DW Module 2

Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 26

Module 2:

Assessing risks

Key learning points


1. What is risk?
2. What is a risk assessment?
3. How are risk assessments carried out?

Notes:

What is risk?
Risk is part of everyone’s life – we can’t avoid risks but we can put things in place to
manage them effectively.

Can you remember, for example, when you first learned to drive? Perhaps you were
looking forward to your first lesson because you were eager to become independent. On
the other hand, you might have been a bit apprehensive about getting behind the wheel for
the first time. Either way, learning to drive involves a degree of risk. Because you were
learning, you’d have had a qualified instructor sitting next to you, so the risk would have
been well managed.

Learning to drive helped you learn to manage risks for yourself, as well as giving you a
skill.

There’ll always be a small risk in taking driving lessons, but without it you’ll never learn to
drive – a skill which you’re likely to use throughout your life.

15
So what do we really mean by risk?

Imagine that you own a warehouse distribution


company. The warehouse is an old building and
the roof is in need of some repair. You’re
concerned about poor weather, since this could
damage the building and its contents.

In these circumstances, rain would certainly be a


threat to the building and its contents. A few
moments of rain, sleet or snow wouldn’t make any difference, but a long downpour would
be much more of a problem. So the question you have to ask is ‘how likely is it to rain?’

If you decided to do nothing about the roof, and one night it did rain, the extent of the
damage would depend on the contents of the warehouse and their value.

Let’s suppose the contents are plastic garden furniture


designed to be outside in all weathers, which can be easily
dried off. In this case there’d be little damage.

On the other hand, if the contents were television sets, they’d


be completely ruined by the rain. Stock would have to be
written off at a large cost to your company.

The chance of a downpour causing damage to garden


furniture is very low, but the risk of damage to a stack of
television sets is much higher.

On top of that, you might conclude that the chance of a


downpour happening at all is much higher in the winter than
in the summer. So, if you were trying to decide whether to fix
the roof or leave it in its current condition, you’d probably ask yourself two questions: what
are the chances it’ll rain, and what could get damaged if it did?

Notes:

16
Basic terms that apply to risk assessment

In order to ensure a safe working environment, you need to understand the definition of
risk and be able to estimate it, evaluate it and take action if necessary. Before we work our
way through this process, let’s take a look at the basic terms that apply to risk assessment.

A hazard is anything that has the potential to cause harm. This could be something as
specialised as a piece of complicated machinery, or as commonplace as a cup of coffee. If
it could be harmful in any way, then it’s a hazard.

A hazardous event takes place when someone or something


interacts with the hazard and harm results.

Suppose there’s a hole in the ground. The hole (the hazard) by itself
isn’t causing any harm, but if someone tripped over it (the hazardous
event) then it’d become harmful.

Every hazardous event has a likelihood and a consequence.

Likelihood is a measure of the chance The consequence is the outcome of the


that the hazardous event will occur. If hazardous event. If you tripped over a
the hole is in a busy area, such as a hole, there could be several possible
shop entrance, it’s more likely someone outcomes: you might land on your feet
will trip over it. However, if it’s in an with no damage at all, you might drop
area that doesn’t get a lot of traffic, such whatever you were carrying, or perhaps
as a back yard, tripping over it would be you could end up with a sprained ankle
less likely. or even a fracture.

Risk is the combination of the likelihood of a hazardous event occurring and the
consequence of the event.

Risk = likelihood x consequence

We’ll use this definition of risk throughout this course. Consequence is also sometimes
referred to as severity – these terms may be used interchangeably.

17
What is a risk assessment?

Risk assessment is a means of making sure that the most serious workplace risks are
managed by cost-effective control measures. Assessing risks allows you to prioritise the
action you take to control them. In this module, we discuss how to assess risk. In Module
3, we’ll look at ways of controlling risk.

Put simply, a risk assessment is a careful examination of anything in your workplace that
could cause people to suffer injury or ill health while they’re at work.

Risk assessment is about deciding who might be harmed and then judging how likely it is
that something will go wrong, and how serious the consequences could be. Once you’ve
worked out what the risks are and how significant they are, you can concentrate on cutting
them out – or at least controlling them.

• You don’t have to carry out the assessments yourself – if you’re not confident, get
help from someone who is appropriately qualified and trained and knows about
what they’re assessing. But remember, you’re responsible for seeing that it’s
adequately done.

