOUR RISK ASSESSMENT, AND UPDATE WHEN NECESSARY

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4

What are Who might be What are you What further action Action Action Done
the hazards? harmed and how? already doing? is necessary? by whom by when

Step 5:  Record your findings, monitor and review, update as necessary

Taking action to implementing risk control measures is not the end of the risk assessment p
­ rocess.
Recording your findings: In Step 5, it is necessary to record and display your findings, writing
down the significant hazards you have identified and the group(s) of workers and other people
at risk. The risk control measures to be implemented and the responsible person(s) and other
information noted in Step 4 must be recorded and readily available for workers, supervisors and
OSH inspectors to see.
There is no set format for recording your findings. The table given as an example in this manual
is designed to show the logical steps in a risk assessment and it is also convenient for recording
your findings in a simple and readily accessible format. In reality, a risk assessment will be more
extensive than the worked example we have used here. There will be more hazards identified for
more processes. We have focused on only three hazards – wood dust, dangerous machines and
manual handling – whereas woodworking enterprises often give rise to other risks such as chemi-
cal exposures, noise, slips, trips and falls, vehicles, electrical problems, and fire.
Risk assessments for SMEs do not have to be academic papers. They may sometimes be written
by OSH professionals or experts but the intention is always for the employer of an enterprise
to implement the recommendations. So the written risk assessment has to practical, as well as
thorough. It should show that:
➔ A proper investigation has been undertaken.
➔ All the significant hazards have been identified and addressed, taking into account the num-
ber and vulnerabilities of people who could be involved.
➔ The precautions are reasonable and the residual risk is low.

This written record is a useful tool for employers, supervisors, workers and their representatives
alike, and should be kept for future use. It can be used as a reference tool, to remind everyone to
be aware of particular hazards and the measures needed to reduce the associated risks. The risk
assessment will also be of interest to the labour or OSH inspectors as it allows them to see that
the employer is complying with his or her duties to provide a safe and healthy working environ-
ment in accordance with the law.

38 Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management

Monitoring the effectiveness of the control measures: You will also need to monitor and check
the effectiveness of risk control measures and ensure that they are maintained. Did the improve-
ments identified in your risk assessment work? For each of the hazards you identified, were the
risks reduced and the group or groups of persons better protected? Who will monitor and check
that the improved safety and health risk control measures are still effective? Who will check that
the new guarding procedures you identified for your dangerous woodworking machines are be-
ing followed? Who will check that the local exhaust installation you installed is still efficiently
extracting the rubber dust and fumes?
Reviewing and updating your risk assessment: The risk assessment is not a one-time activity.
It needs to be reviewed from time to time, at least annually if not more often. When you are run-
ning a business it is all too easy to forget about reviewing your risk assessment – until something
has gone wrong and it is too late. Why not set a review date for this risk assessment now? Write
it down and note it in your diary as an annual event.
Look at your risk assessment again. Have there been any changes? Are there any improvements
you still need to make? Have your workers spotted a problem? Have you learned anything from
accidents or near misses? Make sure your risk assessment stays up to date.
Few workplaces stay the same. Sooner or later, you will bring in new equipment, substances and/
or procedures that could lead to new hazards. It makes sense, therefore, to review what you are
doing on an on-going basis. Every year or so, formally review where you are, in order to make
sure that you are still improving or at least not sliding back.
During the year, if there is a significant change, do not wait. Check your risk assessment and,
where necessary, amend it. If possible, it is best to think about the risk assessment when you are
planning your change – this way you leave yourself more flexibility.

PART I.   Risk assessment methodology 39

PART II
TRAINER’S TOOLKIT
1. Planning, conducting and evaluating 
training activities: Checklists for trainers

In this training package we emphasise the importance of active learning methods. The ILO has
produced a CD-ROM entitled “Your health and safety at work”. 10 This contains an instructor’s
guide 11 which elaborates further. We have selected some of the most important elements and re-
produced them in a series of checklists below. These should provide trainers with further informa-
tion that will help in planning, conducting and evaluating training activities on risk ­assessment.

Key principles
First of all, there are some key principles upon which modern training methods are based and
which lend themselves very well to risk assessment training. Risk assessment is not an academic
exercise that can be learned through lectures. It is a very hands-on approach to safety and health
improvements, carried out in the workplace, so what better way to introduce stakeholders to the
method than by encouraging full participation in situations that are relevant and familiar? Some
of the key principles are identified in the checklist below.

CHECKLIST: Key principles of training

■ Learning by doing – participants learn far more by going through the motions of what is
needed themselves.
■ Collective work – educational activities work best by involving everyone and pooling knowledge,
experience and skills. Work in small groups with regular reporting back encourages even the most
reticent of people to contribute and broadens the pool of experience and ideas for improvements.
■ Local workplace or community activities can help to ensure that the training course or session,
the farmer field school or study circle is relevant and based upon the actual situations that the
participants are facing.
■ Activities are specific tasks that help course participants to focus, learn and be relevant to the sit-
uation they face. Some proposed activities to guide training in risk assessment are included below
for you to use or adapt. You should translate the activities into the local language, if necessary.
■ Handouts are useful for future reference for the participants. If you have the time, you could
translate some of the key points from this guide to each activity (in the step-by-step guide
below) and provide them as hand-outs to the participants after each activity has finished.
■ Course reviews – throughout any training course, session or study circle there should be formal
and informal ways of reviewing work done, to give trainers and participants the opportunity to
adjust the course programme to meet identified priorities.

   Accessed on: http://www.ilo.org/safework/info/instr/WCMS_113080/lang--en/index.htm

10

   Accessed on: http://www.actrav.itcilo.org/actrav-english/telearn/osh/guide/gumain.htm

11

PART II.   Trainer’s toolkit 43

 The trainer’s role

CHECKLIST: The trainer’s role

Your role includes:

■ Being aware of group dynamics and promoting equal participation, particularly in terms of gender,
bringing out the shy participants and ensuring the dominant ones let the others contribute.
■ Helping to organize the work by suggesting activities and ways of working.
■ Helping participants to agree on the course guidelines.
■ Ensuring that different opinions are respected.
■ Organizing resources, including basic information, hand-outs, publications and copying facili-
ties (where possible) to help the course work.
■ Translating into local language(s) and adapting course materials to suit the needs of the
participants.
■ Giving advice and support.
■ Facilitating discussions and feedback.
■ Leading some discussions and summarizing key points.
■ Arranging for external resource persons where this is felt necessary.

Small group activity

Encouraging participants to work in small groups is the main training method of choice, which
lends itself well to training in risk assessment. There are several good reasons for using small
group work in adult education:

CHECKLIST: Small group activity

■ It is an active method.
■ It encourages working co-operatively.
■ It encourages less confident participants to become involved in discussions.
■ It allows participants to work without feeling that they are always being watched by the trainer.
■ It provides an effective way of structuring discussions.
■ It will enable participants to investigate, discuss and respond to situations relating to their
specific work situations.

