I am sure the person giving the talk at your local business club would have mentioned Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act.
In this section it states there is a legal duty placed upon employers and the self-employed to assess any risk to the health and safety of a task or process. Listed below are some of the Regulations governing some of the process and practices that require by Statute law a formal risk assessment. (The list is not exhaustive):
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992
- Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
- Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992
- Noise at Work Regulations 1989
- Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1994
- Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 1987
- Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment)Regulations 1994
Although these regulations actually state the requirements for formal recorded risk assessment, the duty to assess risk is imposed across the entire Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, which you will almost certainly have displayed somewhere in your factory.
The Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) accompanying the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992 defines risk assessment as ‘identifying the hazards present in any undertaking and then evaluating the extent of the risks involved, taking into account whatever precautions are being taken. It further has the following definitions:
- Hazard as ‘something with the potential to cause harm’.
- isk as ‘expresses the likelihood of the harm from a particular hazard’
- Extent of risk as ‘covers the population which might be affected by a risk, i.e. the number of people who might be exposed and the consequences for them’
I won’t go any further into the various Regulations and definitions here but what is clear that as an employer you have a duty to assess any risk inherent in a process. Equally important is that all employees also have some responsibility for internal control and they, therefore, need to be given the necessary skills, information to support a company’s risk assessment system. A risk assessment system involves an initial audit of processes, (often by an internal assessor who has been appropriately trained), risks identified and actions put into place to eliminate the inherent risk. Many companies use an external auditor to carry out an initial audit not only bringing knowledge but also a fresh pair of eyes to the issue. As for benefits don’t underestimate the benefits that a workplace incorporating best practice in relation to health and safety can bring. Benefits in reduced absence, accidents, improved processes and so on. Call us if we are able to help by carrying out an audit or provide further guidance.