• It’s always a good idea to involve other people in the risk assessment process –
particularly the person whose job you’re assessing. They may have noticed things
which aren’t immediately obvious to you. By involving your staff, you’re also helping
them to think about what could go wrong and how to avoid problems.

Notes:

18
A risk assessment enables you to:

Meet your legal requirements


Tell whether you’re doing
enough to protect your All employers and self-employed
workforce and others from people have a legal obligation to
harm carry out risk assessments. If
you don’t, you could face
For example, are you providing prosecution and fines (the
enough: Management of Health and
• training Safety at Work Regulations
• information 1999).
• personal protective equipment
• health surveillance?

Demonstrate good business practice and improve


business performance

Understanding the risks that face your business will


help you to manage it better, with:
• potential cost savings
• reduced insurance premiums
• enhanced reputation.

Remember, accidents and ill health can have a devastating effect – they can ruin lives
and your business.

Notes:

19
Case study 1

A nurse, who had a long history of back complaints, was required to do work involving
heavy manual handling of patients. She wasn’t sent to the occupational health
department to assess her fitness. The work aggravated her injuries and resulted in
surgery and retirement on grounds of ill health. She claimed compensation from her
employers and was awarded £16,000. The judgment recognised the failure of the
employer to carry out a manual handling risk assessment.

Case study 2

A kitchen designer and manufacturer felt that he wasn’t realising the full potential of
the workforce – he wanted to get them more involved in all aspects of the business.
Weekly meetings now cover everything, including risks! The business owner
commented: ‘Since we’ve been talking about risk, we’re more aware of potential
hazards… in 16 months we haven’t had a single injury.’

Case study 3

A company providing services to the travel industry assessed the risks of its shrink-
wrapping facilities. As a result, it was able to reduce the risk of manual handling
injuries to employees, get staff involved with risk assessment and develop business
processes. The company is now aiming for quality management certification and also
targeting bigger customers, who expect to see proof that their suppliers are taking
health and safety seriously.

Did you know…?

Workplace accidents and ill-health cost society up to £31 billion every year
(Health and Safety Executive 2004).

20
How do we carry out risk assessments?

Risk assessment doesn’t have to be complicated – what’s important is that you


concentrate on significant hazards which could result in serious harm or affect a number of
people.

When carrying out a risk assessment, you need to:

Stage 1: list the work tasks that are your responsibility

Stage 2: identify the risks – what are the hazards, who might be harmed and how?

Once you’ve recorded this information you can then:

Stage 3: estimate the risk

Stage 4: evaluate the risk

Finally, you should:

Stage 5: record your findings

Stage 6: review your findings.

21
Stage 1. Make a list of the work tasks that are your responsibility

Anything in your workplace that you manage – the activities that take place, the people
involved in those activities, the equipment they use and the different locations they work in
– can be a hazard in some circumstances.

That’s why it’s essential that you make a list of everything you manage. The best way to
do this is to walk around the workplace and see for yourself what’s going on. If you don’t
do this, it’s possible that a hazard could be overlooked and therefore not included in the
risk assessment.

It’s usual to include the following on your list:

a) A description of the location(s) you manage

You might find it useful to do a rough drawing or


sketch of the areas.

You also need to think about common areas, like a


corridor or stairs – there could be instances where a
risk assessment is missed because two managers
each thought the other was responsible for the activity
in that location.

Notes:

22
b) The people who work in the area on a regular
basis or from time to time

You need to consider staff who work both on and off


site. For example, sales representatives and
engineers may spend much of their time travelling
and may not have a fixed place of work.

You’re also responsible for people who visit the


workplace, such as contractors, visitors, members of
the public and trespassers. And don’t forget young
workers, trainees and expectant mothers, who may
have additional needs.

Notes:

c) Permanent and temporary pieces of equipment


and substances used at the location

If pieces of equipment – such as photocopiers and


lifting equipment – are shared between departments,
you’ll need to agree with other managers who will be
responsible for doing the risk assessment.

If you take delivery of new pieces of equipment or


substances, you’ll need to add these too.

Did you know…?

Organisations with a proactive approach to health and safety management


tend to perform better in terms of profitability, number of accidents and days
lost (IOSH, 2008).

23
d) Activities carried out at different locations

If you’re responsible for more than one location, it’s


possible that some activities are carried out differently
at each location. For example, someone may use a
manual system to do a particular job at one site and an
automated system at another site.