Ideally, in small group work there should be three to four participants, in order to encourage
maximum participation.

44 Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management

Active participation
Adults learn best when they are actively involved in the learning process and when they are en-
couraged to discuss their own experiences in the course. This type of learning is generally called
“participatory” or “student-centred learning”. Advantages of this approach include:
➔ The learning process starts from, and builds on, the experience of course participants.
➔ Course participants learn through cooperative group activity and discussion.
➔ Course participants are given an opportunity to think out issues for themselves and develop
a range of skills.
Participatory learning asks the participants to provide information, as well as receive it. In this
way, participants are encouraged to learn from one another based on their own experiences. Us-
ing the experiences of participants helps them to learn and retain important information. Train-
ers may have to adapt their tutoring techniques, based on the following checklist principles of
active participation:

Checklist: Active participation

■ Give the participants regular opportunities to discuss their ideas for identifying hazards, eval-
uating risks and proposing measures of prevention and protection.
■ Recognize the important contributions participants can make, based upon their personal
experiences of work processes, and accept that they bring valuable information with them.
■ Use a lecture format of teaching as little as possible. Divide the content of risk assessment
training into logical steps, creating activities and stimulating discussions as a way for partici-
pants to learn.
■ Be democratic in your tutoring practice and be willing to give up some control of a session, in
order to allow participants to lead.
■ Facilitate and guide participants through the learning process by providing direction and
structure.
■ Encourage the use of songs, dance and drama to get across key information and experience.
■ Use practical but structured field visits to supplement classroom activity.
■ Keep participants focused on the different tasks of the course.
■ Help participants to learn from one another.
■ Try to make sure that no one dominates the sessions.
■ Encourage quiet participants to speak up and participate in all sessions.

Planning and preparation

It is important that trainers plan and prepare thoroughly. This is not to say that you cannot adapt
your training to respond to the dynamics of the group and experiences of participants. But you
should have a basic plan and be prepared with all the activities, hand-outs, materials such as
markers and paper – and, of course, have a time frame for sessions.

PART II.   Trainer’s toolkit 45

 Checklist: Planning and preparation

■ Develop lesson plans (see example below) or a training outline prior to your course. Include
in your lesson plan: introduction of objectives, core of the text, points to remember, summary
and activities.

■ You should translate any materials, especially the activities, into the local language(s).

■ Remember items such as a flip chart, markers and paper, presentations, photos etc.

■ For some activities, it is recommended that you make copies of materials ahead of time if you
have access to copying facilities.

■ Use different participatory methods and try to come up with your own participatory methods
as well.

■ Build upon the Training Package by developing new materials or new training methods.

You should develop lesson plans for each session. A sample planning sheet follows:

Name of session:

Content Duration Training Methods Training Aids

(materials, equipment, slides,
activity sheets…)

Aims of the session

Introduction

Core points of the text

Points to remember

Activities

Discussion

Roundup/ summary

46 Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management

Training techniques
The checklist below provides brief explanations and guidelines for using a variety of training
techniques:

Checklist: Training techniques

■ Asking questions: questions can be used to stimulate discussion, but should not be used in a
threatening way.

■ Using a checklist: a checklist is a useful prompt for participants and you can provide check-
lists or help participants to develop their own, preferably in groups.

■ Instant ideas or brainstorming: a technique used to encourage participants to generate a wide

variety of ideas. Participants offer the first ideas that come into their head about the topic to
be discussed.

■ Action planning: Action plans can be developed individually or as a group activity. Participants
will need to think about and develop a strategy for taking positive action to improve working
conditions.

■ Workplace or community activities: where there is an opportunity to engage in workplace or

community activities such as identifying hazards in a workplace or looking at solutions found
in other workplaces, they provide a link between the course, the participants and their work-
places or communities.

■ Course meetings: these meetings are a democratic way of helping participants to influence the
content and structure of the course.

■ Small group activity: small group work is one of the main training methods used in courses on
risk assessment.

■ Group discussions: it is most important that trainers promote, stimulate and sustain group
discussion as part of participatory learning.

■ Using case-studies: case studies can be used effectively by trainers.

■ Role-play: role-play is an active learning and participatory method that can generate consid-
erable activity and interaction among course participants. Essentially, course participants
are asked to act out a role in a given workplace situation. Types of role-play include inter-
viewing, negotiating, taking part in a meeting or participating in a safety and health risk
assessment.

Course evaluation
Just as the training course is based on group-working, active participation and involvement,
evaluation should also be a collective process. Evaluation means that collectively and individually
everyone reflects upon the course in which they have been involved. They consider questions
about its relevance, what has been gained from it, its weaknesses and its successes. It should take
place as an on-going feature of the course.

PART II.   Trainer’s toolkit 47

 Checklist: Evaluation

■ Before the start of the training, set your course aims.

■ During the first or second course session, find out what the participants want from the course
and together agree on revised aims.
■ Use course meetings to assist the training process. A daily review should be built into the
course meeting agenda.
■ For each session/activity, check that the participants understand the aims and what they are
expected to do.
■ Review progress with the participants midway through the course.
■ Carry out a final evaluation at the end of the course.
■ Where possible, follow up a sample of participants a few weeks or months after the course has
finished, in order to monitor the impact of the training upon their subsequent activities.

48 Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management

2. Activities on risk assessment

One of the main methods for getting participants to understand risk assessment and building
their confidence that this is a “do-able” exercise is to work through the assessment step by step
using a series of activities. Four activity sheets are proposed below to guide people through Steps
1 to 3 of the risk assessment process. They correspond to: identifying hazards (Step 1); who is at
risk and how (Step 2); identifying and deciding on risk control measures (Steps 3.A. and 3.B.)
and evaluating the degree of risk and prioritizing risks for action (part of Step 4). Activities are
not proposed for the other part of Step 4 (defining who is responsible for implementing the
measures) and Step 5 (monitoring and reviewing the risk assessment) because these are related to
the “real world” and do not need to be discussed in depth.
The activities given here can be used in a course comprising participants from different work
situations. This may be particularly interesting if the small groups base their work on a differ-
ent work setting and the resulting risk assessments can be compared. The activities can also be
used, perhaps more simply and relevantly, to identify the hazards, evaluate the risks and propose
solutions for one particular workplace. This would be interesting, for example, if the course
involved a visit to a workplace, and everyone could work on a risk assessment for that particular
workplace. The activity sheets could also be used to focus the process of risk assessment in a
workplace, without it being part of a specially-designed training course. Whatever the situation
in which they may be used, the activity sheets can be adapted to meet it, and you are encouraged
to do this.

