What is the purpose of a risk assessment?

Effective health and safety measures are paramount to the running of any type of business. To ensure that your business is fully compliant with health and safety regulations, you must perform thorough risk assessments.

Indeed, it’s a legal requirement for businesses to carry out risk assessments, as they ensure that a variety of potential hazards are prepared and accounted for. That being said, risk assessments shouldn’t be carried out simply to achieve legal compliance, but with the wellbeing and safety of employees in mind.

So why is a risk assessment undertaken? We shall discuss exactly this, along with plenty of examples and explanations, throughout this piece.

Why is it important to carry out a risk assessment?

As mentioned previously, companies are legally required to assess potential health and safety risks in the workplace, according to The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. 

So, apart from the legal reasons, why do we have risk assessments in the workplace? Any employer is duty-bound to keep their employees and associates safe. This is in an employer’s better interests, as a positive reputation for safety attracts a talented workforce and responsible clients. Risk assessments can also enlighten approaches to workplace design, ensuring that a workplace is optimised for both performance and safety.

Indeed, there are many benefits of workplace design and risk assessments. For one, considering both in tandem will help you to efficiently identify and deal with potential workplace hazards. Preparations for potential hazards earlier can also prevent major financial losses later, true to the mantra of ‘proactive rather than reactive’ thinking. Risk assessments can also be used as training tools, improving your workforce’s collective awareness of hazards.

How to carry out a health and safety risk assessment

According to The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, an employer should make a ‘suitable and sufficient assessment’ of the following:

1. the risks to the health and safety of their employees to which they are exposed whilst they are at work; and

2. the risks to the health and safety of persons not in their employment arising out of or in connection with the conduct by them of their undertaking.

In order to carry out a risk assessment that covers all of these bases, the assessor(s) should proceed with these stages in mind:

1. Identify the hazards - Take some time to wander your workplace, keeping an eye out for any potential hazards that may be present. 

2. Decide who might be harmed and how - It’s useful to get a sense of your employees’ work patterns, and how these patterns could put them at risk. Try and speak to your employees directly, as they may inform you of their specific requirements or offer handy suggestions.

3. Evaluate the risks and take action to prevent them - Once you have identified all potential hazards, it’s important that you assess the likelihood and seriousness of each hazard. Make sure to identify who needs to take action and how soon these actions must be taken.

4. Record your findings - Be sure to record all of your findings, as well as each of the measures taken to mitigate the risks. This is especially crucial when it comes to reviewing the completed risk assessment.

5. Review the risk assessment - Once you have taken all the necessary measures to address each hazard, you must review them in order to assess their effectiveness. Changes in the workplace, such as a change of layout of staff, would also prompt a review.

How often should a fire risk assessment be undertaken?

When it comes to fire risk assessments, you must adhere to the regulations stipulated by DSEAR (Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations, 2002). Although DSEAR does not state a specific time frame in which to conduct fire risk assessments, you are legally required to keep your assessments up-to-date. This means that you must conduct a new assessment every time there’s a change to your workspace. 

So, when it comes to the question of how often fire risk assessments should be reviewed, it’s often recommended that you conduct a review at least every 12 months. That said, you must still update your assessment immediately upon changes to your work environment, regardless of how much time has passed since your last assessment. For companies with 5 or more employees, it’s also a legal requirement to keep a record of each assessment in writing.

Who must carry out a fire risk assessment?

According to government regulations, you’re directly responsible for fire safety if you’re one of the following:

• an employer;

• the owner;

• the landlord;

• an occupier;

• anyone else with control of the premises, for example, a facilities manager, building manager, managing agent, or risk assessor.

If you fall under one of these categories, you are referred to as the ‘responsible person’. Sometimes there may be more than one ‘responsible person’, which means you collectively share responsibility for fire safety.

Therefore, as a ‘responsible person’, you are responsible for carrying out a fire risk assessment, as well as reviewing it regularly. However, you can hire a professional risk assessor to perform the assessment if you so wish. Hiring a risk assessor is often a good means to ensure a fire risk assessment is accurate and thorough.

Consequences of not carrying out a risk assessment

There are many potential negative consequences for an employer if a risk assessment isn’t carried out in adherence to regulations. For one, if an employer fails to carry out a risk assessment, they are fully liable for any injuries sustained. 

Indeed, companies can be prosecuted by the HSE (Health & Safety Executive) if they're found to be in breach of health and safety regulations. If found to be in breach, you will have to, at the very least, pay a ‘fee for intervention’ (FFI). This fee covers the costs the HSE incur in rectifying the breaches. 

Of course, depending on the severity of the breaches, you could face further legal action. This often involves fines, but can also include suspended sentences, community sentences, and immediate custody.