You’ll need to carry out a separate risk assessment for


both activities at both sites.

To record this information, you can use a work tasks list similar to the one on page 38.

Notes:

24
Stage 2: Identify the risks – what are the hazards, who might be harmed and how?

Now that you’ve completed your work tasks list, you can identify the risks – to do this you
need to know what the hazards are, who might be harmed and how.

So how can you identify the hazards?

• observe the physical layout at each location and the activities being carried out. For
example, do people have enough space to work comfortably without being
unnecessarily at risk?

• speak to your staff and their representatives, if they have any, and find out whether
they consider anything in the workplace to be a hazard – they may have noticed
something which isn’t obvious to you

• inspect relevant company records, such as accident records, manufacturer’s


instructions or data sheets

• read up on hazards relevant to your area. For example, do any of your staff have to
work with hazardous chemicals or electricity? If they do, both you and your staff should
have some knowledge of these topics.

To record this information, you can use a hazard checklist like the one on page 39.

Notes:

25
Stage 3: Estimate the risk

Now that you’ve identified what the hazards are, you’ll need to weigh up how serious each
risk is.

You need to consider two things:

• how likely it is that something could go wrong


• how serious the outcome could be.

Consider the situation where window cleaners from a small local firm are using a ladder to
clean windows on a three-storey block of flats during their monthly window-cleaning round.

How likely is it that they could fall? To assess this, you need to consider a number of
factors, such as:

• the stability of the ladder


• the condition of the rungs
• the type of footwear
• the lighting levels.

When you’ve considered all relevant factors, you can rank the likelihood of the fall. You’ll
find it helpful to do this by using a three-point scale:

Low (1): if it’s unlikely that the event will happen

Medium (2): if it’s fairly likely that the event may happen

High (3): if it’s likely that the event will happen.

26
Did you know…?

In 2008/09, 27,594 major injuries to employees were reported (Health and


Safety Executive, 2009)

Notes:

27
Now that you’ve calculated the likelihood of the fall, you need to do the same for the
consequence.

If a window cleaner were to fall off the ladder, what would the likely outcome be? Again,
you need to consider a number of factors, such as:

• the height of the fall


• whether there’s anything to help stop the fall
• what the person falls onto.

When you’ve considered all relevant factors, you can rank the seriousness of the fall.
Again, you’ll find it helpful to do this by using a three-point scale:

Low (1): minor injuries requiring first aid – for example,


grazes or minor cuts

Medium (2): an injury requiring further medical assistance –


for example, cuts needing stitches or broken bones

High (3): major injuries, such as paralysis, or death.

Now you can estimate the level of risk involved – whether


something is going to be a low risk, a medium risk or a high
risk. Remember: risk = likelihood x consequence.

We might decide that it’s unlikely that the window cleaner will fall because the ladder is
robust and secure, so we’ll rank the likelihood as low (1). We might also decide that if the
window cleaner were to fall from the lowest rungs of the ladder the injuries might not be so
severe as if she fell from the upper rungs of the ladder – so the seriousness might be low
(1) for the lower rungs and high (3) for the upper rungs.

For the two outcomes we’ve just described, we have two levels of risk:

1 x 1 = 1 and 1 x 3 = 3

Suppose in another situation the ladder is in poor shape, not secure and on uneven
ground. So this time we rank the likelihood of falling from the ladder as high (3). Again, as
above, the seriousness of the fall could range from low (1) to high (3). So we have two
levels of risk:

3 x 1 = 3 and 3 x 3 = 9

28
Did you know…?

In 2008/09, 1.2 million people who had worked in the last 12 months were
suffering from an illness they believed was caused or made worse by work.
Taking account of people who have worked at any time, not just the last 12
months, the figure is much larger. (Health and Safety Executive,2009)

Notes:

29
Stage 4: Evaluate the risk
OK, so now you’ve estimated the risk and worked out your risk level – what are you going
to do about it?

Usually, the higher the risk level, the more serious the risk is and the more likely you’ll
need to take action. To make it easier to decide on the urgency of the action, you can
allocate an action level to each level of risk.

This way of estimating and evaluating risk is called the ‘risk matrix’ approach – it’s a
commonly used tool.

Did you know…?