List of activities:
Activity 1
STEP 1: Identifying hazards in the workplace

Activity 2
STEP 2: Who is at risk and how?

Activity 3
STEP 3.A and 3.B.: Identifying and deciding on risk control measures.

Activity 4
STEP 4: Evaluating the degree of risk and prioritizing risks for action.

PART II.   Trainer’s toolkit 49

 Activity 1 STEP 1:  IDENTIFYING HAZARDS IN THE WORKPLACE

■ AIMS:  To help you:

➔ Identify the range and nature of safety and health hazards in the workplace.
➔ Complete the first column of the risk assessment template/form – Step 1: What are the
hazards?

■ ORGANIZATION:  Choose one person in the group to moderate the discussion and write the re-
sults on the flip chart and on cards. Choose another to present the cards to the whole workshop.

■ TASK:  This is a “brainstorming” session. You will be divided into groups. In your small group,
discuss which hazards workers face in the workplace (or occupational sector) under considera-
tion. You can think of the hazards from your own workplace or workplace visits you have made
and/or refer to the worked examples, pages 61 to 70.
List the hazards on the flip chart. Try to use the categories suggested overleaf – with some ex-
amples to guide you – so that you systematically consider the full range of hazards for your risk
assessment. The proposed categories are safety hazards, usually more obvious to identify; health
hazards, or “hidden” hazards, often more difficult to identify; and organizational hazards. If you
are unable to decide where a hazard “fits”, do not worry, just write it down and move on.
Write down everyone’s proposals – each person’s ideas are as valid as those of the next person.
There does not need to be a consensus.
When the group has compiled a list of hazards, you should choose what you believe to be the four
most important issues and write them on the cards that have been given to your group. For this,
you will also be given stickers with which to attach the cards to the wall.
The spokesperson will present the group’s cards to the plenary session.
The cards will be attached to the wall as the first column of the risk assessment template.

50 Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management

To help you identify hazards in this exercise:
Look at Part I, page 9 on Hazard and Risk, to make sure you are clear about the difference between the
two terms. Remember: a “hazard” can be anything – e.g. work materials, dangerous substances, by-
products, equipment, poor work methods, practices, attitudes – that has the potential to cause harm.
You can use the categories below to make sure you consider the full range of hazards you may need
to identify in your risk assessment:

Safety, or “obvious”, hazards. For example:

➔ Unguarded moving parts of machinery
➔ Cutting tools
➔ Heavy loads, manual lifting and handling of loads
➔ Electricity: from fixed installations, extension leads and portable equipment
➔ Unguarded walkways, ladders etc.
➔ Falling objects - crates, boxes, bales, heavy bundles of fruit from trees
➔ Poor lighting
➔ Obstructions – untidy, blocked passageways in workshops
➔ Flammable liquids
➔ Snakes and wild animals

Health or “hidden” hazards. For example:

➔ Repetitive work
➔ Noise
➔ Pesticides and other hazardous/toxic chemicals
➔ Dusts
➔ Disease-causing micro-organisms
➔ Vibration
➔ Lack of seating, leading to standing for long periods
➔ Chairs and computer screens
➔ Extreme temperatures

Organizational hazards. There are some important issues to be considered that may not have
previously been linked to safety and health conditions. For example:
➔ The way work is organized – are there clear working procedures and practices, and adequate
information and training to do the particular task in a safe and health manner?
➔ Poor housekeeping
➔ Monotonous or poorly designed work
➔ Long working hours, lack of rest periods, consecutive working, shift work
➔ Harassment, on whatever grounds, for example, sexual and racial bullying
➔ Violence and aggression
➔ Staffing levels
➔ Working alone
These are a few examples; there are many more hazards that can be present in any workplace.

PART II.   Trainer’s toolkit 51

 Activity 2 STEP 2:  WHO IS AT RISK, AND HOW?

■ AIMS:  To help you:

➔ Identify who is exposed to, and at risk from, the various hazards you have identified.
➔ Consider “hidden” or “forgotten” workers who may be at risk such as contractors, mainte-
nance or delivery workers, cleaners, the public or groups with special requirements.
➔ Think about how they could be harmed by the hazards you have identified.
➔ Complete the second column of the risk assessment template/form to define who is at risk,
and how?

■ ORGANIZATION:  Choose one person in the group to moderate the discussion and write the re-
sults on the flip chart and on cards. Choose another to present the cards to the whole workshop.

■ TASK:  In your small groups, reproduce the table below on your flip chart.

Hazard Who is most Who else Particularly Consequences

at risk? could possibly vulnerable groups (how would people
be at risk? (why should they exposed to the hazard
be more vulnerable?) be harmed)?

1.

2.

3.

4.

In the first column, write each of the four hazards identified in the previous exercise and recorded
on the risk assessment chart.
For each hazard, think about who is most at risk and record this in the second column.
The third column is to record who you think could also be at risk. Think about other workers
or groups of people such as family members, the public, or anyone else who may be exposed to
the hazard.
In the fourth column, think about people who may be particularly vulnerable (such as children
and pregnant women). Why should they be more vulnerable?
In the fifth column, record what you think may be the consequences of exposure to the hazard.
Write down everyone’s proposals – each person’s ideas are as valid as those of the next person.
There does not need to be a consensus.
Each group should now summarize its conclusions on cards to be attached to the wall to form
the “who is at risk and how” part of the risk assessment.
The spokesperson will present the group’s cards to the plenary.

52 Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management

 For this exercise you need to think about:

Workers in the enterprise at risk: are all workers at risk from a particular hazard or is it only a
smaller group of workers? For example, workers directly operating woodworking or metalworking
cutting machinery? What are the safety and/or health consequences of this group (these groups)
of workers being exposed to a particular hazard?

Workers from outside: maintenance and repair workers, delivery/transport workers, etc. For
example, delivery workers may be at risk of being knocked down by a forklift truck in the (unfa-
miliar) enterprise to which they are delivering. What are the safety and/or health consequences of
this group (these groups) of workers being exposed to a particular hazard?

Vulnerable workers: there may be groups of workers in the enterprise that are especially vulner-
able – young workers, workers with disabilities, pregnant workers, etc. What extra safety and/or
health risks may they face from a particular hazard(s)? What are the safety and/or health conse-
quences of this group (these groups) of workers being exposed to a particular hazard?

Others: who else do you think could be at risk? For example, members of the public passing by
a construction site or using a temporary walkway under scaffolding? What are the safety and/or
health consequences of the public being exposed to a particular hazard?

PART II.   Trainer’s toolkit 53

 Activity 3 STEP 3.A and B:  IDENTIFYING AND DECIDING ON RISK CONTROL MEASURES

■ AIMS:  To help you:

➔ Decide if present measures of protection are adequate.
➔ Think of the stages in taking up priority safety and health problems.
➔ Work out the most effective means of action.
➔ Complete the third and fourth columns of the risk assessment template/form – Steps 3.A and
3.B concerning measures of risk reduction.

■ ORGANIZATION:  Choose one person in the group to moderate the discussion and write the
results on the flipchart. Choose another to present your findings to the whole workshop.

■ TASK:  In your small groups, create a blank chart on a large sheet of paper, with six columns
labelled according to the following model:

HAZARD WHAT DO YOU PROPOSE? YES? HOW? NO? WHY NOT?

Risk Control Measure 1:

Elimination or substitution of hazards.

Risk Control Measure 2:

Tools, equipment, technology
and engineering.

Risk Control Measure 3:

Safe work methods, practices,
organization, information and training.

Risk Control Measure 4:

Hygiene and welfare.

Risk Control Measure 5:

Personal protective equipment.

Risk Control Measure 6:

Health/medical surveillance.

Look at the hazards identified in the risk assessment so far and use these as the basis for this
­exercise – fill in the first column.
Then fill in the next four columns. For each hazard your group is considering, think about:
➔ If you would apply the first measures in the list or not; that is, can you eliminate the hazard
or substitute with a less dangerous substance or machine, for example?
➔ If you answered “yes” to the first measure, in the next column explain how you would go
about eliminating or substituting the hazard.

54 Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management

➔ If you answered “no”, explain in the next column why this particular measure (elimination
or substitution) is not an option.
➔ Then go on to the next stage (collective means of protection) and repeat the exercise.
➔ Do this for each step and for each hazard identified.
You may think of more than one solution – all should be listed.
When the group has listed its decisions and reasoning on the flip chart, it should transfer the
results – the measures it thinks should be implemented – onto the cards provided. The cards
should then be attached to the wall to form the next stage of the risk assessment.
Choose a spokesperson to present your findings to the workshop.

PART II.   Trainer’s toolkit 55

 Activity 4 STEP 4:  EVALUATING THE DEGREE OF RISK, AND PRIORITIZING RISKS FOR ACTION

■ AIMS:  To help you:

➔ Understand risk assessment and the interaction between the probability (likelihood) of the
risk of harm happening and the severity of possible injury or ill health.
➔ Think about which hazards pose the greatest risk of harm and which should, therefore, be
the priorities for action to implement risk control measures.

■ ORGANIZATION:  Choose one person in the group to moderate the discussion and write the re-
sults on the flip chart and on cards. Choose another to present the cards to the whole workshop.

■ TASK:  In your small groups, reproduce the risk matrix below on your flip chart.

Potential severity or consequences of an event

Slightly harmful Moderately harmful Very harmful

Probability (likelihood)

Low probability Low risk Low risk Medium risk

of event happening

Probable Low risk Medium risk High risk

Highly probable Medium risk High risk High risk

Please study each of the hazards identified at the beginning of the risk assessment exercise.
For each hazard, decide what harm could result from exposure to it. Write this on the small sticky
labels provided.
For each identified potential effect (cancer, lung disease, amputation of arm, absenteeism due
to stress, damage to machinery, etc.) consider the degree of harm. Would the effect be slightly
harmful, moderately harmful or very harmful?
You should also consider the probability of something happening to cause harm – is this not
very likely to occur (low probability), probable or highly probable in the present circumstances?
Once you have made your choices concerning the consequences and the probability, you can
stick your small labels on the appropriate places on the risk matrix.
This defines the risk – high, medium or low – for each potential outcome according to its place
on the matrix. It will allow you to define priorities for action to identify, decide on and imple-
ment risk control measures
Next, transfer the information from the risk matrix to the cards, which can be fixed to the next
stage (Step 4) of the risk assessment we are building up on the wall.
The spokesperson will present the group’s cards to the plenary session.

56 Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management

PART III
EXAMPLES OF RISK ASSESSMENTS
EXAMPLES OF RISK ASSESSMENTS 
FOR SELECTED WORKPLACES

The example risk assessments on the following pages show the kind of approach an SME can take
and can be used as a guide to promote thought about some of the hazards that may be found. The
assessments do not identify all of the hazards that could be found in the enterprises or indeed all
the control measures that can be used to control the risk.
Remember every enterprise is different and each will need to think through the hazards and as-
sociated control measures required in their respective workplaces. Even when the hazards are the
same, enterprises may have to adopt different control measures.

How were the risk assessments done?

1. The workplace manager:
➔ Used, where possible, the internet to locate advice (much of which is free) to learn about
the hazards that occur and the control measures (best practice) used in their type of en-
terprise.
➔ Walked about the workplace, inside and outside, noting the hazards seen.
➔ Talked to workers to learn from their knowledge about the systems of work adopted on
the premises, and to ask their opinion about safety and health issues.
➔ Checked the manufacturers’ instructions for tools and machinery.
➔ Obtained information about chemicals (from safety data sheets) and other products used
(from product suppliers) for potential hazards.
➔ Looked at the accident records to identify causes of accidents.
➔ Looked at workplace inspection records.
2. The manager then wrote down who could be harmed by the hazards and how.
3. For each hazard the manager wrote down what control measures, if any, were in place to reduce
the risk. The control measures were compared to best practice and guidance material previously
located. If there were no existing control measures in place or where the existing measures were
not considered sufficient the manager identified what else needed to be done to reduce the risk.
4. Putting the risk assessment into practice, the manager decided and recorded who was res-
ponsible for implementing the further actions needed. He also prioritized what should be
done first according to the degree of risk identified, and recorded the date by which the dif-
ferent action should be completed. The manager discussed the findings of the risk assessment
with the staff and the assessment was displayed for the staff see.
5. A decision was made to review and update the assessment every year and as conditions war-
ranted, for example if they changed with the introduction of new machinery, new location
or systems of work.

PART III.   Examples of risk assessments for selected workplaces 59

 The examples in this annex 12 relate to following industries:
1. Brick layers (Construction)
2. Call centres
3. Hairdressing
4. Motor vehicle repair
5. Office cleaning

12
   The ILO would like to acknowledge that the annex contains public sector information published by the Health and Safety Executive, United Kingdom and
licensed under the United Kingdom Open Government Licence v1.0.