In 2008/09, 29.3 million working days were lost overall to work-related


injury and ill health (1.24 days per worker). 24.6 million were due to ill health
and 4.7 million to injury (Health and Safety Executive, 2009)

30
Notes:

31
You can also use a five-point scale to estimate likelihood and consequence, with five
descriptions for likelihood and five for consequence.

So the likelihood could be ranked as:

1) Very unlikely – there’s a 1 in a million chance of the hazardous event happening

2) Unlikely – there’s a 1 in 100,000 chance of the hazardous event happening

3) Fairly likely – there’s a 1 in 10,000 chance of the hazardous event happening

4) Likely – there’s a 1 in 1,000 chance of the hazardous event happening

5) Very likely – there’s a 1 in 100 chance of the hazardous event happening.

Consequence would be ranked as:

1) Insignificant - no injury

2) Minor – minor injuries needing first aid

3) Moderate – up to three days’ absence

4) Major – more than three days’ absence

5) Catastrophic – death.

This approach has the advantage over the three-point scale of giving a better definition of
the medium risk area.

Notes:

32
In the case of the 5 x 5 matrix, the actions levels might be:

Risk estimation techniques and action levels will vary from company to company.
Remember, there are several ways to do a risk assessment. It is important that you use
the most appropriate method for your situation. Usually, complex processes require more
advanced methods.

Find out how risk estimation and evaluation takes place in your organisation. If
it’s necessary for you to take action, you’ll need to decide what to do to reduce
the risk.

In Module 3, we’ll discuss the different ways of reducing risk that are available to you.

It’s important to remember that there’s never a zero risk rating as there’s always a chance
of something happening. Also, once you’ve done something to reduce the risk, you’ll need
to estimate and evaluate the risk again to see whether you’ve done enough.

33
Stage 5: Record your findings

Now that you’ve completed the risk assessment, you’ll need to


record your significant findings. This could be electronically or as
a paper copy. This is not only good practice but it’s also a legal
requirement if you employ five or more people.

It doesn’t matter what form you use to record your findings – it


could be a risk assessment form similar to the one on page 40, or one of your own. What
matters is that the information you record about the activity – for example, the hazard, the
likelihood and consequence of the hazardous event, and the risk level – is all there.

In general, it’s helpful to record:

• details of the person carrying out the risk assessment


• the date and time of the assessment
• details of the location, people, equipment and activity you’re assessing
• the hazards you’ve identified together with the risk level
• existing control measures and how well they work
• the date for review of the assessment.

Stage 6: Review your findings


We’re almost there! As we all know, things change – for
example, work procedures change, we buy new equipment
and staff come and go. The same applies when new
information comes to light, such as information about
substances you use at work. When changes like these are
identified, you’ll need to review your risk assessments.

It’s good practice to review assessments annually or


sooner, especially if you’re made aware of new changes or
information. Where risks ratings are low, you still need to
review assessments to make sure they stay low.

In Module 3, we’ll discuss the steps you need to take to control risks.

34
Did you know…?

180 people were killed at work in 2008/09 (Health and Safety Executive 2009).

Notes:

35
Getting it right
Risk assessment is a simple process, but here are some tips to make sure you do it well.

• Make sure your assessment is suitable and sufficient. Have you got the right
information and are you using the right people and techniques? Sometimes you may
need to seek advice from someone with specialist knowledge in a particular area, such
as chemicals.

• Risk assessment involves making a judgment about risk – clearly this isn’t an exact
science. However, ensuring the quality of the information you use to estimate likelihood
and consequence helps to reduce the subjectivity. For example, use relevant accident
and incident data.

• It’s essential to involve the people whose activities you’re assessing. You may think
you know how a job is done – they really know how it’s done.

• Make sure your risk assessments are relevant to the local situation at your site. A risk
assessment done somewhere else for an activity that also takes place on your site is
not necessarily valid for your circumstances. You’ll need to modify it to fit your situation.
For example, different equipment may be used at different sites for the same task, and
this may affect the risk.

• Where people work alone or encounter an unpredictable event, such as a new kind of
machinery breakdown, they may have to do an ‘on-the-spot’ risk assessment to fit the
new circumstances. As a manager, you should consider how competent your staff are
to undertake such roles and assess these risks.

Notes:

36
Summary

1. Risk is…

2. A risk assessment is…

3. The key stages of carrying out a risk assessment are…

37
38
39
40

You might also like