60 Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management

 Example 1: Brick layers (Construction)
Enterprise: Construction Section/unit: Brick layers Date:6/3/2013

STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4

What are the hazards? Who may be harmed What are you already What further action Action Action Done
and how? doing? is necessary? by whom by when

Falling from height Serious injury or even fatal injury ■ Agree scaffolding requirements ■ Scaffold requirements agreed, TB 20/3/13 20/3/13
  could occur if a worker falls. at contract stage, including including loading bays
appropriate load rating and and appropriate load rating.
provision of loading bays.
■ Supervisor to speak regularly LG From 1/5/13  
■ Bricklayers’ supervisor to check to site manager to arrange
with the site manager that the scaffold alterations and ensure
correct scaffold is provided and that weekly inspections have
inspected. been carried out.
■ Workers instructed not to
interfere with or misuse scaffold–
supervisor to keep an eye out for
problems.
■ Ladders in good condition,
adequately secured (lashed) and
placed on firm surface.
■ Band stands with handrails to be
used for work on internal walls.
■ Workers trained to put up
bandstands.
Collapse of scaffold All operatives on scaffold ■ Agree scaffolding requirements ■ Supervisor to keep a check to LG From 1/5/13  
may incur crush injuries, at contract stage, including make sure that scaffold is not
or worse, if the scaffold collapses appropriate load rating and overloaded with materials.
on top of them. provision of loading bays.
■ Bricklayers’ supervisor to check
with the site manager that the
correct scaffold is provided and
inspected.
Slips and trips All workers may suffer sprains ■ Good housekeeping maintained at ■ Temporary storage locations to be TB 20/3/13 20/3/13
or fractures if they trip over waste all times. agreed with site manager.
including brick bands and pallet ■ Waste including brick band and
■ Supervisor to ensure that workers LG From 1/5/13
debris. Slips at height could result pallet debris disposed of in skip.
wear safety footwear whenever
in a serious fall. ■ Safety footwear provided to all
on site.
workers.

PART III.   Examples of risk assessments for selected workplaces

61
 Example 1: Brick layers (Construction) continued

62
STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4

What are the hazards? Who may be harmed What are you already What further action Action Action Done
and how? doing? is necessary? by whom by when

Hazardous substances, mortar Direct skin contact with the mortar ■ Risk of dermatitis or cement ■ Training on how to treat exposure TB 17/4/13 26/4/13
could also cause bricklayer contact burns and precautions explained to be given to all operatives.
dermatitis and burns. to all workers.
■ Use cement or cement containing
products within the use-by date.
■ Direct skin contact to be avoided, ■ Supervisor to be aware of anyone LG From 1/5/13
PVC gloves used when handling with early signs of dermatitis.
mortar.
■ Good washing facilities on site,
with hot and cold water, soap
and basins large enough to wash
forearms.
Operating cement mixer Workers could be crushed or cut if ■ Cement mixer located on firm, ■ Supervisor to check mixer daily LG From 1/5/13
the mixer topples or they get caught level ground. for obvious damage.
in moving parts. Damage to electrics ■ Mixer is fully guarded and guards
could result in a shock. in place during operation.
■ Mixer is 110 volt and tested every
three months.
Workers struck or crushed by Workers could suffer serious or even ■ Manager to agree safe route to ■ Safe pedestrian routes agreed TB 20/3/13 20/3/13

Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management

moving vehicles on site fatal injuries from vehicles and work area. with all those working on site.
machines on site – particularly when ■ Induction to each site to be
reversing. carried out for all workers on first
day. ■ Supervisor to liaise with site LG From 1/5/13
■ Manager ensures only trained manager to ensure safe route
staff operate vehicles on site. stays clear.

■ Supervisor to instruct all LG From 1/5/13

untrained unauthorized staff that
they must never drive vehicles
and plant on this site.

■ High-visibility vests to be LG From 1/5/13

provided and supervisor to check
they are worn.

Step 5  Review date  25/9/2013

Assessment completed by: TB Manager

 Example 2: Call centre
Enterprise: PR Call centre Section/unit: Call Centre Date:1/10/2013

STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4

What are the hazards? Who may be harmed What are you already What further action Action Action Done
and how? doing? is necessary? by whom by when

Display Screen equipment (DSE) Staff may suffer posture problems ■ DSE training and assessments ■ Supervisors to make sure staff Supervisor 4/10/13 4/10/13
  and pain, discomfort or injuries (e.g. of workstation carried out by all continue to get breaks away
to the hands and arms) from overuse new starters early on in induction. from the screen.
or improper use, or from poorly ■ Work planned to include regular
■ Check that identified actions Manager 21/10/13 21/10/13
designed workstations or work envi- breaks or change of activity.
from self-assessments are
ronments. Headaches or sore eyes ■ Lighting and temperature suitably
followed up ASAP.
can occur, e.g. if the lighting is poor. controlled.
■ Adjustable blinds at window to ■ Remind staff to tell their manager  Manager  21/10/13  21/10/13
control natural light on screen. of any pain they have that may be
■ Eye tests provided for those who linked to computer use.
need them, dutyholder to pay for
basic spectacles specific for VDU
use (or portion of cost in other
cases).
Noise Staff could suffer hearing damage ■ Staff have a choice of either one ■ Provide regular training Manager 21/10/13 21/10/13
if exposed to high noise levels or two earpiece headsets. on volume control.
for long periods, or from hearing ■ Staff control the volume on their
■ Consider whether design of Manager 21/10/13 21/10/13
infections due to poor headset headsets (although volume levels
workplace and working practices
hygiene. Staff may be shocked revert to default setting after each
(e.g. staff breaks) can be
and startled by exposure to sudden call, to prevent volume creep).
improved or modified to help
loud sounds while using telephone ■ Staff trained in headset hygiene
keep background noise down.
equipment. and ensuring a comfortable fit.
■ Staff trained to report incidents ■ Check stockroom to ensure there Manager 21/10/13 21/10/13
of ‘acoustic shock’ from loud are sufficient spare ear pads.
sounds over telephone ■ Monitor and investigate Manager Ongoing
equipment. any reports of acoustic shock.
Fire If trapped staff could suffer from ■ Fire risk assessment completed. ■ None
smoke inhalation and burns ■ Fire exists kept clear and
unlocked.
■ Fire drills carried out.

PART III.   Examples of risk assessments for selected workplaces

63
 Example 2: Call centre continued

64
STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4

What are the hazards? Who may be harmed What are you already What further action Action Action Done
and how? doing? is necessary? by whom by when

Stress All staff could be adversely affected ■ Call targets set in consultation ■ Remind staff that they can Manager 4/10/13 3/10/13
by factors such as lack of job control with supervisors to ensure they speak confidentially to manager
(no control over timing/frequency of are realistic. or supervisors (on a no-blame
incoming calls, for example) or verbal ■ Staff get training in the job. basis!) if they are feeling unwell
abuse from customers. ■ Staff can talk to supervisors or or ill at ease about things at work.
manager if they are feeling unwell
or ill at ease about things at work.
■ Policy for dealing with verbal
abuse from customers.
Electrical Staff could get electrical shocks or ■ Staff trained to spot and report to ■ Identify when the buildings Manager 10/10/13 10/10/13
burns from using faulty electrical office administrator any defective electrical installation will next date of
equipment. Electrical faults can also plugs, discoloured sockets or be examined. inspection
lead to fires. damaged cable/equipment. 15/11/13
■ Systems in place for safely taking
out of use, and promptly replac-
ing, defective equipment.
Working at height, e.g. putting up Staff could suffer bruising and ■ None at present – staff stand ■ No more standing on chairs. Manager 1/10/13 1/10/13
decorations fractures when falling from the any on a chair.
■ An appropriate, commercial step- Manager 1/12/13 1/11/13
height. ■ Internal windows cleaned by
ladder will be bought and staff

Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management

contractor, who uses a stepladder.
shown how to use it safely.
Slips and trips Staff and visitors may be injured ■ Generally good housekeeping. ■ Better housekeeping in staff All staff From now on 1/10/13
if they trip over objects or slip on ■ All areas well lit, including stairs. kitchen, e.g. clear up spills more
spillages. ■ No trailing leads or cables. promptly.
■ Offices cleaned every evening.
■ Arrange for loose carpet tile Manager 21/10/13 17/10/13
on second floor to be repaired/
replaced.

Step 5   Review date  1/10/2014

Assessment completed by: Call centre manager in consultation with staff

 Example 3: Hair dressing
Enterprise: Hairdressing Section/unit: Date: 1/7/2013

STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4

What are the hazards? Who may be harmed What are you already What further action Action Action Done
and how? doing? is necessary? by whom by when

Wet hand work,  Staff may suffer from ■ Non-latex gloves are provided if ■ Staff will wear gloves for all wet DS and staff 15/7/13 11/7/13
e.g. washing hair, working dermatitis, increased staff want them. work.
with wet hair sensitivity, severely dry ■ Staff are trained to dry their
■ Owner will get different size DS and staff 15/7/13 11/7/13
skin. hands thoroughly and moisturise
gloves, to fit all staff.
between wet jobs.
■ Non-perfumed hand cream is ■ Staff will be asked to remove DS and staff 15/7/13 11/7/13
provided for staff. hand jewellery at beginning
of shift.
Hairdressing products Staff and customers may get eye or ■ Staff check and follow ■ Owner to buy eye baths in case of DS 31/1/13 25/7/13
and chemicals skin irritation. instructions on supplier splashing incidents.
All products, e.g. bleaches, information sheets.
■ Staff always to check with Staff 31/7/13 25/7/13
colouring, perm solutions, ■ Staff wear non-latex gloves when
customers for discomfort.
sterilising liquid, cleaning mixing and using product,
chemicals (see below for specific and when washing up bowls etc. ■ No chemicals to be stored above Staff 15/7/13 15/7/13
additional precautions) ■ Salon and stockroom well eye level.
ventilated.
■ Clients must be well-protected
with single-use towels.

Lightening (bleach) product Staff and customers may get eye, ■ Only purchasing non-dusty ■ Owner will check with staff DS 1/8/13 then 1/8/13
skin or breathing irritation or allergy. bleaches. for skin/allergy problems every every 3
3 months. months
Hydrogen peroxide Staff and customers may get eye or ■ Staff trained to use recom- ■ None
developer/neutraliser skin irritation. mended concentrations. Stored
away from light, heat and other
products.

Oxidative colourants Staff and customers may get eye or ■ Staff check with customers for ■ Staff to perform skin allergy tests HC and staff 31/5/13 25/5/13
skin irritation. Low likelihood of seri- history of allergy to colour and as per manufacturers’ instruc-
ous allergic reaction. any damage to scalp. If yes, hair tions 48 hours before treatment.
is not coloured unless the client
has got doctor’s advice.
Lone working Staff alone in salon may suffer verbal ■ Staff know to lock up when ■ Call-in to owner/manager system DS and HC 3/7/13 3/7/13
or physical violence. working alone. to confirm when left salon to be
instigated.

PART III.   Examples of risk assessments for selected workplaces

65
 Example 3: Hair dressing continued

66
STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4

What are the hazards? Who may be harmed What are you already What further action Action Action Done
and how? doing? is necessary? by whom by when

Blades and instruments Cuts and grazes to staff and clients. ■ All sharp implements cleaned with ■ Owner to introduce spot checks DS 30/6/13
Possible blood transmission from one sterilising liquid after each use. to ensure staff are following
person to another; risk of ■ Sterilising liquid changed daily sterilising procedures (including
blood-borne infection. and follow maker’s dilution spraying clipper heads).
instructions.
■ Staff will wear gloves if dealing Staff 15/7/13 15/7/13
■ Disposable blades used wherever
with nicks or cuts.
possible and disposed of
immediately in sharps box.
■ First-aid box kept stocked.
Slips and trips Staff and clients may be injured ■ Salon kept tidy. ■ Staff reminded to check routinely HC and Staff 31/8/13 25/8/13
if they trip over objects or trailing ■ Cut hair swept up promptly. for spills, and to use paper
wires, or slip on hair/spillages/wet ■ Any water/products spilt cleaned towels/cloths to clean up, not a
floors. up immediately. wet mop.
■ Matting provided for use at shop
■ Check floor surface remains DS 11/8/13then 7/8/13
entrance.
in good condition, when every 6
■ No trailing cables.
replacement needed consider months
■ Staff wear appropriate shoes.
flooring with better slip-
resistant properties.
Standing for long periods Staff may suffer musculoskeletal ■ Client chairs are fully adjustable. ■ Owner to look at rotas to confirm DS 31/8/13 25/8/13

Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management

injuries, e.g. back pain, neck or ■ Sinks designed to minimise all staff take regular breaks.
shoulder injuries and pain or twisting.
■ Owner to check conditions suitable DS 31/8/13 25/8/13
discomfort in feet and legs. ■ Wheeled stools provided for staff
to individual circumstances,
to use while cutting.
eg pregnant workers, and adjust
to suit person.
Electricity Staff could get electrical shocks or ■ Staff report to manager any ■ Owner to do visual check of DS 11/8/13 7/8/13
burns, and there is a fire hazard, damaged plugs or cable. plugs, sockets and cables every
from using wet or faulty electrical ■ Staff know where the fuse box is six months.
equipment. and how to turn the electricity off
■ Manager to ensure all electrical HC 11/8/13 4/8/13
in emergencies.
equipment stored away from
■ Hairdryers and other electrical
water.
equipment stored and used away
from water and only used with ■ All shop electrics to be checked DS 30/9/13 20/9/13
dry hands. by an electrician every five years,
■ Electrical equipment bought only water thermostats every year.
from reliable source.

Step 5  Review date  1/7/2014

Assessment completed by: DS & HC

 Example 4: Motor vehicle repair
Enterprise: P & Q Garage Section/unit: Motor vehicle repair (mechanical repairs only) Date: 6/3/2013

STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4

What are the hazards? Who may be harmed What are you already What further action Action Action Done
and how? doing? is necessary? by whom by when

Hazardous substances contact Workers, as a result of skin contact ■ Nitrile gloves supplied and used. ■ Supervisor to start keeping a JB 14/3/13 12/3/13
with used engine oil. over a long period could suffer from ■ Garage overalls supplied and check that gloves are being used.
severe dermatitis and skin cancer. used. ■ Risks from dermatitis and
■ Regular cleaning of overalls. skin cancer to be explained
to workers.
Toxic exhaust fumes from The fumes may cause ■ Ensuring engines are only ■ Manager to identify the possibili-  SP  6/9/13  
running car engines e.g. Carbon workers eye irritation and breathing running in well ventilated areas. ties of using an extractor system
monoxide. difficulties. to fit to engine when running.
Battery charging Workers could suffer burns from ■ Proprietary charger, installed by ■ None      
contact with battery acid whilst electrician, is used in accordance
charging, particularly if battery is with instructions.
overcharged and explodes. ■ Acid-resistant gloves and goggles
supplied and used.
Electrical equipment All workers could suffer poten- ■ Hand lamps etc. are low voltage ■ Manager to assess suitability of  SP 26/6/13  
Fixed equipment: range of portable tially fatal shocks or burns if they (24 volts). replacing 240 volt tools with air-
appliances, e.g. hand lamps. use faulty electrical equipment – ■ A few 240 volt tools are used, all powered or 110 volt alternatives.
portable equipment is particularly have industrial plugs and leads.
liable to damage. Faulty equipment ■ Annual inspection on all portable
could also start a fire. 240 volt tools and users trained
to carry out visual checks and
report defects.
■ Installed equipment receives
regular maintenance.
Manual handling All workers (particularly those in ■ Forklift truck used to move ■ Manager to arrange manual SP 10/5/13
stores) could suffer from back pain material into store and take handling training for the workers
if regularly lifting/carrying heavy or components to work shop. in the store.
awkward objects. ■ Other manual handling aids
used e.g. sack trollies
and wheelbarrows.
Slips and trips Injuries such as fractures may be ■ Good housekeeping standards ■ Walkways and storage areas JB 12/4/13 10/4/13
incurred by workers/visitors if they maintained through training and designated by yellow lines.
fall from ladders, the top of vehicles, monitoring. ■ Weekly housekeeping check to be JB 10/3/13 17/3/13

PART III.   Examples of risk assessments for selected workplaces

or raised storage areas. ■ Floors degreased weekly. started.
■ Absorbent granules and sawdust
put on spills as soon as possible.

67
■ Entrances and exits maintained.
 Example 4: Motor vehicle repair continued

68
STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4

What are the hazards? Who may be harmed What are you already What further action Action Action Done
and how? doing? is necessary? by whom by when

Operation of lift truck Injuries such as fractures can be ■ All operators trained ■ Supervisor to assess suitability JB 1/6/13
caused by: and competent for use of the lift of pedestrian operated lift trucks.
■ driver crashing lift truck; truck. ■ Refresher training for operators SP 25/7/13
■ workers and visitors being hit ■ Truck serviced regularly and to be arranged every 3 years.
by lift truck; examined for defects every six
■ workers falling from lift truck; months.
■ objects falling from lift truck onto ■ Flooring maintained to reason-
workers and visitors; and able standard.
■ the lift truck toppling over.
Vehicle movements Injuries such as fractures can occur ■ Safe parking provided ■ Supervisor to monitor speed of JB 29/3/13 31/3/13
if vehicles hit workers or visitors. for customers without need for cars in/out and around premises.
reversing.
■ Marked walkways for pedestrians.
■ Vehicles driven slowly in/out and
around premises.
Fire Building could be burnt down, ■ Smoking prohibited in all areas. ■ Manager to arrange some training SP 1/5/13
General workers and visitors could be trapped ■ Fire alarms maintained on use of extinguishers for all
in burning building. Workers could and tested by manufacturer. workers.
suffer severe or fatal burns if petrol ■ Extinguishers provided ■ Annual fire drill to be carried out. RB 11/9/13

Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management

gets on them and is ignited. and inspected under contract.
■ Special fire exits not needed
as all work areas have immediate
access to outside.
Petrol fires ■ Fuel retriever used to empty ■ Further brief workers on safe SP 20/3/13
vehicle fuel tanks outside. working with petrol.
■ Spillages cleared immediately.
■ Component cleaning in
recirculating paraffin system,
not petrol.

Step 5  Review date  8/1/2014

Assessment completed by: SP Garage manager

 Example 5: Office cleaning
Enterprise: LJ Cleaners Section/unit: Office cleaning Date: 1/8/2013

STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4

What are the hazards? Who may be harmed What are you already What further action Action Action Done
and how? doing? is necessary? by whom by when

Slips, trips and falls Staff and others risk injuries such ■ Good housekeeping at client ■ To further reduce risk of slips, Manager 31/8/13 System
as fractures and bruising if they trip company. introduce two-mop system for     introduced
over objects, or slip on spillages or ■ Warning cones placed in wet floor cleaning hard floors (wet mopping 8/8/13
on wet floors, and fall. areas. followed by dry mopping).
■ Client company instructs all staff
■ Cleaners instructed to wear Manager 31/8/13  15/8/13
to keep off wet floors.
sensible shoes, e.g. flat shoes
■ Cleaners use electrical socket
with a good grip.
nearest to where they are working
to reduce risk of tripping over
leads.
Contact with bleach Staff risk getting skin ■ Staff asked when they start ■ Investigate replacing chemicals Manager 7/10/13  
and other cleaning problems such as dermatitis, and eye if they suffer ill health, e.g. skin marked ‘irritant’ with milder
chemicals damage, from direct problems, when using cleaning alternatives.
contact with bleach and chemicals.
■ Staff reminded to report any All staff 7/8/13 4/7/13
other cleaning chemicals, ■ Long-handled mops and brushes,
health problems they think may
e.g. solvents and detergents. and strong rubber gloves,
come from cleaning, and to
Chemical vapour may cause breath- are provided and staff trained
check for dry, red or itchy skin on
ing problems. in their use.
their hands.
■ All staff trained in the risks,
use and storage of cleaning ■ Staff reminded to wash gloves Manager 7/8/13 4/7/13
chemicals. after use.

Musculoskeletal Staff risk injuries such as back prob- ■ Cleaning equipment provided for ■ Provide new mopping system Manager 1/11/13  
disorders (MSDs) and injuries lems if they try to lift objects that are each floor. – long-handled wringer, to reduce
heavy and/or awkward to carry, such ■ Long-handled mops, brushes and force needed to squeeze mop,
as cleaning machines or full dusters are provided to reduce and a bucket on wheels to reduce
mopping buckets, or if they are need to stretch and stoop. lifting and carrying (see ‘slips,
required to often work in awkward ■ Staff do not overfill buckets. trips and falls’).
postures.
Work at height Staff risk bruising and fracture inju- ■ No need for staff work from ■ None
ries if they fall from any height. stepladders etc. and they are
instructed not to do so.
■ ‘No standing on chairs’ policy.
■ Staff trained in safe system of

PART III.   Examples of risk assessments for selected workplaces

work for cleaning stairs.

69
 Example 5: Office cleaning continued

70
STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4

What are the hazards? Who may be harmed What are you already What further action Action Action Done
and how? doing? is necessary? by whom by when

Lone working Staff may suffer sudden illness/ ■ Cleaning staff sign in/out at ■ None
accident while working alone and be the front desk. If they have not
unable to summon help. signed out by 7.15 pm, security
staff look for them.
Machine cleaning of floors Staff and others risk injury from ■ Machine provided is the right ■ Cleaners reminded not to use Manager 7/8/13 2/8/13
improper use of the machine, machine for the job. the machine if they have doubts
e.g. if the machine were to buck ■ Cleaners trained in the safe use about its safety.
and hit feet or ankles. of the machine.
■ Machine regularly examined
by a competent person
and maintained as necessary.
Electrical Staff risk electric shocks or burns ■ Staff check for damaged plugs, ■ Manager to regularly check plugs, Manager 2/8/13 2/8/13
from faulty electrical equipment. cables and on/off switches before cables and switches of cleaning
using the cleaning machines. machines.
■ If defect is noted, the machine
is taken out of use and repairs
carried out by competent staff.
■ Staff trained not to splash
water near sockets or electrical
appliances.

Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management

STEP 5  Review date  1/8/2014

Assessment completed by: Manager

Annex: Further information

There are many risk assessment tools and methodologies available to help enterprises and organi-
zations assess their risks. The choice of method will depend on workplace conditions, including,
for example, the number of workers, the type of work activities and equipment, the particular
features of the workplace and any specific risks.
The most common risk assessment tools are checklists, which are a useful means to help identify
hazards. Other kinds of risk assessment tools include guides, guidance documents, handbooks,
brochures, questionnaires and “interactive tools” (free interactive software, including download-
able applications, which are usually sector-specific). These tools can be either generic or branch
or risk-specific.
Some of the sources where you can access such information and tools are listed in the section on
good practice and information below.

Where to find good practice and information

International and regional organizations

1. International Labour Organization (ILO)

■ Guidelines on occupational safety and health management systems: Geneva, ILO Safework,
2001. http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@dgreports/@dcomm/@publ/documents/
publication/wcms_publ_9221116344_en.pdf
■ Work improvement in small enterprises (WISE). Geneva, ILO Conditions of Work and
Employment Programme (TRAVAIL). http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---
ed_protect/---protrav/---travail/documents/instructionalmaterial/wcms_152469.pdf
■ The WISE Package for Trainers. Geneva, ILO Conditions of Work and Employment
Programme (TRAVAIL). http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_protect/---
protrav/---safework/documents/instructionalmaterial/wcms_110322.pdf

2. European Union Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU OSHA)
■ The key role played by risk assessment is set out in the EU Framework Directive on
safety and health: Council Directive 89/391/EEC of 12 June 1989 on the introduction
of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers at work.
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CONSLEG:1989L0391:2008
1211:EN:PDF
■ EU OSHA has developed a risk assessment tools database with tools from all over Eu-
rope. These tools are free and available online. The database is updated regularly with
new tools. http://osha.europa.eu/en/practical-solutions/risk-assessment-tools
■ Guidance on risk assessment at work: Health and safety. European Commission, Direc-
torate General V (Public health and safety at work directorate), 1996, ISBN 92-827-
4278-4. http://osha.europa.eu/en/topics/riskassessment/guidance.pdf

Annex: Further information 71

 ■ Risk assessment essentials. This is a basic guide to risk assessment, including checklists
for different hazards and sectors or work and examples of preventive measures, which can
be used to reduce risk. http://osha.europa.eu/en/campaigns/hwi/about/material/rat2007

National organizations
Many organizations dealing with safety and health at work have produced publications that can
be consulted for further information when carrying out risk assessments. The materials vary from
brochures and information sheets through to practical manuals. Some are aimed at specific sec-
tors or address specific hazards. Many are free of charge and have the advantage of being in the
local language.
Some interesting information sources include organizations in the following countries:
■ Canada: The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS). http://www.
ccohs.ca/ccohs.html
■ Finland: The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. http://www.ttl.fi/en/safety/risk_as-
sessment/pages/default.aspx
■ France: Evaluation des risques professionnels, Institut national de recherche et de sécurité pour
la prévention d’accidents du travail et des maladies professionnels (INRS), 2009. http://
www.inrs.fr/htm/evaluation_des_risques_professionnels.html
■ Ireland: Guidelines on risk assessment and safety statements, Irish Health and Safety A
­ uthority,
2006. http://www.hsa.ie/eng/Publications_and_Forms/Publications/Safety_and_Health_Ma-
nagement/Guidelines_on_Risk_Assessments_and_Safety_Statements.pdf
■ Norway: The Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority. http://www.arbeidstilsynet.no/artikkel.
html?tid=79289
■ Spain: The National Occupational Safety and Health Institute (INSHT) has published a
series of seventeen Technical Guides on Risk Assessment. http://www.insht.es/portal/site/
Insht/menuitem.1f1a3bc79ab34c578c2e8884060961ca/?vgnextoid=d8388dd6caa62110V
gnVCM100000dc0ca8c0RCRD&vgnextchannel=75164a7f8a651110VgnVCM100000dc
0ca8c0RCRD
■ Sweden: Investigation and risk assessment in systematic work environment management –
a guide, The Swedish Work Environment Authority (Arbetsmiljöverket) 2003. Second ed.,
2004, ISBN 91-7464-449-1. http://www.av.se/dokument/inenglish/books/h375eng.pdf
■ UK: The Health and Safety Executive’s website on risk assessment includes many worked
examples for different sectors and health and safety topics. http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/

72 Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management

 International
Labour
Office
Geneva

ILO Training Package on Workplace Risk Assessment and Management for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
Training Package
on Workplace Risk Assessment
and Management for
Small and
Medium-Sized
Enterprises
Programme on Safety and Health at Work
and the Environment (SafeWork)
International Labour Organization
Route des Morillons 4
CH -1211 Geneva 22
Switzerland

TEL. + 41 22 7996715
FAX + 41 22 7996878

E-mail : safework @ ilo.org

www.ilo.org / safework

ISBN 978-92-2-127063-8

9 789221 270638